Alliance for Catholic Education
Ask Evan Phillips how he is doing—I dare you.
Without hesitation and with a smile brighter than sunshine, he will say, "I'm blessed!"
Evan, ACE 23, is the sort of person who simply radiates joy. He is quick with a handshake or much-needed hug, and his speech is filled with phrases like, "I'm fortunate because…" and "I praise God for…" He is known to break out in song frequently during standard conversation.
Evan often channels this effervescence in religious worship. He is a member of the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ, a Protestant denomination of Christianity. Though his position is not entirely unique, Evan is one of the few non-Catholic ACE Teaching Fellows currently serving in a Catholic school. He says that this experience, though at times challenging, has actually deepened his faith.
"Last summer I felt like I definitely grew closer to God," says Evan, "I found quickly that while I did ask [ACE priest Fr. Lou DelFra] some hard questions about doctrine and all, I still found that, at the end of the day, it's just different roads coming down to the same thing."
Of course, learning to express his Pentecostal spirituality in the context of a Catholic program was a process for Evan. Evan grew up in Atlanta and attended Morehouse College, a historically black college. Evan says he knew very little about Catholicism before he arrived at Notre Dame for his first ACE summer.
"When I got on campus, it was interesting!" says Evan. "When I went to the first Mass, I was like, ‘What is going on? What's happening?'"
Though it was an adjustment to get used to the vernacular and the rituals inherent to Catholicism, Evan says that aspects of Catholic faith resonate with him. He especially appreciates the way that many Catholics emphasize the desire to live their faith "not just inside the church," but in all parts of life.
"Last summer I felt like I definitely grew closer to God."
While ACE has impacted Evan's faith life, Evan has, in turn, impacted that of the larger ACE community as well. Throughout the school year, Evan brings Pentecostal practices into his community life in Memphis. When Evan leads community prayer, he witnesses "the spirit move" in his housemates, as some of them raise their voices and hands in praise and song.
At one point this year, the Memphis community accompanied Evan to a Pentecostal church service.
"To be honest, I was nervous," admits Evan, "it's so different. I was worried [my housemates] would judge my church. You know, we have folks out of nowhere just shouting. I didn't want them to get scared!"
But the experience proved to be a beautiful bonding moment for the community.
"While ACE has impacted Evan's faith life, Evan has, in turn, impacted that of the larger ACE community as well."
Says Evan, "Some of the community members loved it, and they said that the biggest difference was just that there was a lot of songs, a lot of praise—you know, we move, and we don't stop."
Evan has even found ways to share his spirituality with the ACE community as a whole. Each Monday evening during the summer session, Evan helps lead the choir at Gospel Mass. The entire ACE community gathers here—current program participants, friends, administrators, and faculty.
During the service, as the voices of the choir and the congregants blend and swell, the divisions between Protestant and Catholic seem to fade. Something clearly divine happens; differences feel less distinct as the churchgoers sing about their shared purpose. The same sort of joy that Evan shows in each and every interaction seems to permeate the entire room.
Ask anyone there how he or she is doing; I dare you.
Without hesitation and with a smile brighter than sunshine, he or she just might respond, "I'm blessed!"
Evan Phillips serves as an AmeriCorps member at Memphis Catholic Middle and High School in Memphis, Tennessee.