Tune in to the New Haven of Mercy Podcast: Sylvia Erwin Shares Talents on YouTube

There’s a common misconception among recently confirmed teens that they are done learning and growing in their Catholic faith. That couldn’t be further from the truth. When Sylvia Erwin received the Sacrament of Confirmation this spring, she did the opposite — she started looking for ways to learn, spread her faith and help the community.

“The bishop told us that our faith journey doesn’t end at Confirmation,” Sylvia says. “It’s a new beginning.”

Sylvia took that advice to heart and started thinking about how she could use her gifts to impact our Haven of Mercy Catholic community. She has a knack for public speaking and decided on a podcast, appropriately titled "Haven of Mercy" podcast. It’s posted to the Little Falls Catholic YouTube channel.

Sylvia, an incoming senior and member of Our Lady of Lourdes, cohosts with Jackie Retka. They plan to regularly bring in guests.

“I wanted to use my gifts from the Holy Spirit,” Sylvia says. “I have a clear and firm voice. I literally came up with this idea at 2 a.m. one morning. I also thought this would be an easy way to grow closer in faith.” The podcasts are about 20 minutes long, and a new one will be posted each Tuesday. So far, they’ve covered adoration — with Sylvia’s grandma, Jan Erwin, as a guest — and the Rosary.

“Technology is so convenient nowadays, and there’s so much out there,” Sylvia says. “It can be hard to prioritize your faith.”

This is one goal of the podcast — to help listeners grow in faith.

“In the world of YouTube, 100 viewers isn’t a lot, but I think even just one view is exciting if it makes a difference in someone’s life,” Sylvia says. “It’s fulfilling to see what it’s doing for others.”

Sylvia has many ideas for the weekly podcast, where she will typically bring in a guest. She wants to discuss stewardship, retreats, conversion stories, religious life, and more.

“This is my baby right now,” she says. “It’s impacted my faith already. It’s so inspiring to hear what people are passionate about. This fills my life right now.”

Sylvia also credits a past Steubenville retreat for helping her make her faith her own. She attended again with a local group this July.

“Steubenville was when I started wanting to take the personal initiative to grow in faith, not just check off boxes,” she says. “I was starting to choose how I wanted my faith to be, and it became way greater than it was before.”

Be sure to check out the Haven of Mercy podcast on the Little Falls Catholic YouTube channel.