Hometown: Little Rock, AR
Year in Formation: First Year
College: University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN), 2027
Favorite Subject: Latin
Patron Saint: St. Maximilian Kolbe
Favorite Movie: Ford vs. Ferrari, Back to the Future
Favorite Books: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, October Sky by Homer Hickam
Favorite Music: The Beatles, Credence Clearwater Revival
Hobbies: Playing soccer, basketball, running
Most Memorable Prayer/Liturgy you have Attended: I went to Mass in a small but very ornate church in Obsteig, Austria, and I didn’t understand any of the words since the priest spoke Austrian, but I still knew exactly what was going on. It made me remember that the point of Mass isn’t to get something out of it but to praise God.
Place of Pilgrimage you Most Want to Visit and why: The Vatican. I’ve been there once before, but it was only for a few hours, and I think to be able to fully appreciate a place like that, I would need to spend more time there and revisit everything I saw.
Favorite Way to Pray: Adoration
Favorite Devotion: the Rosary
What drew you to Holy Cross? The aspect of community and brotherhood that is so strong at Holy Cross was something that stood out to me from the beginning. On top of that, I felt a great sense of peace and joy from the first day I was introduced to Holy Cross. I felt like I was at home.
Your Vocation Story: I first felt the call to the priesthood around seventh grade. The call stayed with me into high school, and in the spring of my sophomore year, I began speaking to Fr. Patrick Friend, one of the priests at my school. In the fall of my junior year, I started talking to Fr. Jeff Hebert, the vocations director in the Diocese of Little Rock. Through my junior year, I continued to feel the call, but something felt a little off. During spring break of my junior year, I visited the University of Notre Dame to look at the school with my grandparents, and while we were walking around campus, we saw Old College. I knocked on the door, met a few Old Collegians, and talked to Fr. Brendan McAleer, the Congregation of Holy Cross vocations director. I applied to SSIP, and in the summer before my senior year, I got my first look into the Congregation of Holy Cross. After SSIP, I felt a deep sense of assurance that Holy Cross was where I was meant to be.
Favorite Verse: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
Favorite Quote: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” – St. Thomas Aquinas
How can visitors to this page pray for you? I would welcome any visitors’ prayers, and any and all prayer intentions directed my way would be fantastic!