Cover Story Four teens tell their personal stories about the issues they face. How do teens deal with issues like trouble with parents, not fitting in and being bullied at school? These teens did it. Find out how Teens: the issues they face By Bob Horning
	Feature Mel Gibson's Passion movie was the theme for this year's winner of the Fr. Charles Irvin Writing Scholarship. Finding the passion in The Passion of the Christ By Katie Gallagher
	Fr. Joe Dear Fr. Joe: Did Jesus ever talk about sex? Are the rules man-made? In the know with Fr. Joe By Fr. Joe Krupp
	Profile FAITH interviews the star of the upcoming film about St. Therese of Lisieux St. Therese of Lisieux By Alton Pelowski
	Exclusive Have you ever rethought how you view something because you're not comfortable with what you did? ... From regretting to justifying. Do you make the leap? By Pat Rinker

Teens
the issues they face
By Bob Horning | Photography by James Luning

Teens face a wide spectrum of difficulties. These four stories deal with a few of those problems, from running away from home to coming to a new home in the United States. In these stories – told in the teens’ own words – a decision to put faith in God was instrumental in dealing with the situation.

	Gaelen Callahan was a freshman in high school when he decided that life at home was too difficult, and there was no hope for improvement. The only solution he could come up with was to run away in the middle of the night.
	In January 2001, Keon-Young Park left her family in Korea and came to the United States, where she began the second semester as a freshman at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor. Mastering the English language and adapting to a new culture meant facing fears and challenges.
	Being called fat, ugly and stupid every day for as long as she can remember was understandably traumatic for Sarah Thiefels. It required years to overcome the effects – years of crying and praying – to reach the point at which she is today. Sarah graduated from Father Gabriel Richard High School in June and is attending Madonna University in Livonia this year.
	In his home town of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, Mahluli (Ma-thu-li) Dube was thrown in jail for eight hours because of his political views. He also saw many friends and relatives die from AIDS. When he arrived in the United States to study at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, he was faced with a foreign culture. These situations, however, have led not to despair, but to a deepening of his faith.

Gaelen Callahan was a freshman in high school when he decided that life at home was too difficult, and there was no hope for improvement. The only solution he could come up with was to run away in the middle of the night.

Gaelen Callahan

Things were constantly on edge. Life at home was not what I wanted. It seemed like hell. It seemed that whatever anyone did or said was misconstrued and led into a trap. I felt alone in the experience – my only brother is nine years older. I figured things would never get good again.

My decision was definitely premeditated. I packed my bags the night before and put them in our barn out back. After midnight, I got my 10-speed bike and took off. I rode thirty miles, and between hitch-hiking, riding, and walking – after my bike was stolen – ended up in West Lafayette, Ind.

It was the second week in July and I lived in a homeless shelter for three weeks. My beard had grown out, so they believed me when I said I was 18 years old. One day, I made a phone call home to a friend and the police traced the call to western Indiana. Then, the police began checking all the homeless shelters in that area until they found me.

My parents were devastated, of course. My dad told me that he had been saying a rosary for me every morning. They had been calling everyone they could think of who knew me to find out where I was. When they came to pick me up, they didn’t recognize me since I had a beard, my hair was in a little ponytail, my hat was pulled down over my eyes, and I was handcuffed.

They said they loved me and were grateful I was alive and unhurt. There were lots of hugs. I told them all about how and why I had taken off and run away. On the way home, when we would stop to eat, they commented on how hungry I was and didn’t seem so picky about what I ate anymore.

My parents sent me to counseling, which I didn’t like and it didn’t help much. But we were all realizing that we have to make sacrifices for each other. As Fr. Geoff Rose, a chaplain at school, says, “We need to die for each other every day.” When things started to get worse again, the three of us sat down and talked for four to five hours. For the next two and a half years, things were better, but not great.

In March of this year, I attended a four-day Kairos retreat with 40 other students at Lumen Christi. The purpose of Kairos is to help youth develop a closer relationship with God. I only went because they needed more people to fill up the retreat, and I figured it would be a new experience.

It was powerful. It opened my eyes. I saw that it was me who needed to change in relation to my parents. Sometime on the third day, everyone broke down. Emotions were heightened. There were no more barriers or masks; we let everyone see us as we really are. There was no hiding. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced.

At the end of the retreat, I shared before the whole group. I could see how my father died every day for my mother. Everything you hear in wedding vows, he lived to its fullest, as well as things that were not asked of him. He was with her through good times and bad. He always went the extra step to make her happy. It was like an epiphany. I saw what a strong, caring, compassionate man my dad was, and that his actions were the truest form of love. I aspired to be like him.

I could also see then how my mom was dying for me through always wanting everything perfect for me. Everything fell into place. Seeing the way my dad loved my mother, and how my mom loved me, really set my perspective straight. As a result of the retreat, and my “getting it,” we now accept each other more. That’s what is making a better relationship possible.

From my own experience, and seeing other kids my age, I see that what we need from our parents and other adults is a recognition and acknowledgment of our accomplishments. We have self-doubt about what we are doing, and that doubt needs to be overcome. We need to be encouraged and nudged to do even better. Like a football coach would say, “You have played well, and you are capable of doing even better.”

Note: Gaelen had a good year in football as a tailback, setting school records for career touchdowns and rushing yardage in a game, season and career.

For those who are now in the situation I was in, keep in mind that nothing is ever hopeless. I didn't believe that before I ran away, but I wish I had. If I hadn’t been found, I would never have been a part of what my football teammates and I accomplished. I would never have bridged the gap between my parents and myself. I would never have the relationships I have with my friends.

Running from things doesn’t make them better. It only delays the inevitable. Face problems now and leave the rest of your life to happiness. Examine yourself, and talk to those who might be bothering you. Be virtuous and kind.

Parents, if you don’t think everything is all right with your children, persist until you get it out of them. Earn your children’s trust so that they might talk to you in full confidence.

In January 2001, Keon-Young Park left her family in Korea and came to the United States, where she began the second semester as a freshman at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor. Mastering the English language and adapting to a new culture meant facing fears and challenges.

Keon-Young Park

I had studied English in school since fourth grade, but just the grammar. We didn’t do conversational. When I came to America, I could understand maybe 60% of what people said – if I could get them to speak slowly. I had an electronic dictionary with me constantly. My counselor wondered if I would ever talk.

During lunch on the first day of school, Jenny invited me to eat with her friends. I mostly listened to the conversation. It took two months before I would talk to people, one and a half years before I made good friends, and two years before I could speak confidently in public.

That night I had an assignment to read two chapters of a book. I was up until three in the morning, and only got half of one chapter read. Doing schoolwork was the most difficult adjustment. On top of that, I was missing my family, I was adjusting to living with my aunt and uncle and cousins, and I had no close friends. I haven’t been back to Korea since I came, but my parents do come for one week every year, and my sister, Keon-Min, a junior this year, joined me in 2003.

Korea is more conservative than America, and so at school we show more respect to teachers. For instance, we bow and say ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’ when they enter and leave the classroom. We don’t lie in the chair or on the desk during a lecture. When we receive papers from them, we do it with both hands.

Among students there is less physical contact. We rarely hug family members in Korea, let alone other students. After being in America three years, I am to the point that I like to hug my new family and relatives and close friends, but am still conservative with other classmates. Another bad thing are parties where there are drinking and drugs.

The part I really like is that Americans accept diversity in school. In Korea there is only one track to follow if you want to be successful – academics. Here, if you have talent in other fields like sports or the arts, you can pursue success in it.

I am thankful now that I came to the United States, though I resisted it when I first found out I was coming. I had my own plans for my life. Besides, I didn't know how I would make friends in America because of my English.

But God has helped me. Because I was in a desperate situation, I was more open to God. Many of my school friends attend Christ the King Church, so I started going there with them, and since then my relationship with the Lord has grown. I even brought a friend who wants to begin RCIA this fall.

Things would be much harder without God. Now I go to the chapel at school often and babble to God. My family and friends can help me, but their help is limited. God’s help is unlimited. It’s amazing how God turned my fear and frustration of moving to a new country into a chance to have a personal relationship with Him and bring a fullness to the Catholicism I grew up with.

The most important thing I have learned in the U.S. is that God is always near. I have someone to hold onto and someone to help me make decisions, like where to go to college. I used to worry about everything, but I am learning to give things to God. It changes how I think and live. I am glad that we pray before class, too.

My advice to people facing difficulties is to listen to God and wait. Worrying doesn’t help. He will answer in whatever way He wants. It’s hard to do, but as Thomas Merton said, “What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer?”

The Kairos retreat I went on in January helped me to realize that God plans things with perfect timing, and He works in amazing and humorous ways. I also learned that He listens to even the small prayers I make. I had a few people in my class I did not like for years. I also had a problem of judging people, and I have been praying and asking advice from people to stop this habit. Through Kairos, and through those classmates, He taught me clearly how to look at people as Jesus would look at them. The result is that I experience a piece of heaven, where the only thing you have to think about is your relationship with God, with nothing else to worry about.

Being called fat, ugly and stupid every day for as long as she can remember was understandably traumatic for Sarah Thiefels. It required years to overcome the effects – years of crying and praying – to reach the point at which she is today. Sarah graduated from Father Gabriel Richard High School in June and is attending Madonna University in Livonia this year.

Sarah Thiefels

Throughout grade school and middle school, I don’t think there was a day when someone didn’t make fun of me. The sad thing is that I remember all of it. Being spit on in second grade, made fun of for being shy in third grade, pushed off a swing in fourth, used as an example of someone not to love, date or even to be friends with in fifth, being called ‘Godzilla,’ ‘fatso,’ ‘blubber,’ ‘ugly,’ ‘stupid’ and ‘retarded’ in sixth, losing many of my friends because I wasn’t cool enough in seventh, and someone telling me every day of eighth grade that the world would have been better off if I had never been born.

In third grade I wouldn’t participate in “show and tell” because I was so terrified. I wouldn’t even let the teacher read out loud a book I brought in, in place of me getting up in front of the class. It became so bad that sometimes I was even afraid to say ‘hello’ for fear of being made fun of.

By the time I reached middle school, I hated myself completely. My goal was just to survive the daily torture. One day in seventh grade, four boys surrounded me at my locker. They said, “You are worthless, Sarah. No one loves you; why would someone love you? No one in the entire universe is as ugly as you.”

I would cry out to God for help, but He didn’t save me. I concluded that He didn’t love me and didn’t care what was happening to me. I began to believe that nobody loved me. I had no friends, no one to turn to for help. I bottled all my hurt and suffering. I wanted God to reach down and hold me and tell me that everything would be all right. I craved love. I felt worthless and I didn’t trust anyone. I wanted to die.

God came to my rescue just in time. It was when I began going to Father Gabriel Richard High School. Someone wrote on the bus window, “ST (my initials) is fat,” and I started crying because I saw everything starting over again. But two seconds later, a guy got out of his seat, wiped the words out, turned and smiled and me, and sat down. It seems like a little act, but it gave me hope in people again. I began to open up. I joined the LifeTeen program, the music ministry and many clubs. Though I still had my hurts, things improved.

In my senior year, I went on a Kairos retreat. The talks about who we are and who Jesus is helped open my eyes to His love. They were things I had never taken time to think about. But it also made me mad because I questioned where God was during my difficult times. It reopened a wound that would only heal over time.

A few months later, I went on another Kairos retreat, this time as a leader, which meant I had to give a talk. After giving it, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and joy because I was able to share things I had been afraid to share before.

More improvement, but still a long way to go. It was only God’s grace and many people who could bring about continued healing. Friends would leave me notes that said they loved me and God loved me. The school counselors and teachers talked with me and helped me on rough days. My parents took me to many LifeTeen and other meetings, and waited for me until they were over, to their own inconvenience.

When I went to orientation at Madonna College in April, I told myself that I was not going to let fear get in the way of my life. I was myself – hyper, smiling, laughing and talking up a storm with everyone. If I had been shy and protective like normal, I would have cheated myself out of a wonderful experience. I have never been happier.

My favorite saint, Thérèse of Lisieux, is known for her “little way.” Because of the changes in my life, I, like her, can now go out of my way to do kind things for people – like the student did for me on the bus. Just little things like leaving smiley faces and glitter stars for someone, or post-it notes of love and encouragement. My motto is “small acts of love are the big things in life.”

I always thought that I was the only one God didn’t love, but I have found out that many people feel that way. Now I can brighten someone’s day by reminding them how much they are loved.

My struggle and suffering brought me close to God. It opened up joy and happiness to me. I like to share my testimony because I have seen it help others.

Because of what I have been through, I am more sensitive to others’ pain, and able to help them more. I have been a leader on the ninth grade confirmation retreat, I help with the junior high youth group, and I love to play piano and sing at the local senior citizen’s center.

For everyone, it is hard going through their particular difficulty. But we can know that there is nothing wrong with us. We are made in the image of God. What counts is what God sees and thinks; that’s where we find our beauty. We are beautiful because God made us.

Everyone cares so much about how they look, but that’s not where it’s at.

I challenge you at school to not just hang out with the same crowd, but to reach out to new people. Take a risk. What can you lose? Just think how different our schools would be if we thought of others instead of ourselves.

I was in jail and lost my friends
for what I believe – life after Zimbabwe

In his home town of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, Mahluli (Ma-thu-li) Dube was thrown in jail for eight hours because of his political views. He also saw many friends and relatives die from AIDS. When he arrived in the United States to study at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, he was faced with a foreign culture. These situations, however, have led not to despair, but to a deepening of his faith.

Mahluli Dube

My city of three million is the second largest in a country of 12 million. My father is an accountant for the national railways; my mother is a housewife. My sister, Nozipho (No-zee-paw) is also studying at Ave Maria College.

I began learning English at age six. In Zimbabwe, I was in law school for one year, and I still plan to study international civil law. But since the legal system in my country is skewed, and there is corruption in the government from top to bottom, I wanted to be able to study law in a democratic society.

I have seen many aunts and uncles suffer terribly because of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Our response in Zimbabwe has been inconsistent with Church teaching, and that has been hard for me. Abortion is still illegal, but liberal influences are creeping in. We need good Catholics to counteract them.

The political situation in Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe has been bad, especially from 2000-2002. Catholics who spoke up for their beliefs against human rights abuses were beaten and arrested. Our parish priest was arrested every month.

During this time, though I agreed with the Catholic position on the issues, I had fallen away from the faith. While I was in jail for one day, I had to seriously consider if I wanted to remain Catholic, since the times were so hard for believers. I was losing friends because of my views. And I questioned why God – if there was a God – was allowing such bad things to happen.

“Is it worth it or not?” I asked myself. As I went through the reasoning process, I was able to see God. It dawned on me that I was focused on my problem here rather than on the answer above. I told myself that I would try God for a year. Something happened.

Though my struggles weren’t suddenly ended, I began to see during that year that truth can be revealed to man through both reason and faith.

When my sister and I arrived at the airport in Detroit, we had one dollar to our name. Our cash, which was only $50, had been left behind by mistake. I worried on the plane how we would make it. We didn’t even have money for books, which our scholarships didn’t cover. Fortunately, my cousin met us at the airport and later wrote us a check for $700. That certainly helped my faith to grow.

Coming into a wonderful Catholic community at AMC has made the transition easier, but it still has been difficult. There is a moral decadence here. America is the melting pot of the world and the Rome of this century.

I am used to a patriarchal society, but here it is very individualistic. Because of that, it is easy to feel engulfed in the system. Everyone has his own beliefs and values. “That’s fine for you, but not necessarily for me,” is the prevalent attitude. This relativism kills the sense of transcendence in America.

But America also has strengths. You have learned to give people a chance. A hard-working person can make it. Freedom is big here, and because of the freedom you allow, the young mind and intellect are promoted, not stifled.

America needs to produce a St. Augustine – someone who shows that we can be Catholic and still have fun – good, clean fun. People, as I did as a young teenager, think that being Catholic is boring, but that’s because we don’t have proper role models. We are in need of good, active youth groups that don’t just meet on Sunday, but that can be “my brother’s keeper.”

One thing I have learned about facing tough times is that we need to put on the full armor of God. (cf. Eph.6) We can’t get through on our own. We need the aid of the grace of God, Scripture, tradition, sacraments, the Church. Never assume that we can stand, that we can do things on our own. I often pray the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. It helps me to be confident in being Catholic. That doesn’t mean things will be easy, but God is with us.

The structure of Ave Maria College is very good, and its mission and vision are noble. What I have learned here has helped my faith tremendously. I hope the Michigan campus stays open even when most of it shifts to Florida.

Ministry Focus:
Diocese of Lansing Catholic High Schools (517) 342-2482:
Lansing: Lansing Catholic Central
Ann Arbor: Fr. Gabriel Richard
Jackson: Lumen Christi
Flint: Powers Catholic

Finding passion in
The Passion of the Christ
By Katie Gallagher | Photography by Tom Gennara

The blood constantly pouring out from Jesus’ body does not merely cause me to cringe, but makes me weep for my sins. Then, I am filled with the realization that Christ’s blood is in fact our saving grace, and I am filled with hope. Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, has forced me to face the brutal death of Christ in a way for which I was unprepared. Especially vital during the Easter season, the movie experience has helped me in my efforts to reshape my attitude toward my Catholic faith.

After viewing the film twice, I was moved out of the denial of my sins, for I had been convinced that I was a basically good person who needed far less spiritual improvement than others. The second time that I viewed the movie, I expected the experience to have less of an emotional effect on me. On the contrary, I experienced an even greater catharsis. I believe that the first time I watched The Passion I cried for Jesus, but the second time I cried for myself, and became very disgusted at my own spiritual passivity. Watching the painfully graphic scourging and crucifixion of Jesus, I at once understood that Christianity is not about being passive. Rather, Jesus’ extraordinary sacrifice for humankind indicates to me that I also need to exercise a great deal of passion in the practice of my faith.

This movie came to me at an especially crucial point of my spiritual development. Months before I saw the movie, I had been studying Christian apologetics and becoming more intimately acquainted with the Catholic faith. As I developed a greater understanding of how to defend my faith, I became more interested in practicing it. At this time, I saw The Passion of the Christ and was able to witness, nearly first-hand, the intense love, sacrifice and passion that is involved in my salvation. And so this movie has led me even deeper into my understanding of my faith and is helping me in my personal struggle to find the passion necessary to live out God’s will.

Although some critics have accused Gibson of inaccurately portraying Jesus’ Passion, I believe the personal experience I have gained from the movie is much more important than the exact combination of historical details. There is no historical doubt that Jesus was sadistically beaten, scourged and crucified, and so it seems petty to argue whether or not He fell the correct number of times on the way to His death. The movie is a very powerful visual account of Jesus’ death that often runs through my head and guides me in strengthening my morality and faith, one instance at a time. Since I could never have imagined the brutality of an actual crucifixion, it is very important for me to at least gain a better understanding of the unimaginable pain that Jesus experienced. This understanding helps me to gradually increase my passionate love toward others, following Jesus’ example.

Dear Fr. Joe
Did Jesus ever talk about sex?
Are the rules man-made?

Dear Fr. Joe:
A friend of mine says that Jesus never talked about sex – that all the rules and regulations we have are man-made. I’ve asked around and a lot of people agree. What do you think?

I try not to think. It’s not one of my skills.

I know a lot of people say that about Jesus and sex, and I am not sure where it came from. In fact, some of Jesus’ more strongly worded passages are the ones where He directly addresses sexuality and sexual issues. (cf. Matt 5:27-32, Mark 9:43-47)

In terms of man-made rules, remember that in a certain sense all rules are “man-made,” right? The bigger question we have to ask is “What inspired people to make these rules?”

For us, as a Church, we believe that God inspires the leadership of the Church to teach us how to be who God created us to be. We trust the words of Jesus when He gave the Apostles leadership. He said Peter was the rock, that He (Jesus) would build His Church on that rock and that “the gates of hell (would) not prevail against it.” It is hard some days, but we need to trust that God has His hand on the Church and is guiding us in all our decisions.

We have to remember that Jesus taught us as a Church that each person is created in the image and likeness of God – and that makes each human person (including you) sacred. We must treat what is sacred with care, and following the rules about sexuality allows us to do just that.

Dear Fr. Joe:
How far can two people go physically (before it is sinful)?

I am going to assume that you mean outside the context of marriage, right?

Well, make sure you don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to ask that question. You see, it’s not matter of “how far” to go. It’s a matter of being true to the dignity of your partner and the level of commitment in your relationship. We must never use another person as a means to satisfy our sexual desires.

Dear Fr. Joe:
How do I know if I am in love? My parents say I am too young to think about marrying my highschool sweetheart, but I know we are in love and made for each other.

Well, to quote one of my more articulate students, “Hey man, love rocks, you know?”

I know.

Anyway, let me see if I can give you a couple of ideas to help you.

First of all, your parents, as a general rule, know what they are talking about. I know that is hard to believe, but as time goes on, it will become clearer and clearer to you. This doesn’t apply to me, however, because I am a fountain of wisdom and knowledge.

Secondly, think about how your definition of love has changed over time. When I was in kindergarten, I knew I was in love. How did I know I was in love? I knew when Marcia beat me up on the playground. Now, 27 years later, I see and understand love in a different way. As I continue to grow older, what I understand changes as love changes and grows with me.

Now, this doesn’t mean my ideas of love were wrong before, and this doesn’t take away from or undermine what I felt. It means that, in retrospect, I am glad I didn’t make lifelong decisions about love before I was ready, before I understood what love really is.

So, how will you know if you are in love? Well, one day, you will look across a crowded room, your eyes will meet and you’ll know. Just kidding.

How will you know you are in love? When you are more concerned about the other person’s happiness than you are your own. When you no longer care about what you can get or how you feel, but rather are concerned with the other. If it’s true love, the other person will feel the same way.

Love and sacrifice are so intertwined with each other as to be indistinguishable. Love will prompt us to noble things. It will compel us to be better people. You’ll know you are in love when you sense these things in yourself.

Send your Questions to:
“In the Know with Fr. Joe”
JoeInBlack@priest.com

FAITH exclusive:
interview with
Thérèse star Lindsay Younce
Interview by Alton Pelowski | Photos courtesy of Luke Films

Since she died of tuberculosis in 1897, at age 24, there have been countless books and articles written about the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. St. Pius X called her “the greatest saint in modern times,” and Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1997, during the celebration of the centenary of her death.

Now, Catholic director Leonardo DeFilippis has produced a feature-length movie on the saint’s life, Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, which will be released on her feast day, Oct. 1. FAITH’s Alton Pelowski recently spoke with actress Lindsay Younce, 22, who stars in the upcoming film.

I understand that you weren’t raised Catholic. Could you talk a little about your conversion and what attracted you to the Catholic faith?

I was raised in a Protestant home, which was very Christ-centered and Scripture-centered. When I was in high school, I had a Catholic friend who challenged my misconceptions of the Catholic Church. So, I started to study Scripture and realized I didn’t agree with the tenets of the Protestant denomination in which I grew up, which was Quaker. Then, I started to study Church history, and I realized that I wanted to belong to the Church that practiced the same doctrine as the early Church. That happened to be the Catholic Church, even though that wasn’t my first choice. But, through a lot of prayer, I came to realize that’s where God wanted me.

My senior year of high school was really when I decided I wanted to be Catholic, but it was obviously a sensitive issue for my parents. The (Catholic) Church that they knew was not the Church that I had grown to love. They had a lot of misconceptions as well. So, they asked me to wait until I was out of high school. My freshman year of college, I was baptized and confirmed Catholic.

Do you have any advice for teenagers today?

God does call young people, young adults, and He does ask us to obediently answer Him and follow Him. I don’t think devotion to God is something for only the middle-aged or the elderly. It is something also for the young. And our lives are better for it, because we’re making so many decisions in this time period. If you have God at the helm, it makes those decisions a lot simpler and a lot easier.

What’s one thing you’re grateful to your parents for?

I’m thankful for their unconditional love. Even though I was going through this conversion and it was really painful for them, they still came to my baptism and confirmation. And they still tried to talk to me about it to see where I was coming from – to see why I was making these decisions. I really admire them for their strength.
As a teenager, what did you struggle with the most?

I always struggled with looking at what Christianity asked me to give up, and looking at what my friends or society asked me to embrace, in order to be a part of their clique, their group. Most of my friends weren’t Christian. I never knew quite how to balance that.

Of course, theater was really hard, because theater is such a liberal environment. I love that about arts actually, but often their idea of being open-minded is being quite close-minded to Christianity and to anybody who professes to be Christian.

I think becoming Catholic and going through that experience of being an outcast among my family and friends, but never feeling alone in that, really helped me to understand how Jesus is worth it. Then, the great part was that after my conversion, my relationship with my family was restored, and I had a new Catholic family.

I think the important thing for youth to realize is what an example they are to their friends by giving certain things up. Those things eventually will pass, and you will be rewarded for what you sacrificed and surrendered.

What can young people today learn from St. Thérèse?

I think what teens can take from her is what everyone can take from her. You don’t have to be perfect to be a devoted follower of Jesus. She was a really headstrong, emotional girl, and she had to grow out of that just like every person. She listened to what God had to tell her. She loved Him enough to surrender everything to follow Him and persevere through trials and obstacles in order to carry out what God was asking of her.

How were you chosen for the role of Thérèse?

I was performing a one-woman show in my hometown during my senior year of high school. A man in the audience suggested I contact Luke Films, because they were a Christian, Catholic production company.

I didn’t know really who St. Thérèse was. I had heard of her and I had actually visited her relics by accident once. I got an audition. They called me in, and I read for Celine. I honestly thought, “Maybe I’ll just get some experience on set. Maybe help out and be an extra or something.” I didn’t have a head shot or résumé or anything you’re supposed to have. And they called me back to read for the lead role of Thérèse.

How did you prepare for the role? Did it influence your faith?

It certainly did. For every role that I have, I read everything I can. Of course, there’s a lot written about St. Thérèse. I had her Story of a Soul with me on set to reference, and I read that several times over. I read The Last Conversations, her letters and about French society.

Roles may always have an impact, but nothing like playing Thérèse. While I prepared for the role, I was just saturated with her spirituality, under which I grew immensely and am still growing. I think Catholic theology really wooed me into the Church, because my Christian life was so bookish, theological. Then, Thérèse’s spirituality really showed me a different side of the Catholic Church and made me fall in love with the Church in a different way.

What is it about her spirituality, in your opinion, that merited her the title “Doctor of the Church”?

The entire core of her spirituality is that everyone can be a saint, if they surrender their imperfections and love, simply love, and serve others. That’s a spirituality that anyone can grasp and can practice. You don’t have to have certain spiritual gifts or a certain degree to be a saint in this way. All you have to do is love Jesus and love others in little things. I think that’s what makes her so attainable and so well-loved by everybody, and certainly why the Church would want people to consider her outlook on life and love of God.

Other than St. Thérèse, do you identify with, or have a devotion to, particular saints?

St. Faustina was the first saint that I ever learned about. I had a hard time praying the rosary, but I could pray the Divine Mercy (chaplet). She’s very special to me.

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity was a Carmelite nun as well. She was a lot like St. Thérèse – very quiet, cloistered and not well-known, but had a very simple spirituality. I also love St. Joan of Arc.

What are some things you have discovered in the Catholic Church that have helped you grow closer to God?

As a Quaker, we didn’t have any sacraments. The Eucharist has really helped me understand Christ’s incarnation and how He sacrificed Himself to come down to us.

The rosary was such an obstacle in my conversion. I didn’t understand what that was and who Mary was, but it’s such a gift now to meditate on the mysteries of Christ. All those little sacramental Catholic things that a lot of Catholics grow up with, even the written prayers like St. Michael the Archangel, are so dear and precious.

Who are your favorite Catholic authors?

Scott Hahn was a great help in my conversion. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila are really instrumental in my life even now.

What’s next? Are you pursuing an acting career?

I feel like it’s something I’m called to do, after a lot of introspection. I am currently wrapping up the PR tour of this film, which will take me into at least the end of the year. Then, we’ll see what God has in store.

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St. Thérèse of Lisieux:
Her Family, Her God, Her Message
by Fr. Bernard Bro

A compilation of the fine points of St. Thérèse’s life and writing, St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Family, Her God, Her Message, demonstrates how she offers “one of the most certain and simplest evangelical shortcuts ever proposed” to knowing and loving God. One of the world’s foremost authorities on St. Thérèse, Fr. Bernard Bro, O.P., presents her life, words and conversations in all their astonishing freshness, strength and genius – showing why she’s become so universally loved and invoked by people from all walks of life for more than a hundred years.

Fr. Bro shows how the youngest of all 33 Doctors of the Church doesn’t shy away from the tough questions everyone must face in the circumstances of life: the struggle between darkness and faith, humor and sadness, realism and pretense. Through his meticulous research of Thérèse’s writings, conversations and actions, Fr. Bro shows how Thérèse, in her Little Way, understood and extended love for others and for God. (Ignatius Press; December 2003; ISBN: 0898708427)