Josh Canning

I was a lapsed Catholic at 24 who was brought to a young adult rally. Initially having no interest in it, my friends convinced me there would be a lot of girls there. At this event, I was watching someone praise God through leading a hymn and I believed the joy she was expressing was because of a real relationship. I became aware of a void in my own life, not having that relationship that she did, and upon acknowledging that I felt almost bowled over by an immediate response from God, like a washing over me. I knew he was real and personal and loved me in that moment and I knew that with a greater conviction than anything else in my life. It was life changing. I went to confession right afterward and promised the Lord I would never go back to the way I was living. I got involved in my Catholic campus ministry, started going to confession frequently and Mass as often as I could, organizing my classes around it. I started volunteering with Catholic charities in my city reaching out to the homeless. Eventually I went on to work in campus ministry, trying to reach students who were lost like me with the message of the Gospel. And that lady who was leading us in the hymn, who the Lord worked through to reach my heart, I married, and we are currently awaiting the birth of our 8th child.