My name is Fr. Kevin Darwent. I grew up into a practicing Catholic family with four other siblings in Rockland, ON. We went to Mass every Sunday, prayed the rosary, and said grace before every meal. My parents wanted to make sure that we were raised with a solid foundation in our faith.

As the years passed I experienced a lot of bullying and peer harassment at school. This period of my life left me feeling abandoned by God and very insecure about my identity, causing me to doubt whether He actually loved me or cared about me personally.

Eventually I went to a Catholic college for one year in Barry’s Bay, ON. About half way through the year a good friend of mine whom I lived with died tragically when he was in a car that went through the ice in a lake. I didn’t understand why an innocent person like that would instantly have their life taken away and I was in shock because earlier that day he had asked me to join him on the trip. As I reflected on what had happened I started to really ponder the idea that maybe God did care about my life. He could have easily let me join my friend that day in the car but He didn’t! Since God seemed to give me a second chance, I felt the need to give him a second chance as well.

A year later I went to a Catholic conference put on for university students. One of the speakers at the conference challenged us to invite Christ into our lives. I wanted to experience this kind of relationship with the Lord, but I had a hard time trusting that He would express His love for me in an evident way. In that moment I remembered how God had already shown His love for me in a personal way when He spared my life the year before. In that instance I surrendered my life to the Lord, and immediately I felt this overwhelming joy and peace deep within me! I knew without a doubt that God loved me, that He was trustworthy, and that I needed to live my life for Him!

Whenever I feel distant from God or guilty about my sinful actions I have to remind myself to place my trust in His mercy and forgiveness knowing that His love for us is unconditional. Since I have given Jesus permission to be the Saviour of my life, He has taken me on a beautiful journey of faith both with it trials and with its blessings. At this point in my journey the Lord has led me to join the community, the Companions of the Cross!