On Wednesday, Feb. 10, the Department of Catholic Studies sponsored a virtual colloquium entitled “Walking in Confidence.” The speaker of the event was Jenny Hubbard, whose daughter, Catherine Hubbard, was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.
While the Sandy Hook tragedy was touched upon during the event, it was not the focus of the entire presentation. Hubbard detailed her journey with faith and God and how it helped her find her way in what she considered a “dark time.”
The Sandy Hook shooting occurred eight years ago on Dec. 14, 2012.
“It was a day like no other,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard found that what she considered to be a more perfect time in her life suddenly turned very dark. She had two children who were happy and making friends, but the day of the Sandy Hook tragedy changed everything.
Hubbard detailed her faith journey leading up to the Sandy Hook shooting as well as her journey after the fatal day. Hubbard found herself praying to God to bring her daughter back. But, she also found that her prayers had been answered, just not in the way she would have expected.
Hubbard had come to the realization that her daughter had found her home with God in heaven. While Hubbard’s home was the physical one her daughter had lived in, her daughter was now living in a better, spiritual home.
“I found the event to be very inspiring,” said junior Emma DaSilva. “As someone who has been affected by 12/14, I was able to find hope at the end of a dark tunnel.”
Hubbard went on to mention that she had wrestled with the idea of why it had happened, but she also came to the conclusion that it’s okay not to understand all the time.
“Jenny was authentic. She said she would just tell her story and her faith journey as she experienced it and believed it and that is what she did,” said Dr. Michelle Loris, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and host of the event.
Hubbard had made a space for herself where she would journal and read Bible passages to connect with her faith. She had gone through a period during which she was angry at God, and eventually, she had reached a breaking point and yelled at God. However, she realized that God was bigger and greater than her pain.
“I think the main thing I took away was that God never goes away. We might lose sight of Him because of our daily lives, but the truth is He is always with us. He will never leave our side, and when we need Him, He will be there,” said sophomore Julia Simoneau.
Hubbard grew up Catholic, but she had realized that while her body was physically present in the pew at church on Sundays, her mind and heart were not.
“There was a time when I believed that if you turned your back on God long enough, He would walk away,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard soon realized that God never really walks away. He is always going to be present for you when you need Him.
Hubbard has also written a book on her experiences with her faith journey and the Sandy Hook tragedy. She still has a journey ahead of her, she doesn’t know where it’s going to take her, but that idea also excites her.
“I am in awe of Jenny’s faith. Not everyone has that kind of enduring faith in the face of such extraordinary challenges,” said Loris.