Hometown: Crofton, MD
Email: Brian@ablaze.us
Favorite Bible Verse: “Being confident in this, that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” – Philippians 1:6
Favorite Quote: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and then realize that prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
What does Ablaze’s mission mean to you? That I can serve the Church with my life and my career if God continues to keep me here. I was a parish youth minister for four years before Ablaze, and while I loved the parish, I couldn’t see a long-term future that involved having a family and staying in parish youth ministry. Since 2017, Ablaze has been a place for me to learn, grow, and serve. This mission has evolved alongside my life, providing new opportunities that enable me to thrive in my ministry while caring for my family. My hope and dream is that men who feel called to serve the Church will be able to do so with the best years of their life and not have to sacrifice their ability to serve and care for their family in the process.
When I share what I do at Ablaze with people, I often come back to the idea that I do what I wish someone had done for me when I was 23. I began my role as a youth minister at a parish with a wealth of ideas and enthusiasm, but I lacked guidance and community. Now I get to be that person for the missionaries I serve and for our parish partners through Ablaze Connect. There are so many people in the Church who have an incredible capacity for mission, but need someone to get them started and then keep them going. Being able to come alongside so many youth ministers as a support during my time at Ablaze has been one of my life’s greatest joys.
What’s one piece of advice you would give your 15-year-old self? I would borrow a word from St. John Vianney – “Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God, the angels, and the saints – they are your public.” And another from one of my favorite songs “If you live for their acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection”. Pretty much just different ways of saying Galatians 1:10 “For am I living to please man or serve Christ? If I am living to please man I can no longer be a servant of Christ”.
When I was 15, I was paralyzed by others’ expectations and trying to make sure I was liked by others. I would tell him the importance of knowing that the people around him in high school won’t be around forever, but that you will always have your character, who you became, with you. Don’t sacrifice what you want the most for what you want right now.
