Ownership of My Faith

My name is Acacia, and I graduated from St. John’s College in 2005. I was part of the graduate program in Santa Fe, and after St. John’s I continued to work in secondary education. I remain active in the Orthodox Christian community at Holy Trinity.

St. John’s is not a Christian college, despite the name, but it is a place where deep questions are taken seriously. Reading books like Plato, Augustine, the Bible, Dante, and Aquinas gave me the chance to revisit my faith and examine them from a different perspective with other people. That was both challenging and enriching. The culture at SJC can be skeptical, even disenchanted, and sometimes emotionally intense. But the Great Books curriculum allows an Orthodox student to engage in dialogue, not only with peers but with the authors who shaped Western and Christian civilization. That helped me take ownership of my faith in a new way.

To Orthodox students (and their parents)--being connected to Holy Trinity was important to me. It offered worship and a living connection to the church. Johnnies bring curiosity and seriousness to Holy Trinity, and the Church offers them the rhythm, beauty, and truth of Orthodox life in return. Forming relationships in this way over the 4 years is a really special opportunity.