PEER SPOTLIGHT: Christian Santa Maria, Director of University Ministry University of San Diego

I am filled with gratitude for how our community accompanied one another in faith and hope. Community is the classroom where we learn how to be Christian, and this past semester, I have been moved by the ways our students have built community with one another through the Pre-orientation, First Year, and Search Retreats. 

Their weekly gatherings in our residence halls,  Companion Groups, and our Men's and Women's groups serve as a reminder of the love we have for one another and the love of God present during this sacred time of growth and discovery. This is only deepened by our Student Masses at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Sundays, the sacrament makes known the God that is alive in all who are gathered and calls us to reach out to the margins of our community. From our visits to Rachel's Night Shelter to our Day Trips to Tijuana and our upcoming Spring Break Immersions, we are constantly challenged to widen our understanding of what love looks like and how we remember our belonging to one another. The experiences of our students through these transformative moments serve as a constant invitation to remember my own relationship with Christ and my call to be a disciple of Christ's genuine love, mercy, and joy.