Erin Hauth glad to be home and working as Faith Formation Director at St. Raphael Church
Erin Hauth is the new Faith Formation Director at St. Raphael Catholic Church.
The daughter of Roger and Diane Hauth of rural Springfield, Erin attended St. Raphael Catholic School through sixth-grade and is a 2011 graduate of Springfield High School. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2014, Erin was a member of the National Evangelization Team (NET) with NET Ministries, and traveled to the east and west coasts, organizing retreats for students in grades 6-12.
“I lived out of one small suitcase for nine months, traveling in a 12-passenger van with a trailer, and staying in different host homes every night. Our goal was to spread the gospel and get the youth and adults excited about their Catholic faith. After being a NET Missionary,” Hauth said during a recent interview. She spent the past two years in South Saint Paul, where she worked as a behavioral technician in a mental health and addiction care unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital in downtown St. Paul. “I was exposed to the harsh reality of what homelessness, chemical dependency, traumatic situations, regret, hopelessness, and broken families can do to a person’s mental state and entire life,” she said. “Working in that type of environment is part of the reason why I have a passion for working with the youth. If youth have positive mentors in their life that they can turn to and are shown that their life has a purpose, they will be less likely to turn to addiction or engage in reckless behavior to numb whatever they’re going through. Part of my mission at St. Raphael’s is to teach these kids that they are loved, they are important, and that they have a life worth living. If they can accept these simple truths, then they will be able to receive all that God has in store for them.”
In addition to being a behavior technician, Hauth helped lead a youth group with Community of Christ the Redeemer- a charismatic Catholic Community is West Saint Paul. “Though I gained a lot of knowledge through various experiences in the last few years and enjoyed living the ‘city life,’ I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to come back home and give back to the church and community that has made me the person I am today,” she said. “Though the city allows you to live within walking distance of any store you can think of, you can’t beat the friendly people, the quiet and the safe feeling you get from a small town, especially the town of Springfield. I always knew I’d end up coming back to Springfield or to a surrounding area, I just thought it’d be later in my life — but the chance to work alongside Father Phil and with the youth of Springfield was an offer I couldn’t refuse!”
Hauth started work as Faith Formation Director by leading the Catholic Heart Workcamp trip to Montana in mid-July. “Though spending an entire week with high schoolers isn’t how most people would prefer to spend their time, I absolutely enjoyed it and can easily say it was the best week of my summer! The mission trip was a great experience and I felt very blessed to be able to see the youth of our church so active and alive in their faith! Working with the youth and building up the Church is something I’ve always had a passion for and in which I find fulfillment. I am overwhelmed with gratitude at all the warm welcomes and support that people in the church and community have given me. I look forward to my future here in Springfield and at St. Raphael Church. It is good to be home!”