Soon enough, Smith began researching Christendom, ultimately deciding that it would profess the values that he was so passionate about, support him as he re-grounded himself in the Catholic faith, and provide him with a quality liberal arts education. “I then began attending Mass at least three times a week, praying that I may discern the path to which Christ was calling me.”Īs he prayed for discernment, Smith remembered Christendom’s rugby team and how they prayed following their game.

“My father died a few months prior to beginning college, and so while I never ceased in professing the Catholic faith, I stopped living out the Faith,” recalls Smith. Soon enough, the school’s biases against Smith’s Catholic values began to creep in, and he found himself in a position where he felt he needed to “bite his tongue or get into trouble.” Then, one day, instead of going to class, he felt the pull to go to Mass - for the first time in three years. COVID-19 changed everything for Smith, however - he ultimately dropped out of the school and switched to an online program at a different school so that he could work full-time while obtaining his degree. When it came time for college, Smith ultimately settled on a nearby school for his studies in 2019, joining the school’s rugby team as well. Smith was born in Albany, New York, before moving to Richmond, Virginia, with his family 17 years ago. A few years later, Smith is now finishing his first semester at Christendom after transferring into the college this spring, finding a new community where he is growing in intellect, camaraderie, and faith. He heard the team praying in Latin - a moment that would impact him in ways he never expected at the time. Smith, along with his teammates, had just been defeated by Christendom’s rugby team, but something stopped him after the game.

Charles Smith’s first interaction with Christendom College was on the losing end of a rugby match.

The pursuit of god audio