Encountering God through a season of loneliness

When Sean's family moved from Regina to Calgary, he found himself facing a deep sense of loneliness. Feeling alone, and questioning whether God had a plan for his life, what he did not realize at the time was that God had never left his side.

Sean recently shared his story after attending the Diocesan Renewal Conference, Evangelization at the Heart of Renewal, held last April 17 and 18 at St. Michael Catholic Community. Sean shared how a season of loneliness and isolation became the place where he encountered God's presence.

Sean, who now serves at Ascension Parish, moved to Calgary a few years ago with his family. The transition was difficult. Naturally introverted, he found it challenging to form friendships and build connections in a new city.

"I did my final year of high school in Calgary," he recalled. "I made no new friends and made no connections."

​Over time, the loneliness began to take a toll. "I started doubting God's plan and the goodness of that plan," he said.

The struggle continued after high school when he enrolled as an English major at St. Mary's University. He said that this was a “grueling time” for him, and not because the classes were hard, but he explained, “because I felt so alone, and so isolated”

Feeling broken and increasingly desolate, his relationship with God also suffered. While he continued attending Mass on Sundays because his family made him, he felt removed from his faith and eventually stopped believing that God was actively present in his life.

"I just felt very disconnected from God," he said.

Then one night, at one of the lowest points of his life, he cried out to God in prayer.

"God, why do you let me feel so alone?" he remembered asking. "Why do I feel so isolated, even when my family is around me? I just feel so lost. I just feel so useless. And I don’t know where my life is heading.

God, send me help."

In that moment of vulnerability, something unexpected happened.

"After I cried out to Him, I felt this warm presence," he said. "It felt so comforting."

Although his circumstances did not change overnight, the experience marked a turning point. He began to sense that God had heard his prayer.

Not long afterward, his siblings invited him to attend a Christian Life Program through Singles for Christ - the young adult ministry of Couples for Christ. He accepted the invitation and soon found himself surrounded by a community of people who shared his faith. Through the program, he began forming meaningful friendships and faith-filled relationships. The connections he had long prayed for slowly started to grow. And looking back, he sees the program and the relationships he's made as God's answer to his prayer for help.

“God was sending me reassurance that He is there in my life, watching over me,” he said. That God had not abandoned him.

What once felt like evidence of God's absence became, in hindsight, a reminder of His faithfulness. Even during the years when Sean doubted his presence, God was quietly at work, leading him toward healing, community, and a deeper relationship with Him.

Today, Sean hopes his story will encourage others who may be struggling with loneliness or wondering where God is amid their pain.

"I hope that you can feel the same way," he said, "that God is there to reassure you as long as you call out to Him."

​For him, the answer to his prayer was not only the friendships he found but the rediscovery of a God who had been present all along.