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"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.” ~Romans 12:12-13

Editor's note: This is the third  part of a series. Check the June 16 edition of The Catholic Week online at mobarch.org to read the second installment.

When I was notified that I was accepted into the Called to Witness program, I also learned the names of the people that I would be traveling with to El Salvador.

Surely, I wait for the Lord; who bends down to me and hears my cry, draws me up from the pit of destruction, out of the muddy clay, sets my feet upon rock, steadies my steps, and puts a new song in my mouth, a hymn to our God.  Many shall look on in fear, and they shall trust in the Lord.” ~Psalm 40:2-4

As a convert to Catholicism, Holy Week holds a special place in my faith journey. I went through RCIA and Holy Week was my final preparation to be Confirmed in the Catholic Church. I participated in each day of the Triduum with joy and excitement! This was my first time to encounter Holy Week and I wanted to fully embrace every part of the week.

In the summer of 2012, I ran my first youth conference in the Diocese of Beaumont.  I had helped with youth conferences in the Diocese of Savannah and was even the lead for one, but this was the first one as a diocesan director.  During the planning, I was encouraged to bring in a specific speaker that one of the youth ministers had heard and thought would be perfect for our conference.  I reached out to the person responsible for booking her and fortunately she was available!  Jackie Francois spoke to the youth and had a huge impact on the people in attendance.

"Trials and doubts are part of everyone's faith journey, ‘even mine,’ but Christians know they can get through the hard times with help from God, other Christians and those in heaven.” — Pope Francis

On the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, the Archdiocese of Mobile continued its long-standing tradition by traveling on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life.  A group of youth and adults boarded buses and made the journey.  With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it was unclear what the March would look like this year.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” ~John 15:16

 I started coaching basketball when I was in high school.  I really enjoyed teaching young players the game and enjoyed the competitive aspect.  Before I began full-time ministry, I was coaching basketball at a school in Dallas.  From a coaching perspective, I always enjoy building a team.

Nos exige verdadero valor: el valor de ser más poderosos que el mal, amando a todos, incluso a nuestros enemigos".  - Papa Francisco

As we lay in the giant field on the final night of World Youth Day in Poland, the constant drumming and cheering could be heard continuously.  A priest with our group had to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning in order to make his way to the main stage to be a part of the final Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.  The sun came up very early and everybody started to wake up.  It is difficult to really gauge the size of a crowd in the dark.  When the sun lit up the field, I could get a better picture of the magnitude of the moment.  I would later learn that there were around 2.5 million people at the closing Mass for World Youth Day 2016.  The sight of all of the people was incredible!  

To conclude an inspirational week at World Youth Day, the closing Mass would be celebrated by Pope Francis at Campus Misericordiae (Field of Mercy).  It is a large field about 10-12 miles from the Krakow city center.  After attending Mass, we had to make a decision on whether to walk to the site of the closing Mass or travel by train.  Our group decided to walk with other pilgrims.  Much like the other large gatherings, we were assigned a spot in the field.  A few people from our group traveled by train to get us a spot in our section.  These sections were significantly larger than the sections earlier in the week.  

The Lord does not keep his distance, but is near and real.  He is in our midst and he takes care of us.”   ~Pope Francis World Youth Day 2016  Czestechowa Mass homily 

Han pasado seis años desde que tuve la bendición de asistir a mi primera Jornada Mundial de la Juventud en Cracovia, Polonia.  Para esta peregrinación, dirigí un grupo de jóvenes adultos de la Diócesis de Savannah, Ga.  Llegamos un domingo y asistimos a la misa en una hermosa iglesia en el centro de Cracovia.  La gente nos recibió con alegría y parecía encantada de tener tantos visitantes en su país.  Ese primer día, la ciudad no estaba muy concurrida y era difícil imaginar lo que vendría después.

It has been six years since I was blessed with the opportunity to attend my first World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.  For this pilgrimage, I led a group of young adults from the Diocese of Savannah, Ga.  We arrived on a Sunday and attended Mass at a beautiful church in downtown Krakow.  The people welcomed us with joy and seemed thrilled to have so many visitors to their country.  On that first day, the city was not very crowded and it was hard to imagine what was coming next.

Sólo con la oración -la oración que estremezca los cielos por la justicia y la misericordia, la oración que limpia nuestros corazones y nuestras almas- se sustituirá la cultura de la muerte que nos rodea hoy por una cultura de la vida".         ~Obispos católicos de Estados Unidos,          Plan Pastoral para          Actividades Pro-Vida

Only with prayer – prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and souls – will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life.”         ~U.S. Catholic Bishops,          Pastoral Plan for           Pro-Life Activities

Hace poco más de un año, comencé la transición a mi nuevo puesto en la Archidiócesis de Mobile.  Se fijó mi fecha de inicio y planifiqué mi viaje desde el área de Washington, DC, hasta Mobile.  Mientras preparaba mi viaje, estaba ocupado empacando y preparando y tenía poco tiempo para prestar atención a las noticias.

A little over a year ago, I began my transition to my new position in the Archdiocese of Mobile.  My start date was set and I planned my drive from the Washington, DC, area to Mobile.  As I was preparing for my trip, I was busy packing and preparing and had little time to pay attention to the news. I decided to start my trip after work on my last day in the office and drive outside of the DC/Virginia area to avoid morning traffic.  I picked out Rocky Mount, N.C., to spend the night.  It seemed like the perfect spot to break up my travel.  I was excited as a set out on my journey.