L3, Listen, Learn, and Lead, is our newest program, inviting students to explore the intersection of vocation and faith.

Our first L3 intern, Courtney Steininger, shares a few thoughts about this program:

Society pushes young people to find an occupation, but there is little thought about the marriage of faith and work. One of my favorite T.V. shows is Ballykissangel, a 1990s British drama set in a small Irish village. As irrelevant as this fact may seem to L3, I think that one of the characters, a Catholic priest, epitomizes the contemporary conceptualization of calling. He explains that his parents expected him to find an occupation and implies that they were slightly taken aback by his finding a Christian vocation instead. This anecdote exemplifies the imaginary discrepancy between occupation and vocation. Furthermore, this scenario implies that one only has a vocation if he or she joins the clergy and suggests that serving the Lord may be a slightly undesirable profession, which, obviously, it is not.

Read more and spread the word about this new opportunity for growth, conversation, and exploration with students and others.