Melanie Contrestan
As an evangelical Christian, turned evangelical Catholic, I guess I have a bit of a different story. My original encounter with Jesus occurred at a Methodist camp when I was 14 years old, as for my encounter with Christ’s Church…
I felt an irresistible urge to serve the St. Paul’s community. So, while still attending my usual services, I became a volunteer at the Catholic Center. Maybe I had visions of evangelizing the Catholics, maybe I felt it was a good ecumenical exercise, but probably it was Jesus wooing me in that quiet, unexpected way of His. Eventually I went along on some of the St. Paul’s retreats, made friends with many people in the community, and lived with eight (yeah-8!) amazing Catholic women on Lathrop street. Again, in a quiet, unexpected moment of prayer, I realized that I was being called to be a Catholic Christian. I feel like the Lord spoke to my heart. “The Church needs you, Melanie, and You need the Church.” Shortly afterwards, I enrolled in RCIA and was brought into the fullness of the Church during St. Paul’s beautiful Easter Vigil Mass. The St. Paul’s Catholic Center staff, students, and the EC institute all had a profound and lasting effect on my formation. I continue to grow and learn as a Catholic and as a Christian. The Lord isn’t finished with my story yet!
Student Stories
- Christina Giordano
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After attending a Catholic retreat during her sophomore year of college, Christina felt herself growing closer to Christ for the first time in years.
- Brad Klingele
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After being formed in his faith by one-on-one mentoring and small groups, Brad helped to renew his local campus ministry.
- Melanie Contrestan
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“I feel like the Lord spoke to my heart. ‘The Church needs you, Melanie, and you need the Church.’”
Campus Ministry Stories
- Harvard Catholic Student Center
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Faye Darnall became convinced of EC ministry methods while a campus minister at UW-Madison, so she took them with her when she went to Harvard.
- UW-Milwaukee Newman Center
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Margaret Rhody was a UW-Milwaukee student when she attended her first EC Institute. Then she took what she learned to a campus ministry position there.