An Outpouring of the Spirit
By Katie Hiernaux
During my freshman year of college, I received a text message that would change my life. It was from an St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO) missionary, who had gotten my number, and invited me to an upcoming retreat called “Fan into Flame.” The text could not have been at a better moment. I had been wanting to be more a part of the Catholic organization on UC’s campus but longed for the perfect excuse for those already involved to meet me for me, not just because I sometimes followed my roommate to events.
At this retreat there was free time, including an all-female-flag football game in the snow which was probably one of the most competitive rec games I’ve ever been a part of. There were also talks, Adoration, Confession, Mass, and worship!! The whole retreat was centered on “Living Life in the Holy Spirit.” Little did I know just how much this theme and these people would impact the next four years of my life.
Prior to this, I hadn’t been on a retreat since high school. For its entirety, I was simply and totally present. I hadn’t brought a journal, because I didn’t have one. I think I found a Bible that I needed for school at one point. Regardless of how prepared I was, I sat through every talk with open ears and more importantly, an open heart. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the Lord knew what I needed to hear!
I couldn’t tell you what any of the talks were about now, but I do remember the way I felt after absorbing it all. In my heart, there was a resounding echo of “If God is real, and all that you’ve ever heard about Him or learned about in school is true, then why are you not following Him in your life, or seeking Him?”
There aren’t many events that have left me with so complete a change of heart. However, the four years that I gave in time and service to my campus, and many other areas, have proven that I have had a change of heart. It was a change that naturally reoriented my desires to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. I accredit this outpouring of Grace to the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity.
Every desire that I’ve had to follow the Lord, to honor morality, and to want to start reading the Bible (as a 19-year-old in college today this wasn’t normal), all these things came as gifts of the Spirit.
I most definitely received an outpouring of the Spirit during my time there. I know this because before and after that retreat, there was a difference in my heart’s posture. The fruits of my actions were not the same. At the retreat’s conclusion, instead of feeling sad about its temporality, I was so happy. From that day onward, I knew that I would begin to seek the Lord in a new way for the rest of my life!
These graces and this experience marked the beginning of my involvement in campus ministry at UC. I joined an SPO women’s small group, following another key invitation (shoutout to the same missionary!) and received the grace show up to a meeting with girls I did not know. I did not even really know what it was about. I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it all!
This led me to joining the St. Paul’s Outreach formation community, There, I received ongoing faith formation, made deeper friendships, and developed an awakened eagerness to serve in mission. Alongside the missionaries and other students, I often told myself “just be yourself, but go out and invite others to seek the Lord too!”
There are numerous stories and experiences that I could share from my time in college while pursuing the Lord. I will spend part of this summer 2026 at SPO mission training, where I will become further equipped to live out a call to share this outpouring on my campus during my last year of college. Above all though, I am grateful to our Lord for His unique pursuit of my heart, and for the SPO missionaries who labor in love so that people like me have the opportunity for this deep encounter with our Lord and our Savior.