Planting the seed of faith at Rutgers

When Rutgers student Gabriel DeRego invited classmate Margaret Shue to attend Mass one weekend, he planted the seed of faith that would eventually lead Margaret to a new life through the waters of baptism!

“My faith is very important to me,” said Gabriel, a 2018 graduate of Rutgers and the Catholic Center. “I told my friends I needed to go to Mass while we were away one weekend. They said ‘no problem,’ and we all attended Mass at a nearby church.”

Gabriel continued to invite that group of friends each weekend to attend Mass at St. Peter the Apostle Church, the parish that supports Rutgers’ Catholic Center.

What kept his friend Margaret attending Mass each weekend?

“I loved listening to the readings and homilies,” said Margaret. “After going to Mass for about a year, I wanted to receive communion like everyone else.”

So, Margaret enrolled in St. Peter’s two-year RCIA program in the fall of 2016. Around the same time, she also became involved in the Rutgers Catholic Center’s Women’s Group.

“Being around young, devoted Catholics really helped my faith grow,” said Margaret. “They were such good role models because we were sharing many of the same experiences at school and in our faith lives.”

The culmination for Margaret’s new faith life: she was baptized at the 2018 Easter Vigil Mass, where she also received Confirmation and her first Eucharist.

“It was a very special time for me,” said Margaret. “Joining the Catholic faith felt like something I was supposed to do.”

That’s some of the good fruit that comes from planting seeds of faith.