Where Real Life Meets Faith

Inside the Monsignor Dillabough Ministry Center, a senior economics and theology double major, Grant Sobek ’26, stood at a microphone and spoke to a packed room of his peers.

He wasn’t there to give a speech on a class project or to lead a University Ministry meeting. He was there to do something less formal: talk to students about how he’s navigating life and all its busyness. 

In the middle of his five-minute speech, Sobek played a video of his grandfather sharing a simple message on his 91st birthday: “This has been a life worth living, and I’ve loved every minute of it.” Sobek reflected on his grandfather’s words and shared how that simple message has allowed him to look at sad and disappointing days with a shift in perspective — being grateful that he got to experience them in the first place.

Sobek is one of several students who have been invited to deliver a vulnerable, raw message with students at Coffee House, a once-a-semester evening event organized by University Ministry that brings together music and stories that connect life with faith, over a cup of coffee. 

“It’s really cool that for an hour and a half, once per semester in this dimly lit room… no one is on their phone, and they’re just listening to someone be honest,” Sobek said. “And they’re being patient. It’s a slow pace, and it’s really intriguing to me and powerful that people continue to want to come back to a space like that.” 

Rob ’88 and Aida ’89 MacKay brought the idea of Coffee House to Michael Lovette-Colyer ’13 (PhD), vice president of Mission Integration, in 2022 after the alumni couple had seen a similar concept at Boston College. The MacKays also shared that if Mission Integration was open to the idea, they would be interested in funding the programming.

“What resonated with us was the power of storytelling — sharing personal experiences of faith in a way that feels approachable and nonintimidating. We believe stories stay with people far longer than lectures. Our vision was to create a low-pressure, welcoming environment, and we felt that a coffeehouse setting — with music, coffee and food — would help bring that vision to life,” shared Rob MacKay.

From there, Christian Santa Maria, director of University Ministry, shared the concept of Coffee House to a group of student leaders with a vision of creating a “front porch ministry,” where students didn’t have to pay to attend and could experience deep conversations about life, the “messiness of spirituality” and, most importantly, learn from their peers that the journey of faith isn’t about perfection.

The first Coffee House event kicked off in fall 2022 and was attended by about 50 students. Since then, the event has grown threefold, with close to 160 students attending the last event. The MacKays have been proud donors since the beginning. 

“We are incredibly proud of what USD has built with Coffee House. We attended in person during its second year in the spring and were deeply moved. Michael Lovette-Colyer now shares a video after each event, and it’s clear the program is delivering on everything we had hoped for — and more. The team has created a truly welcoming space where students can come together for music, fellowship, food and faith,” added MacKay.

Coffee House is led by students and features student speakers who either incorporate music into their stories or share raw, relatable stories from their lives — all based on a theme that the student planning committee feels can connect with how students are feeling in that moment.

The goal is also to be a welcoming space for all students, religious or not, to listen to each other and find moments of peace and camaraderie.

“I hope it continues to serve as a bridge between the real world and a lived faith,” said Adam Bretsch ’25, another original Coffee House committee member. “To hear other students who are very similar to one another, as students and as people, who are all going through the same things, to continue to emphasize that no one is alone.” 

As Coffee House continues to inspire more students, Santa Maria can’t help but find the parallel in students sharing their truth in the Ministry Center, where tapestries of great spiritual leaders line the room. Just like the students, these great religious leaders were also on a journey of self-discovery, spirituality and finding their truth decades ago.

“You have all these figures, Mother Rosalie Hill and Bishop Buddy, who are, in many ways, looking down [on the students],” said Santa Maria. “From different majors, from different religions and different spiritualities, all of us are navigating this collective wisdom. I think the uniqueness of USD is that this space is not something I think could be replicated in other places.” 

Original Coffee House committee members and new students alike hope this uniquely USD event will continue as a tradition for many years to come.

 

This story was originally published in the Spring issue of the USD Magazine. You can read the entire magazine here.