Maria Cahill, a 21-year-old brunette beauty queen from Wilmington, Del., never planned on going into pageantry. But a message from the local Miss America director turned into a surprising, providential call to serve in her community as a model of charity.
Cahill, one of eight children and now a junior in college at Wilmington University, shares what it was like to serve as Miss Delaware 2011 and how she was able to stay strong in the faith even when the tide was against her.
Was it difficult to be a person of faith while serving as Miss Delaware?
It had the potential to be difficult. However, I was raised by parents who taught God, family and friends, in that order, were my priority. So even if I had Miss Delaware appearances all day Sunday, for example, I would always find time to get to Mass, whether it was very early Sunday or Saturday night.
Keeping God as my No. 1 priority really helped to keep me grounded throughout the year.
When did your faith become important to you?
My faith has always been the focal point in my life. I know that I am a better person because of my faith and love for my Lord. As I get older, and hopefully wiser, my relationship with him will continue to grow and get stronger.
Has your faith been challenged at all since you’ve entered the public spotlight? If so, how do you stand firm in your foundation?
Absolutely. I have been tested for years, and it really came to a head as I was Miss Delaware.
Philippians 4:13 has been my favorite Bible verse for years now, and it means more to me after my year as Miss Delaware.
"I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me" tells me that no matter what this world throws at me it is through Christ alone that I really can do what I put my mind to. Every decision I make is given to him.
What was your most meaningful experience as Miss Delaware?
I have had many memorable ones. One of my goals as Miss Delaware was to change people’s perspective on "pageant girls."
At one of my last appearances as Miss Delaware, I noticed this woman watching me. Eventually, she approached me and said, "You know, I haven’t watched Miss America for 20 years because I thought they were all dumb with no personality and just looks. After watching you with these kids, I think I am going to start watching it again."
That woman will never know how much that comment meant to me.
I have also had incredible and moving experiences when visiting hospitals.
Nothing touched me more during my year than doing room-to-room hospital visits. To see the look on children’s faces when they realized a "princess" was visiting them, at a time when they felt alone and scared, was an extremely touching experience for me.
Will you tell us about your platform, Drive Safe, and how you were inspired to take up this issue?
I lost a friend to a texting-and-driving accident just a week after I won Miss Rehoboth Beach, and I almost lost my older sister just a few weeks after that in a car accident.
I quickly realized that this is an issue affecting my generation, and I knew I could make an impact with it.
Are you involved in any other community-service groups?
I have volunteered with the Special Olympics for years as well as Best Buddies and the Children’s Miracle Network. I’ve also participated in a few mission trips here in the states.
My involvement with volunteerism, my work with the pro-life movement included, began when I realized that I was put on this earth for a purpose, as we all are. Serving those around me is what I believe I am being called to do.
How did people in the pageant world respond to your pro-life views?
I definitely got the extreme of both ends. I had people telling me to stop talking about the pro-life movement because I was supposed to represent "all people," which, I guess, doesn’t include the unborn babies. On the other hand, people were saying that I was just using my freedom of speech.
Does what you’re studying now relate to the issues that you’re passionate about?
I am currently a studio-production major, with a television and journalism focus, and a political-science minor. I hope to attend graduate or law school, and I aspire to have my own talk show and bring attention to issues that seem to be forgotten in our media today.
What advice can you give to young, faith-filled women?
In today’s society, there is a movement that tells people like me that we are completely nuts and outdated in our ways of thinking. I think it is with this way of thinking and loving that I am more free and able to be the best woman I can be.
Nobody will agree 100% with what we have to say, but it makes it easy when we know that, one day, we will be eternally happy in his [God’s] presence.
Mary Frances Boyle
writes from St. Louis.
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The state level contest in Delaware is a cakewalk compared to the Miss USA level. When Maria says her faith could have been problematic for her but wasn’t, is to ignore the experience of Carrie Prejean. Carrie’s public support for traditional marriage is a public relations problem for her to this very day. Maria hasn’t been put to the real test yet. Let’s wait and see if she is willing to compromise her beliefs to get the American crown.
Faith, hope, and charity - beautiful!
That Hat Lady, this young woman is just beginning her life in this world, and though future pageants such as the Miss USA may be a strong test for her, she is being conditioned as we speak to become stronger and stronger as her faith is tested little by little day after day. As she encounters each test against her faith and rejects those things that compromises her faith, she WILL get stronger. To insinuate she may compromise her faith if and when she enters the Miss USA thinking it is a cakewalk is ignorant on your part and totally unfair to Marie. You do not know God’s plan for her nor what is in her heart and mind nor do you have any knowledge of how strong her faith is. Maybe your faith is not as strong as hers and it is in this light that your pessimism for her goals come through.
@ thathatlady, your dig seems quite uncalled for.
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Also keep in mind… Carrie Prejean was involved in the Miss USA pageant system. The one owned and operated by Donald Trump. Miss USA focuses more on appearances and mass appeal.
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If this article is accurate, Maria is involved in the Miss America pageant system… which is (supposed to be) more focused on Scholarship.
Considering that we’re talking about two completely different programs, it’s that much more likely that Maria will have a completely different experience.
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And I’ll say for once, this is the first time I’m not annoyed with a pageant queen saying she wants to work in television/journalism—(they ALL say that, and usually they just want to be pretty on TV )—because I’m pleased she is focused on a platform of discussing issues the mainstream media won’t touch. For that, she needs all the prayers from us that she can get.
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and if she ever needs a producer… I can make myself available!
I am impressed. What a wonderful opportunity Maria has been given by God to show his way of thinking and loving. She is well-formed and has so much to offer in her service to others. As she continues growing in holiness, I pray that her favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, remains deep down in her bones and she has the emotional support of her family and friends.
I live in the Deep South & I guess we’re used to every sort of festival having a “Queen.” Pageants are just a part of life here, but I’ve been very impressed with the graciousness & good manners of the local “Queens” I’ve met.
At a music event a couple of years ago, a half a dozen or so African American pageant Queens from different areas joined us for a photo shoot with their chaperone. You could not have found lovelier, more courteous young ladies.I was really impressed.Pageants are not just about outer beauty.
God bless Miss Delaware.
@That Hat Lady, having known Maria for almost ten years and having the privilege of calling her my best friend, I know for a fact that no matter what trials she faces, her faith will not waiver. Although she has not been attacked on the national scale as Carrie Prejean was, she is still attacked by many people for standing up for life and adhering to the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Even before she won the Miss Delaware crown Maria was often forced to defend her beliefs to friends and strangers, as many young Catholics are today. Also, she is involved with the Miss America Organization, not the Miss USA organization which is concerned with looks more than anything else. Maria is an incredibly talented, solid, intelligent, and kind young woman, and you would consider yourself lucky if you knew her.
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