Pastor, St. Mary’s – Temple
Hometown: College Station, TX
Favorite Bible Verse: John 15:15 – “I no longer call you slaves but rather I have called you friends, for a slave does not know what his master is doing, but I have shared everything that I have received from the Father.”
How did you become involved with Ablaze? I have a few connections with this awesome group. I encountered Ablaze through meeting Matt Rice a number of years ago as a young college student working for my home parish of St. Thomas Aquinas. When I became a seminarian he invited me into a few conversations and shared his vision for youth ministry. While working at another parish, we used Ablaze Parish Missions for youth ministry and I got to know it better then. When I moved to my new assignment in Temple, we began using Ablaze Connect to help our parish build a mission to youth – it has been great! Also, many years ago, Chris Bartlett was my youth minister. We have stayed in touch and grown in friendship over the years and he invited me formally to be a part of the board.
What does Ablaze’s mission mean to you? The Church does not have a mission – it is a mission – the continued mission of the Son who was sent by the Father, acting in the world through the Holy Spirit. This means that the Church is renewed and transformed every time we are intentionally on mission. I love the idea of bringing together the best and most passionate people to help the Church go on mission to hand down the Faith to the young people in our world.
What is one piece of advice you would give your 15-year-old self? Be humble, ask for help, and be not afraid!
