A child and a teacher draw closer to God on a shared journey of faith
With the help of Benedictine Sister Nicolette Etienne, Nolan Walker has traveled a three-year journey to a close relationship with God. (Submitted photo)
By John Shaughnessy
One main goal in life has evolved for Benedictine Sister Nicolette Etienne during her 40 years as an educator—to help her students know their value as beloved children of God.
Yet when Nolan Walker entered her sixth-grade religion class at Holy Name of Jesus School in Beech Grove, he came with an attitude that dismissed everything about the Catholic faith.
Their two polar approaches came through in their words.
“As I grew deeper in my faith, my priorities changed as to what was important for the students to know,” says Sister Nicolette, who teaches sixth-, seventh- and
eighth-grade religion at Holy Name. “It became a mission of mine that my students would know how to build the kingdom of God, how to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, and how to know, love and serve God.”
In contrast, Nolan recalls about his early days at the school, “When I came to Holy Name in fifth grade, I wasn’t Catholic in the slightest bit. I was getting in trouble for messing around in Church because I thought it was a joke. I was trying to disprove any and everything about the religion at every turn.”
Fast forward to the present, two years later. Now an eighth-grade student who has been in Sister Nicolette’s religion class for three years, Nolan received the sacrament of confirmation on April 9—the latest landmark on what he describes as “a crazy journey.”
This is the story of that journey, a journey made by a teacher and a student, a journey guided by God.
‘Why not give it a try?’
When he first entered Sister Nicolette’s religion class in sixth grade, Nolan says, “I still wasn’t scared to voice my opinions, and she was fine with that. So, whenever I was still trying to disprove everything, she talked to me about it.”
Sister Nicolette took Nolan’s opinions and doubts in stride.
“I’m never surprised when a student questions their faith,” she says. “In fact, I welcome these questions. It makes me happy when students are actually thinking about their faith. When Nolan was struggling with what he believed and didn’t believe, I let him talk. I listened with an open heart. I gently challenged his questions with other discerning questions. I wasn’t even aware that I was doing anything other than loving my students where they are in life.”
Her acceptance and her questions had an impact on Nolan, opening him to consider some of the approaches that Sister Nicolette uses to try to deepen her students’ faith.
“I decided, ‘Why not give it a try?’ and I started to pay attention,” he says.
He tried lectio divina, a way of developing a closer relationship with God by reflecting prayerfully on Bible passages—reading the passage slowly, meditating upon it, and then talking to God about it.
“Another thing that helped me was morning prayer,” he says. “It helped me get exposed to daily prayer and to even know what the prayers are and what was being said in the prayers.”
Taking part in eucharistic adoration also left its mark—“being in the silence to just think about what it all meant and how to intertwine religion with my everyday life.”
Visits to see the Benedictine sisters at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove have been another part of the transformation for Nolan.
“Being able to see people that devoted their entire life to Jesus also showed me that it’s real, that it had such a huge impact in these people’s lives—that just intrigued me even more.”
All these elements helped lead Nolan to a commitment in the seventh grade to be baptized. He wanted Sister Nicolette to be there. She wouldn’t miss it.
“The day Nolan told me he was getting baptized, I was so happy,” she says. “It’s my prayer that one day everyone will come to the faith and live the life they are meant to live. Knowing that I was a small part of Nolan’s spiritual journey makes me love my teaching vocation even more.”
‘It means the world to me’
As an eighth-grade student, Nolan gets to take part in Mass three times a week at school—a gift he embraces. He also enjoys the times of interaction with Holy Name’s pastor, Father Robert Robeson, and transitional Deacon Isaac Siefker, who is ministering at the parish before his priestly ordination on June 7.
“During the Lenten season, we get to have reconciliation with Father Bob, who will walk around the school and just hang out and talk with us. That means the world to us,” Nolan says. “Deacon Issac will even come play in our gym period. It’s the fact that they’re interactive with the students that really helps make kids listen more. They are more of a friend than just someone we only see at Mass.”
As his confirmation neared on April 9, Nolan said, “This milestone has been building up my excitement for the past few months.” It’s also been a time when he’s looked back on his journey of faith.
“My faith in God is stronger than ever. He has blessed me with a good life, and I’m truly grateful for it. However, as a typical teenager, I’ve sometimes struggled to prioritize him. Still, I believe my relationship with God is in a good place, and it means the world to me.”
Sister Nicolette has the same exuberance for Nolan’s embrace of God in his life.
“I was deeply touched,” she says. “I’m not one that chokes up easily, but that child of God had me practically sobbing.”
Nolan remembers a moment from fifth grade involving Sister Nicolette, a time when he questioned and challenged everything about faith.
“Sister makes rosaries,” he says. “Every Friday, the principal draws a name and announces the rosary winner of the week. When I won in fifth grade, I honestly thought it was a necklace until she explained what it was and how to pray it.
“I still have that rosary to this day.
“Thank you, Sister Nicolette.” †
