Hometown: Green Brook, NJ
Year in Formation: Temporarily Professed – 2nd Year in Vows
High School: Watchung Hills Regional High School (Warren, NJ), 2010
College: University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN), 2014
College Major: Accountancy; Mathematics as a Supplementary Major
Previous Jobs: Certified Public Accountant; Deal Advisory and Strategy Consulting for KPMG LLP
Patron Saint: Saint Robert Bellarmine. St. Robert is my namesake, and I admire him for being one of 36 Doctors of the Church, having made significant academic contributions to theology and doctrine.
Favorite Movie: Rudy, Les Miserables, Braveheart, It’s a Wonderful Life, Coach Carter
Favorite Books: God, Country, Notre Dame by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C.; Love Does by Bob Goff; Sutton by J.R. Moehringer; Go Forth and Do Good by Rev. Wilson Miscamble, C.S.C.
Favorite Music: I have a fairly eclectic taste in music. Throughout the years, my favorite artists have included Coldplay, Avicii, Toby Keith, Billy Joel, and Jason Aldean.
Hobbies: Travel, attending sporting events, running and lifting weights, reading, and hanging out with friends
Most Memorable Prayer/Liturgy you have Attended: Easter Sunday Mass with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City (Easter 2013)
Place of Pilgrimage you Most Want to Visit and why: The Holy Land in Israel. Our faith is an incarnational faith. We believe God became human and that He lived a real, physical life in a real, physical place. I want to see and experience that place where Jesus lived, ministered, died, and rose again.
Favorite Way to Pray: Lectio divina
Favorite Devotion: The Rosary
What Drew you to Holy Cross: I was drawn to Holy Cross both by the relationships that I developed with Holy Cross religious during my time as an undergraduate at Notre Dame and by the mission of Holy Cross. Blessed Basil Moreau gave Holy Cross the charge “to make God known, loved, and served and thus save souls,” and through its charism of “Educators in the Faith,” members of the Congregation carry out this vision by educating the whole individual — mind, body, and spirit. Holy Cross guides the formation of young men and women in all aspects of life: in the classroom, on the playing field, through social interactions, and in religious devotion. This balanced approach to education and formation speaks to me, as it embodies the way in which I try to lead my own life and bring God’s Light to others.
Your Vocation Story: One day during my freshman year at Notre Dame, my theology professor, who was a Holy Cross priest, asked me to stay after class to speak with him, and when I did, he warmly suggested that I consider a vocation to the priesthood. While honored by the suggestion, I did not immediately act on the invitation because I was more interested in pursuing family life and a career in business. However, from that point forward, I always kept my heart open to religious life and the priesthood. After I graduated from Notre Dame, I spent six years working as a CPA and strategy consultant for KPMG LLP. I loved my job, as it afforded me many wonderful opportunities to live and work in diverse environments around the world. While I always felt that the work that I did for clients was valuable, I believed that the most valuable moments of my day were those moments during which I was able to help my co-workers and team members navigate personal challenges such as difficulties in marriage or struggles with depression and anxiety. I felt as if these moments had eternal value, and I ultimately viewed them as invitation from God to discern an explicitly pastoral way of life, thus leading me to my decision to apply to Holy Cross and enter into formation.
Ways that you resonate with the Holy Cross charism, “Educators in the Faith”: A love for wisdom, understanding, and truth is a manifestation of a love for God. I feel most alive and fulfilled when I am learning or experiencing something new that gives me insight into God. Since coming to know the Congregation of Holy Cross as a student at Notre Dame, I have been the beneficiary of the community’s charism, “Educators in the Faith.” The blessings of wisdom and understanding experienced through my interactions with Holy Cross inspire me to learn more and educate others.
One aspect of Holy Cross spirituality that speaks to you the most and why: Blessed Basil Moreau gave Holy Cross the charge “to make God known, loved, and served and thus save souls,” and through its charism, “Educators in the Faith,” members of the Congregation carry out this vision by educating the whole individual – mind, body, and spirit. Holy Cross guides the formation of young men and women in all aspects of life – in the classroom, on the playing field, through social interactions, and in religious devotion. This balanced approach to education and formation speaks to me, as it embodies the way in which I try to lead my own life and bring God’s light to others.
Favorite Verse: “Blessed the man who finds refuge in you, in their hearts are pilgrim roads.” – Psalm 84:6
Favorite Quote: “Love, and do what you will.” St. Augustine
Favorite Bl. Basil or St. André Quote: “We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.” – Bl. Basil Moreau
How can visitors to this page pray for you? Please pray for my ongoing peace and clarity in discernment and for more grace-filled opportunities to experience God through service to others.