Choosing to live faithfully
While some people, including other guests on the Things I Wish I Knew podcast, can point to outstanding or dramatic moments of revelation in their relationship with God, many other, perhaps even most people of faith have walked a less conspicuous path. Naoise’s story, which you can hear in our latest episode, ‘challenges a common misconception that faith must seem extraordinary to matter’.
Faith often feels like something extraordinary, a calling reserved for special moments or remarkable deeds. Yet, as Naoise Grenham reflects in conversation with Julia Corcoran on the podcast Things I Wish I Knew, living faithfully can also be ordinary. It can be part of daily life, sustained through choices, relationships and small acts of commitment.
Naoise grew up in Dublin, the eldest of seven siblings, in a family that encouraged both curiosity and care. His parents supported his academic ambitions whilst also fostering his spiritual life, showing that faith and ordinary family life could coexist naturally. Early conversations with his father about evolution or the eucharist illustrate a formative habit: approaching belief with honesty and inquiry. For Naoise, questioning was not a threat to faith but a way of making it personal and real.
This approach to faith – thoughtful, reflective and grounded in daily life – continued through his teenage years. A pivotal moment came during Mass, when Naoise felt a disconnect between himself and the wider community. Rather than retreating, he chose to seek out authenticity. Volunteering at the International Eucharistic Congress introduced him to peers whose joy and calmness were unmistakable signs of lived faith. The experience revealed something vital: faith does not have to be extraordinary to be transformative. It is present in relationships, service and the deliberate choice to engage with God and others.
University life brought a new set of challenges. Moving to Oxford, Naoise initially struggled with the transition, balancing the pull of his home environment with the demands of a new academic context. Yet it was precisely in this ordinary struggle that faith became tangible. By joining the Catholic society, he found a community practising faith in everyday ways through friendship, conversation and shared prayer. Faith became a natural part of life rather than a separate or burdensome task.
After university, Naoise now works for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, a role that allows him to serve the Church and live out his faith professionally. Yet even in this work, he emphasises that faith is not about public displays or extraordinary acts. Instead, it is about integrating belief into daily life, whether in professional responsibilities, personal relationships or quiet moments of prayer. His is an example that faithful living can be normal, even when it influences significant spheres of life.
For Naoise, prayer is central to everyday faith. It is not always about extraordinary experiences but about reorienting priorities, reflecting on decisions, and seeking guidance in ordinary moments. Through prayer, he learned to approach life with patience and attentiveness, noticing that growth often happens quietly, through repeated choices rather than dramatic events.
A key theme in Naoise’s story is the deliberate choice to live faithfully. It involves risk, not in the sense of danger, but in the courage to act on belief even when it feels uncertain or uncomfortable. Whether volunteering at church events, joining societies or relocating for work, each choice was small but cumulative, shaping the person he is today. This perspective challenges a common misconception that faith must seem extraordinary to matter. On the contrary, Naoise’s experience shows that normal, everyday life can be the very place where faith is most real and impactful.
His reflections also highlight the communal aspect of ordinary faith. Life lived in relationship with others – family, friends and peers in faith communities – supports perseverance and authenticity. Encountering people who live their faith with simplicity and joy reinforced that faith need not be performative. It can exist quietly, shaping decisions, attitudes and priorities in profoundly transformative ways without attracting attention.
Living faithfully, Naoise suggests, is ultimately about integration. It is not compartmentalising spiritual life from work, study or relationships, but finding ways for belief to inform the ordinary patterns of life. Faith becomes ‘normal’ when it is part of everyday choices, from acts of service to moments of prayer, conversation, and reflection. It is in these small, consistent gestures that the spiritual life takes root and flourishes.
For anyone wrestling with how to make faith a real part of their lives, Naoise’s story offers a powerful reminder: extraordinary experiences are not a prerequisite for spiritual growth. It is through intentional choices, honest reflection and supportive communities that faith becomes a lived reality. In embracing the ordinary, faith becomes both accessible and transformative, shaping identity and guiding action in ways that feel natural, sustainable and profoundly human.
Naoise Grenham’s journey from Dublin to London, and now his work with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, reminds us that living faithfully is a series of choices, often simple but deeply significant. His reflections on prayer, community and courage show that faith is not something separate from daily life – it can be ordinary, joyful and transformative.
Listen to ‘Things I Wish I Knew About Faith in Daily Life’; and to get all of our new episodes and catch up on our back catalogue, subscribe now >>
You can follow us on Instagram @tiwik_pod.
