Hey there! My name is Marian Manapat and I live in Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia. I am currently in my third year at the University of British Columbia, double majoring in English Literature and Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies. After my undergrad, I plan to study to be a high school English, History, and Religion teacher. In the meantime, I am an active member of CCO UBC and also serve in my lovely parish of St. Andrew’s in Vancouver as a lector, choir member, and Coordinator/Leader of the St. Andrew’s Youth Ministry (SAYM). In my spare time, I love singing Broadway musicals and Taylor Swift songs in the car with friends and family, reading, writing, and playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele. I enjoy playing tennis with my family and I am a HUGE fan of The Chosen (fittingly, my favourite character is Andrew).
Another fun fact: I am named after Our Lady, Mary, the Mother of God. My parents will often tell me how they prayed the Rosary while I was still in my mother’s womb, praying with hope and expectation that Mary and Jesus would keep me close as I grew up. Seeing that I will be going on mission to Portugal, the country where there were several Marian Apparitions, it seems like my parents’ prayers continue to be answered! To this day, I am so grateful for Jesus’ unwavering pursuit of my heart as He challenges me to love myself, others, and Himself more and more each day. I am so unbelievably excited to share the Good News of Jesus’ unconditional love, joy, and desire for a relationship with those around me, and especially, those I meet on the World Youth Day mission!
Why do I want to be on Mission?
Although I was born and raised in a Catholic family and knew generally that God loved me, I never realized the full extent of His personal love for me until over a year ago when I was speaking to CCO campus missionaries. Since then, I have been on an amazing journey with Jesus and He has been changing my life, healing my heart, and strengthening my soul in ways I could have never imagined or done alone. But now that I know the truth about Jesus’ personal and perfect love for me and others, my heart aches for the people who don’t know this truth. Most especially, my heart aches for the youth who may be attending World Youth Day but don’t actually know the extent of Jesus’ love for them, even if they are Catholic. They remind me of me before I realized this truth myself. With all my heart, I want them to feel the full force of His love for them at the biggest Catholic youth event in the world, and for them to return home with lives changed, hearts healed, and souls on fire for the Lord. When I come back from this mission, I hope to apply all that I’ve learned to my ministries here, especially in the youth ministry in my parish and to any future students I may teach in high schools. This way, I can help bring the fire of mission and God’s love to my hometown too! It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to go on this mission with CCO and I cannot wait to get started with my fellow missionaries!
Thank you so much for visiting my page and for considering donating! Every amount helps! God bless! 🙂
