Parish: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, De Pere Birthday: September 28 Holy Name of Jesus House of Formation 2589 S. Webster Ave. Green Bay, WI 54301-2951
Which saint should people invoke for your vocation? St. Joseph. A saint that has been present during discerning priesthood. He has shown himself as the protector of the Church and an example of living as a holy man.
Coffee or tea? Coffee, primarily because of accessibility. Living with people who prefer it means that it is around most mornings. If Jesus drove a vehicle during his public ministry, what would it be? Jesus would drive a bus. It fits into the way he ministers — he meets people where they are and brings them along with him. Also, he would want to fit as many people as possible. What is your ideal way to spend the Lord’s Day? The morning would start by sleeping in, waking up, and making my way to a late-morning Mass. I would arrive back home to have brunch with my family. After the meal, I’d allow for some afternoon recreation time (maybe a nap) and then the evening would finish off with a movie night. If you could celebrate Mass anywhere in the world, where would you and why? I would celebrate Mass at the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel at Camp Tekakwitha. One of the main reasons is because it is the perfect size for having a good amount of people, but not too many. The other reason is because Camp Tek has become a home for me the last couple years. Being able to return to camp and celebrate Mass would be very special. It would bring the special gift of the Eucharist to the counselors who in turn serve the kids of the community in a profound way. What spiritual book or author has most influenced your journey of discipleship? The spiritual book that has had a lot of impact on my faith, especially this past year, is “Consecration to St. Joseph” by Fr. Donald Calloway. St. Joseph has always been such a mystery but is also known to be a powerful intercessor. The insight of who St. Joseph was is very evident in the book, but it also provides other aspects of his life to ponder. With so little known, there is no way of fully understanding the reasons behind his actions. The book gives some different perspectives about why St. Joseph did what he did. The most impactful part of the book, in my opinion, is the dynamic of the Holy Family. As much as the book is about St. Joseph, it shows what kind of man he was in the framework of the family. The book is technically about St. Joseph but, for the most part, is a reflection of God’s work in the parents of Jesus. How is the Eucharist meant to foster unity in the Church? There are two main ways that the Eucharist fosters unity in the Church. The first is in a physical sense in which people come together. Every Sunday, we gather together as a community as Christ asked us to celebrate the Eucharist. There is such an importance of Jesus being fully present in the Eucharist, and how good it is that we do it with others. Jesus did not die on the cross for a few, but for all. The second way that it fosters unity is in more of a spiritual sense. When we are baptized into the church, we are welcomed into the Body of Christ. As a baptized people, we have been given a mission to finish what Christ’s ministry started — to spread the Gospel and bring Jesus to everyone around us. We are unable to fulfill this goal on our own because we are too weak; we need to rely on the help of others. In addition, there must be a true sense of purpose, of why we do what we do. That is at the “heart” of the Eucharist. Jesus is giving us his heart in the Eucharist and only through this gift and blessing do we have a true sense of what the purpose is.