Local high school faith initiative becomes a gift to the broader Church

by Anne Marie Cox | March 24, 2026

A nascent idea intended to help teenage Catholics know and love God more deeply has taken root, spreading to 15 schools nationwide and being piloted in three Des Moines area parishes.

Serva Fidem (meaning “keep the faith” in Latin) is a small-group, faith-sharing initiative that’s fulfilling a need both for those who want to see young Catholics grow in their faith, and young Catholics who want to talk about God on their terms as they look for God’s grace in their lives and experiences.

“It’s definitely exciting that this experience we’ve had here in our Diocese has become a gift from Des Moines to the whole American Church,” said Nathan Beacom, executive director of Serva Fidem.

In the Beginning

Serva Fidem, originally called Ut Fidem, began at Dowling Catholic High School in 2017. There was a desire to accompany teenagers in their faith journey after they left high school. The goal was to keep young Catholics connected to their faith.

“We said, ‘How can we help them develop their own relationship with Christ and the Church and really let it be their own,” said Addie Croegaert, who helped start the program. The idea was to help teens take ownership of their faith so it becomes something they desire and choose for themselves.

The model was small, faith-sharing groups with a mentor, who really acts more as a witness than a teacher. 

In its first year, 100 students were in the program. By the end of year five at Dowling Catholic, Serva Fidem grew to involve 62 active small groups, or 333 students, which was nearly 24% of the student body.

“A lot of that growth came because students were encountering Christ, growing in their faith, and that word spread among the kids,” said Croegaert, now Serva Fidem director over the schools program. “It took off, praise the Lord!”

Soon, campus ministers and other schools heard about the program and asked how they could replicate it.

Serva Fidem became an independent organization and, seven years after its start, a contract was signed to bring it to another school. Now in its ninth year, Serva Fidem is in 14 schools primarily in the Midwest, plus Oklahoma, Colorado, and Michigan.

What Makes It Attractive

There are three facets that make Serva Fidem attractive to students and other schools.

One, it builds on what already exists. “We’re not trying to force students into friendships they wouldn’t naturally have,” she said. “They come with their group of friends and we help bring faith into their friendships. There’s already a natural desire to be with one another with high levels of trust and vulnerability. Often, they’re at a similar place in their faith.”

These are friendships that are likely to continue after high school graduation.

Two, there’s authenticity. Mentors are not teachers and there are no ulterior motives. Mentors are adults who “are just living their life and in love with the Lord and are willing to spend an hour a week with these young people,” Croegaert said.

Three, everything associated with Serva Fidem is in alignment with the Holy Spirit. “Every decision is thoroughly discerned from who we are recruiting to which mentor we are pairing with which student group. Even the way we invite students often comes from promptings of the Holy Spirit,” Croegaert said.

Parish Pilot

With success at Catholic schools, faith leaders wanted to make the program available to young Catholics attending public schools. Three Des Moines metro area parishes – St. Luke the Evangelist in Ankeny, St. Joseph in Des Moines, and Ss. John and Paul in Altoona – tried to see how it might work for them.

Caroline Schultz, a graduate of St. Pius X Catholic School in Urbandale and Dowling Catholic, was a member of one of the early faith-sharing groups at Dowling Catholic. It was a transformative experience for her and today, she’s still close with friends in her group.

Though she thought she’d pursue a career in journalism, her faith journey in college opened her to consider other options: serving as a college missionary through FOCUS (Fellowship Of Catholic University Students) or taking on a brand new role shepherding a faith-sharing program for three parishes.

“It was really the clearest option when I think about my discernment,” Schultz said. “I feel like God placed it in my lap.” 

She graduated last May and has been working to build the parish-based Serva Fidem program from scratch, an opportunity both exciting and daunting.

“A lot of things look different, but at the core, we want students to grow in their relationship with Christ,” she said.

Currently, she has six small faith-sharing groups for teenagers among the three parishes.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Schultz met the Serva Fidem group she mentors at an Altoona coffee shop for their small group discussion about how God is working in their lives.

“Church is a lot of listening,” said Mia Saluri, a senior at Dowling Catholic and member of St. Joseph Parish in Des Moines. “You take what you learn at church and talk about it here.”

Her friend, Maria Dixon, a junior at Southeast Polk High School and also a member of St. Joseph Parish, agreed.

Serva Fidem makes faith more personal.

“It connects things we’re learning about with things that are going on with us,” she said. “We have a better opportunity to ask questions if we need. I feel like it’s judgment-free if you’re with friends.”

Serva Fidem complements existing parish ministries.

“We all have the same goal of bringing people to Jesus,” Schultz said.

Serva Fidem is a community partner with East High School, which is close to St. Joseph Parish. One Catholic teen and friends from a variety of faith traditions pepper their mentor with questions as they explore what Jesus means in their lives, Schultz said.

The program is sowing seeds with the hope that deep faith takes root in young Catholics and lasts a lifetime.

“Serva Fidem compliments other ministries/theology class by allowing students to put what they learn and experience in conversation with their daily realities,” Beacom said. “With the accompaniment of their friends and under the guidance of a faithful mentor, they learn to see God in every aspect of life.”

Locally, the dream for Serva Fidem would be to have a small group opportunity available at each parish regardless of whether the student attends Catholic high school.

“I’d love for every student in the Diocese to have an opportunity to be in a small group, intentionally guided by someone, and have quality, faith-filled friends,” Schultz said.   

Ultimately, the measure of success goes beyond people in the program.

“It’s not about numbers and spreadsheets but about souls and their journey,” she said. “I’m happy with numbers. I’m more inspired by individual testimonies of students.”

For more information on the schools side of Serva Fidem, go to servafidem.org or email info@servafidem.org. For more information on the parish pilot program, reach out to Schultz at 515-205-2308 or email her at cschultz@ssjohnpaul.org.