Kate Burditt

Hometown: Lenexa, KS

Major: Nursing

Next Steps: KU Emergency Department

What would your life at KU look like without St. Lawrence?
My life would be purposeless without having the St. Lawrence community guiding me back to what really matters in life. They have formed me deeply and taught me how to pray, have faith in the unknown, and have genuine fun with lots of laughter! I’m so blessed to have encountered the St. Lawrence Center throughout my college years.

How would you describe your experience of community at St. Lawrence?
A rollercoaster….one where your stomach drops, but a fun one. The kind of rollercoaster where you get off and ask yourself “what just happened,” but then want to ride it again. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of words to describe my experience, but I am blessed to have experienced this community.

How are you called to continue to build community after college?
I am called to continue to build community through my small group of leading a rosary every Wednesday night! I am continually inspired to invite people to join me for Mass and brunch after!

Who has been one of your greatest guides at St. Lawrence? How did they guide you?
Fr. Mitchel has been my greatest guide while at the St. Lawrence Center. He as taught me how to live out my Catholic faith in a real way. He has a sense of humor and realness that inspires me to live a life of joy. He continually sparks curiosity within me and pushes me to make good decisions. He shows me how to receive people and to be received in a nonjudgmental way.

How have you grown in interior freedom?
Starting at the St. Lawrence Center was the first time I genuinely prayed. It started out pretty rough regarding my prayer life until I slowly started dedicating more of my time to being in the chapel. I now spend an hour each day in adoration which has allowed time for silence and freedom in the chaos of my life. Through silence, my interior freedom grows. Spending more of my time in prayer has allowed me to break some bad habits which created more space for God to work in my life which ultimately creates deeper freedom.

What is the biggest lesson that you learned at St. Lawrence? How will you carry that into your adult life?
The biggest lesson that I have learned at the St. Lawrence Center is to encounter every opportunity as a gift. I have learned that the cross is the way to joy and it gives purpose to every encounter we have in life. Throughout my adult life, I hope to remember this through the trials I may face in the coming future. I hope to find joy in the little things that surround me and not get caught up in the little crosses that each day brings.