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When the Structure Is Gone
When Chris Sturniolo looks back on his time at Catholic Noles, what stands out most is belonging.
"Everyone was treated like a unique individual — respected for the unique individual the Lord created them to be," he said. "It was one of the few places where I could fully be myself." What made those friendships so strong, he added, was that students were united not just by shared beliefs, but by something deeper: the conviction that each person was made in the image of Christ.
That lesson stayed with him. At his senior farewell, Chris exhorted his peers not to underestimate the quiet members of the group — the ones who weren't leading retreats or giving witness talks up front. "Everyone in that group was a necessary member of the Body of Christ," he said. "Your presence matters. You have a unique story and God has a unique path for you."
He would need to return to that truth in the years ahead.
Like many graduates, Chris left college with a plan — or at least an expectation. Watching peers move into marriage or seminary, he assumed his own path would unfold on a similar timeline. "I thought that since I was mature enough in my faith, I'd be able to find my vocation pretty soon," he said. "It was quite the opposite."
What followed was a harder transition than he anticipated. He found himself comparing his life to others', trying to reverse-engineer someone else's path to arrive at the same destination. "I had to learn that the Lord had written a unique story for me," he said. "It took a lot of trust. It took a lot of abandoning what I thought was the way God wanted me to go — and realizing He was really correcting me toward the right path."
"I was hopping from parish to parish," he said, "just trying to connect with anyone. Just trying to get myself back." What he missed, he said without hesitation, was the community. Not just people, but the kind of community he could lean on.
Social media made it harder. Scrolling through highlight reels of engagements and growing families, Chris found himself wondering if something was wrong with him. "I was concerned that I wasn't holy enough… because I was 30 and still single," he said. "It didn't mean that. It didn't mean God loved me less." Slowly, he came to a different understanding: this was simply the path God had called him to, and God was preparing him for the right moment.
What sustained him wasn't ease — it was discipline. Eucharistic adoration became an anchor. "Whenever I'm not feeling well or I just have something on my heart, I need to spend time with the Lord and rest in Him," he said. Scripture and confession carried him too. "Staying connected to the Word and the sacrament of confession has been a massive grace."
In time, God provided. Chris found a new community with one of the largest parishes in the Diocese which led him to meeting his eventual wife.
Stories like Chris's are exactly why Catholic Noles is investing in alumni connection — because the faith formed on campus doesn't have to stop growing when the diploma is handed over. Through alumni circles, the hope is that graduates navigating vocation, loneliness, suffering, or simply the disorientation of life after college can find each other and keep walking together. Alumni who want to stay connected can join the Catholic Noles LinkedIn network.
Chris's message to current students is simple, and it's the same one he gave at his senior farewell: God is writing an individual story for each of you. The path may not look like anyone else's. It may be longer or lonelier than you expected. But you are not behind. You are not forgotten.
"Your presence matters. You have a unique story and God has a unique path for you."
Chris Sturniolo graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in human resource management and now works as a payroll account manager. He and his fiancée, Jacqueline O’Brien, look forward to taking their marriage vows in April. Jacqueline also benefitted from Catholic campus ministry during her time at the University of Central Florida.