Joining Sion Community was one of the most spontaneous things I’ve ever done (let’s face it, pretty much the only spontaneous thing!). Aside from trusting that it was where God wanted me, applying for the foundation year (very!) late on in my final year of uni was a risk for me, as it went against my usual approach of planning every detail of my life months in advance. But that risk hasn't let me down, and has proved to be the best decision I’ve ever made! I could list an infinite number of reasons to apply, but here are just a few of the things I’ve appreciated the most about the year…

1.       Meet ‘you’.
I’m pretty sure I’ve learned more about myself in the last 6 months than I had in the previous 21 years! I’ve discovered gifts and passions that I didn’t know I had. I’ve also discovered struggles I didn’t know I faced, but I’ve realised there’s no better place to deal with them than in community, surrounded by people that love me.

2.      Surprise yourself.
Living this crazy life for Jesus is thrilling, but unpredictable. Every mission is different from the last, which often means pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones, but there’s never a moment that we don’t have the rest of the team as a safety net. The great thing about that is being able to look back at the end of the week with the satisfaction of realising you’ve actually done things you thought were physically impossible. The year is intense, without a doubt, but the key is to embrace the challenge, let go of fear and see where Jesus takes you.

3.      Be part of the family.
One of my favourite things about living in community is that we see each other as brothers and sisters. Having grown up with one sister and no brothers I absolutely love being part of a bigger family in Sion – and as we’ve got to know each other better it’s felt more and more like that’s exactly what we are! I love that there is such a noticeable effort to make sure everyone is valued and included, and that time is set aside specifically to share our thoughts, our hearts and our lives with each other in an atmosphere that makes us feel completely comfortable to do so (especially within our smaller ‘sisterhood’ or ‘brotherhood’).

4.      Feed your mind.
Did you know that Dolly Parton’s birthday is the 19th January? Nope, me neither! Living with such a diverse group of people means we pick up new random, fun facts every single day. WIN! But joking aside, the formation and teaching that the foundation year offers is absolutely fascinating! There are a huge variety of speakers, topics and teaching styles which will give you a far better understanding of your faith, as well as enabling you to grow in spiritual, intellectual and emotional maturity.

5.       God!!
On mission God moves, and when God moves nothing stays the same: not the school, not the students, not us! The transformation we see in the lives of the students and teachers we meet is incredible, but what’s even more incredible is the transformation I see God work in my own life every single day. The youth foundation year is an opportunity to encounter God even more deeply, and to grow infinitely in your relationship with Him. 


Esther Rich is currently on a Sion Youth Foundation Year. For more information or to apply please click here. 

1. Community Life

2. Formation

3. Prayer lifestyle

4. It’s a Greenhouse! (not literally)

5. It's Mission

Community Life:

You should join the Sion Community because it has an excellent ethos of community life! To spend a year living in a big house with a lot of other people is of course challenging, but not without its rewards. The time when there are actually 8 people playing Monopoly Deal and having a hilarious time is priceless, not to mention the dinner time conversation or even just having the craic during dishes! These times have played a really big part in my year, as they’ve challenged me to have time for everyone and to put in the effort to talk to everyone, which is really important within the community! It’s great to live and work alongside other people on their journeys – whether it’s one of our founding members or even someone else who is new on the Youth team – as there are things to learn from everyone! 

Formation:

Another reason to join Sion is that it has an incredible formation programme! I was flabbergasted with the amount of great teaching we had, it was awesome! I really loved that at the beginning we could just spend time really laying foundations and reaffirming in our hearts and minds what we believe and how we can use it on Mission! The variation of teaching was something I really loved! From talks from people within Sion to people from Austria and even Malta with up-to-date and relevant speakers! In that time I liked to think of myself as a sponge…

Prayer lifestyle:

When I decided to join Sion I loved that it had an epic prayer lifestyle! With 60mins of community prayer every morning and evening I thought I would have less personal prayer, but it just gave me a thirst to pray more! This culture of prayer has just helped me to grow more in my faith. I’ve also become more comfortable praying, learning other ways to pray from other people and really learning how I best like to pray! I wouldn’t have been a regular Adoration person myself but it turns out I actually like it and have come to enjoy it now! There are great chances for personal prayer on top of everything – to be honest I think I sit still for longer here then I did in school! And hey, why not pray? I mean talking to God... It’s Awesome!

It’s a Green house: (no not literally)

Being surrounded by this lifestyle of prayer, and getting excellent teaching, it feels like a greenhouse for personal growth – with other people around you encouraging you to live in an environment of respect and encouragement. The youth foundation year definitely has optimal learning conditions! It’s not that you’re growing in a bubble, but you’re built up until you’re strong enough then you’re sent out on Mission where you get to really see the progress you have made!

It’s Mission! :

Sion Community is a Catholic Community for Evangelism, which means once you have learned all about Jesus you then have the privilege to go through schools across the country proclaiming His name. Teaching students about him and what he did for us humans. What is more worthwhile then bringing people to Jesus and doing it full time? I mean, talk about building the Kingdom!

Joseph Clarke is currently on the Sion Youth Foundation Year. For more information about the year and how to apply click here.