Campus Minister Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Jacqueline Spaniola interviews Michigan Tech University, Houghton, Michigan graduate student Kadja Flore Galion how she sees faith and science intertwined in her life at St. Albert the Great Parish. She is another example of someone ‘Rebuilding Christ’s Church’ today. For more information on the St. Albert the Great Parish Community click here. Fr. Ben Hasse is pastor, Director of Campus Minister and also Vocation Director for the Diocese of Marquette.
Transcription
Hi. My name is Sister Jacqueline Spaniola and I am a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity. I am a campus minister in the cold country of Houghton, Michigan. We have the University of Michigan Tech in Houghton and we have a student here, Kadja Flore Gali, and she is going to tell us a little bit about herself.
Kadja: Thank you Sister for having me here.
Sister Jacqueline: We are glad you are here.
Kadja: So, my name is Kadja Flore Gali. I’m a graduate student at Michigan Tech doing my PHD in Atmosphere Physics and I’m from Chad.
Sister Jacqueline: Can you tell me how you got to the cold country from Chad?
Kadja: Yeah sure. I did my undergraduate degree in Chad and then I moved to Cameroon to do my masters in Atmosphere Physics and then I got an opportunity to go to Italy for a special post graduate program to do my post graduate there.
Sister Jacqueline: And that was a special college?
Kadja: Yes, that was a special one. Yeah, it’s a very competitive program.
Sister Jacqueline: Very competitive. all right.
Kadja: I had a very good experience there. From there I heard about Michigan Tech. My background is a little bit about science. I do “modeling of clouds,” I study how everything we do affects our earth’s system. I study clouds and their formation, how they impact our life and you know [in] our hot climate. Then I heard about “chamber clouds” here at Michigan Tech and I was qualified. I came here because I need to do experiments because my background in this field is so competitive. We are always doing simulation activities. So, I needed a school that has similar experimental set up so I can compare my own data with the simulation.
Sister Jacqueline: So, you can actually make clouds in this chamber?
Kadja: Yes, we do. We experiment with clouds to count and measure them, and see how big they are and then we study the effect of the clouds. I did that in the waters then after that I go to the “chamber cloud” to make them. Then I compare what I see [in nature].
Sister Jacqueline: So how is science intertwined with your faith?
Kadja: When I grew up I had my faith since I was a baby. I can see that I was close to the Church and then I see that God is in everything. When I wake up I ask God, you know my daily activities. I just ask you to help me do my science projects. With the scientific method you have to prove it, and why did you get X, Y, Z. You can get those things, but then try to reflect back on how they start and everything about them. I see God in them and going outside in nature. I love seeing clouds outside and every time I see them I can explain why they look like that, but I also see God’s beauty in them.
Sister Jacqueline: Right, all the different kinds [of clouds] and their shapes and even shapes of the same kind of clouds helps us to really realize God is there.
Kadja: Yes, God is there.
Sister Jacqueline: How has coming to St. Al’s helped you in your prayer life?
Kadja: When I got here, I didn’t know that you have a lot of African students here. So, the one thing I needed was is a community, and of course a Church, just like the one as a child I went to pray in. Then I ended up meeting Father Ben because I went on one of the canoe trips that he organized.
Sister Jacqueline: Was it the 9 hour one?
Kadja: Yes. It was more like 2 pm to 7 pm. It was good and then from there I met a couple of FOCUS Missionaries. Then we started the Bible Study and after that going to SEEK and having that gift and seeing Sr. Jacqueline was kind of a reminded me of when I was living with sisters back home and it helped me to grow in my faith. And St. Albert the Great [patron of St. Albert the Great Church she attends] is a great papa who was a scientist and professor. So, this part helped me a lot with the scientific part because when I get stuck on something and I don’t get the answer, I just go to church and pray. I ask him [St. Albert the Great] to intercede for me. Asking him how to think about my result and all those things.
Sister Jacqueline: St. Albert sis a good one. He really studied the science of his time in all the different types of sciences. Can you explain what SEEK is? It’s put on by the FOCUS people and they are missionaries at the colleges who help people grow in their prayer life. They give two years of their life during school time to help students. But what is SEEK? What is your experience of it?
Kadja: The experience of my first year I attended in Missouri state was in St. Louis. I went there and I was not expecting that there were many young people that have faith – the Catholic faith. Once I got there I saw lots of people and I was kind of overwhelmed. I saw God’s beauty in everyone and it was very helpful. SEEK is a good program for people to go there especially when they are in transition. Around January people are being with the family. I don’t have my family here but when I go there [SEEK] and see people, I say, “Oh, this is my family in Christ.”
Sister Jacqueline: Oh, that’s good, because it’s usually in January and it’s a time people are going home to see their families, right. There’s about 17,000 people who go there so you could find someone.
Kadja: My family in Christ. You know I can stay there and pray. They [FOCUS] have different programs and I am grateful that I get a chance to go to them. I went last year again and I think in Salt Lake City.
Sister Jacqueline: Yes, Salt Lake City, Utah, that’s right. Nice long bus ride but it was worth it and then you got to know a lot of the students and the people on the bus and that’s really nice too. We are thankful.
We want to thank you for sharing with us your faith and how science is intertwined with your faith and thanks for being a part of us. I’m so glad that you are here with us at St. Al’s so we’ll see you. Thank you. And I hope you enjoyed this. Bye.
Kadja: Thank you, Sister.
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