With religious organizations like churches and youth groups being restricted due to COVID-19 regulations, many students don’t have a place where they can go for religious support. That is why seniors Alyna Nguyen and Anthony Nguyen created the Keeping the Faith club. 

“There [are] just so many activities that we no longer have access to, and I know that this club isn’t the same and I know that I can’t really replace those things, but I just hope it gives them some sense of security,” Alyna said. 

Even though La Salle is a Catholic school, Alyna said that she always felt that La Salle needed a faith club, so when Anthony asked her to be a co-moderator for the club, she thought it was a “really great idea.”

Although the club is Catholic oriented, both club leaders invite people from all religions, or those with no previous faith background at all, to join.

While the club is centered around faith, every meeting covers a different topic. “I try not to teach as much or lecture as much as just [developing a] conversation with people and [allowing] time for people to share with one another,” Anthony said. 

With only nine members in the club, Anthony views the group “as a little family,” he said. 

Anthony also said that the small amount of club members creates a safe atmosphere for everyone to share their thoughts comfortably.

The club meets about once a month over Zoom for 45 minutes, but communicates over Schoology more frequently. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the “political landscape,” Anthony said “it’s important to be able to create these kinds of conversations that are tougher for people to talk about.”

The biggest message Anthony wants to get across to people in this club is to not “be afraid of the topic of faith.” 

Anthony also knows that it is hard for people to express and talk about their faith openly, especially in today’s culture. “I think that faith is a topic that is for everyone… to just have faith in humanity, and that’s something I just want to bring forward to others,” he said.

Alyna shares the same views as Anthony, adding another message she wants to bring to light. “Spirituality, faith, and your beliefs are really just within yourself,” she said. “I feel like a lot of people lost their sense of faith and religion when they stopped going to church and stuff like that, and religion is a lot more than just [the] building you’re in.”

Eventually, Anthony hopes the club will be able to answer questions to help people understand faith-related topics. “I hope in the future, in my role as [Officer of Faith], I can have Q&A sessions or deep activities where people can better understand who we are as a church,” he said. 

While Zoom calls can make it difficult to connect with other people, Alyna stressed the message that faith is not about where you are, but what you believe from within. “Although [faith is] also a community, it’s always in yourself as well, so I just want people to realize that they don’t need to be in a certain space or be with certain people to still be able to practice their faith openly,” she said.