Written by:
Grant Sobek | Member of Pinnacle’s Youth
I sometimes wonder how many people in the world care about a 16-year-old’s opinion.
It was the beginning of my sophomore year at Brophy, and I was sitting at lunch with my three friends. We were probably talking about who got the highest score on the most recent history test, who watched the Packers game last night (yes, sports were not a fleeting memory back then), and someone most likely asked another if they could buy them lunch. It’s funny how a conversation can so quickly turn down the path of religion. I am a Presbyterian, and my three friends are either Hindu, Jewish, or Greek Orthodox - one of the most diverse friend groups at a Catholic school that you will ever find. We all shared a common AP US history teacher, who was also the director of the office of equity and inclusion. We all wanted to start a club at school, and we landed on faith as a topic. Without knowing anything about our goals or what the club’s purpose would be, we waltzed into this teacher’s office and said, “We want to start a club about religion.” That is when the Interfaith Coalition was born.
Wednesday at lunch, sometime in October - I walk to the room where our club meets, ready to give a presentation. The other three leaders and I walk in to find only 3 people sitting around the table for 20, a slightly embarrassing sight. That day brought on many unpleasant conversations about club leadership, how to obtain more members, and if we are leaving a mark on Brophy. We were pretty upset with the way the club was starting.
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020, 12:05 PM. I once again walk into our meeting room ready to give my presentation on the relationship between interfaith practices and religion. Ready to fire, I hook up my computer to the projector with 20 people ready to listen to a fellow student who has the same level of schooling as he. What gave me the right to be ‘teaching’ them? Is what I am doing not just another class period of school that we dread? As successful as the presentation was and how wonderfully our club had taken off, I couldn’t help but question my validity as the club’s president.
Saturday, March 14, 2020. About 2,000 phones ring around the Brophy community with a message from our principal: “We regret to inform you that Brophy College Preparatory will be moving to online learning through March 30th.” On March 30th they told us April 20th. On April 20th they told us the rest of the school year. Just a week ago they cancelled my summer class in DC and moved all summer courses online. No more orchestra, no more dances, no more lunchtime sports debates, no more Interfaith Coalition.
I send a frantic text to my club leaders group chat asking them what we are going to do. None of us had answers. I thought we were done for good.
I got a text from our club’s events secretary with an idea for a weekly newsletter to keep our club together during these uncertain times. I had an email list with 80 names on it that had not been used in at least 3 weeks. From that little idea, ‘Hope through Faith’ was born. A brand-new website was born. An entire new form of educating and listening was born.
So, I asked myself again, as I am writing this. Does anyone care about a 16-year-old’s thoughts? Do I have the right to do this - teach people about a faith that is not mine? After almost a year of forming this club to its current glory, I realized how much a Presbyterian has in common with a Hindu; how much a Catholic has in common with a Jew; how much an Atheist has in common with a Mormon. I have seen these relationships formed and have been amazed by them - I have been empowered to spread this joy among as many people as my small voice can reach. So, do I have the right? Yes, I do; so does everyone on this earth. Religious or not, common ground can be found between anybody - with just a little bit of faith.
Head to www.interfaithcoalition.faith to learn more about the Brophy Interfaith Coalition.
