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Noah Koch, 20, was born and raised Catholic, faithfully attending Sacred Heart Church and School in Morrilton. But it wasn’t until he attended the diocesan youth retreat Search #146 in his junior year in 2019 he learned his life as “a pretty good Catholic” was not enough.
“Going to Search really opened my eyes and showed me that there was so much more to being Catholic than just going to church, praying, having a relationship with God. I didn’t really understand the serving aspect. And that’s where Search got me — serving other people to lead them into their Catholic faith and help them find their relationship with God, and show them how to pray.”
The retreat, which has helped teenagers grow in their faith over the past 54 years, was a turning point for Koch, who finally felt comfortable talking more about his beliefs. He returned to Search as a volunteer with the inside team and, recently, the adoration team. Koch also served on the diocesan Youth Advisory Council.
A junior, he’s carried that servant’s heart into college, attending ministry events at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish in Fayetteville and helping lead the chemical engineering club, his major. Everything connects back to spreading the word of God by the way he lives his life.
“I feel like serving and being involved in all of these clubs and activities is a great way to get myself out there and give myself to other people because I want to help, and if they need it, then I will be there,” Koch said. “And that’s just my way of giving back because I like to think that God has gifted me with a lot of great things, and I don’t want to let them go to waste.”
More stories will appear in our 15 Young Adults Who Inspire Us 2023 Section as they are posted online. Subscribe to Arkansas Catholic’s digital and print publications to read more content like this.
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