Parish: St. Matthew Parish, Allouez
Birthday: February 11
Seminary: St. John Vianney College Seminary
Address: 2115 Summit Avenue
Mail #5024
St. Paul, MN 55105

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation?
St. Thérèse of Lisieux. I desire to imitate her simplicity and true love for the
Lord. “My desire … to love Jesus and to make him loved.”

Coffee or tea?
I will go with the classic Catholic “both-and,” coffee in the
morning and tea in the evening.

If Jesus drove a vehicle during his public ministry, what
would it be?
Jesus would have purchased a run-down car from the roadside,
put a new engine in, fixed it up like new, and used it for ministry.
This would be a sacramental car as it shows how Jesus purchased
us in his blood and made us a new creation in himself.
What is your ideal way to spend the Lord’s Day?
A good Sunday would start by waking up and praying the Office
of Readings with a cup of coffee. Second, I would go to the
church for a Holy Hour followed by Mass. After Mass, I would
enjoy a celebratory brunch with friends and family which would
precede a nice hike outside. The evening would include a simple
barbecue and end with reading a novel and praying Night Prayer.

If you could celebrate Mass anywhere in the world, where
would you and why?
It is difficult to pick a specific place because wherever you are,
the altar becomes the table of the Lord (like the Last Supper)
and the place of Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary. I can’t think of a
better place to be than that. However, I think it would be cool to
draw on the inspiration of some saints and strive to celebrate
Mass in a place where it has never been celebrated before. That
way, the sacramental presence of Jesus can be in a place that
has never experienced him before.

What spiritual book or author has most influenced your
journey of discipleship?
“Story of a Soul” by St. Thérèse of Lisieux has strongly impacted
my journey of discipleship. Since reading it, I have gained a
deeper understanding of what it means for God to act in and
through our weakness. In the spiritual life, it is easy to become
discouraged when we see our struggle to love the Lord as
we ought. St. Thérèse reminds us that our weaknesses are
privileged areas where Jesus can enter into and transform us.
Now, when faced with weakness, I try not to ask, “How can I fix
this?” but instead, “Do I have faith that the Lord will use this
weakness for his glory?”
The more I accept this reality, the more joy I receive because
whether I am “doing well” or not, I can rest assured knowing
that the Lord is actively transforming my heart (weaknesses
included) to be more like his. Simply put, he is the protagonist;
whether we feel spiritually weak or strong, he is active. We have
only to surrender and love him.

How is the Eucharist meant to foster unity in the Church?
When considering the Eucharist and unity in the Church, I am
reminded of a warm Catholic farewell I heard a few years ago:
“I’ll see you in the Eucharist.” I considered the meaning of this
when I heard a priest say, “When you have communion with
Christ, you have communion with the Church.”
It is interesting to ponder how we are all so close to one another
in the Eucharist. We learn that the Eucharist is the source and
summit of our Catholic faith. If that is the case, then it also must
be the source of all unity of our faith. I believe this is rooted
in the fact that we not only receive the heart of Jesus in the
Eucharist, but we are also received into the heart of Jesus in
the Eucharist. Here, we get to abide in his heart in and through
this sacrament.
If we, who receive the Eucharist, are received into the heart of
Jesus, then the Eucharist must be our source of unity. What
place is more conducive to unity and communion than inside
the heart of Our Lord? Jesus tells us that a house divided
against itself cannot stand. In his heart, there is no division.
Hence, if the Church dwells within the heart of Jesus (especially through the Eucharist), she will stand.


through the Eucharist), she will stand.