Sarah Kostick, a postdoctoral associate in the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program, believes science and spirituality can not only coexist but enrich one another.
Kostick told “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley on the program that will air at 9 p.m. Oct. 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “All of creation points towards a creator. There’s a rationality, there’s a logic, there’s an order to creation. As a scientist, I’m able to help understand that. … We as human beings have the capacity to understand the world around us. That’s given by a creator.”
However, Kostick said, science has been relegated to what can be observed and quantified. As she goes deeper into her scientific work, she’s more convinced that there is a creator, Kostick said.
“There’s someone who is guiding this and science is about the pursuit of truth,” she said. “As a steward of that, I’m really searching for truth in the world around us to better help me understand the world around me, but to point me towards the Lord and to help bring others towards the Lord.”
Everyone is called to be in a relationship with the Lord, and beauty and order in the world help point people back to God. Entering into her faith, praying and seeking the Lord is reflected in all aspects of her life, she said.
“That cannot help but be reflected anywhere else in my life,” Kostick said. “There are times when I’m in the orchard and I’m really bored of tasting apple after apple. I get lost in those details, but then there are moments where I’m just in awe and wonder of the creation around me and those breakthrough moments. … It constantly points me towards the Lord. I think my path to holiness in a lot of ways is through this scientific realm.”
To hear more about Kostick’s connection to faith through her scientific endeavors, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Oct. 19 and 2 p.m. Oct. 20.
The program also includes a talk with Jill King, the executive director of Lakes Life Care Center in Forest Lake, and how she got involved in the pro-life movement. Also, Todd and Anne Olund conclude their story of perseverance and healing through faith during a leukemia diagnosis.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
