A Summer of Faith and Learning

Gabriella Levine reflects on her time as a Mountain Companion

My summer at Mt. Irenaeus has been life changing. During my time away from home, I heard constant questions from friends and family asking what I was actually doing while at the Mountain. I found this question nearly impossible to answer and usually just stated that Mike Madonna, a fellow companion, and I did everything and anything that was needed of us! 

Living in a semi-self-sustained community has taught me the true meaning of hard work.  Despite plenty of sweat and major learning curves, I learned about myself every step of the way because God’s presence was so imminent. 

Coming from a suburban area without much land of my own, I learned plenty about landscaping, gardening and camping, activities that were relatively foreign to me.

Aside from the practical lessons, the most important teaching I am taking away from my time at Mt. Irenaeus is my newfound relationship with Jesus Christ. Not only am I now comfortable leading prayer and sharing my faith with others, but I see God in a completely different way. 

Having the pleasure of meeting many people, I am sure many of whom are reading this newsletter, I am proud to say that I now see God in face of others. I have met Franciscan sisters, lawyers, chemists, musicians, chiropractors and people of countless other professions who have shared their stories with me and allowed me to truly see Jesus in their midst. Their willingness to share their deepest emotions and their vulnerability reflects so much of Jesus and His strength on the cross.

I am so grateful to have spent my summer at Mt. Irenaeus and I will remember my experiences from this summer for the rest of my time as a student, throughout my career and hopefully one day as a mother.