What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Today marks the last day of school for me at Auburn University.  This Sunday I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma and graduate from Auburn with a Bachelor’s of Civil Engineering.  This marks the end of my 6 years at Auburn.  Over these past 6 years I have seen some highs and some lows in a variety of different ways.

Auburn Football:

I have had the opportunity to enjoy 6 football seasons at Auburn.  Over those 6 years I have seen almost everything you can imagine in college football from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.  I have seen the end of the Tuberville era when Auburn beat Alabama for 6 straight years.  Following that was Tuberville quitting in the middle of the season and the following year the unexpected and controversial hiring of Gene Chizik.  Then within a couple years the winning of the 2010 BCS National Championship.  Then within two years, during my last football season as a student, the worst football season that Auburn has ever experienced and the firing of Gene and hiring of Gus Malzahn.  Then got the chance to experience the final ever Toomers Oak Trees rolling, it was a san time but also a showing of how the Auburn Family will always stick together and stay strong.

 

CYO:

After my experience with YL, I felt the need to serve the youth in a way that let loose the uniqueness of my Catholic faith.  After a trip to FOCUS Regional Conference in 2011 in Nashville I started to help out with the Catholic Youth Organization at St. Michael’s.  Over the past 2 ½ years of serving CYO has been the most fulfilling thing that I have done at Auburn.  I have the opportunity to serve with some of the best and holiest people that I have ever known and learned more about my faith by serving these high school and middle school students than I would have ever imagined.

 

CSO:

It took me a while to get involved with CSO and part of me regrets not getting involved earlier but the last few years have been some of the best I have experienced.  I have met and befriended some of the holiest people ever.  I have had the opportunity to serve on Pan Y Vino team for two years and have loved serving the Catholic Student community in that way.

 

After 6 years at Auburn University I have done a lot, seen a lot, and experienced a lot.  I have met so many great people and experienced so many unique opportunities.  I hope that I have left behind as much as this town has given me.  I will miss it but I have made it a goal to come down to at least one Auburn Football game each year.  I wish good luck to the future of CSO, Pan Y Vino, CYO, and all the students at Auburn.

I Will Always Remember:

CSO/Bread&Beer/TBBS/PYV/HTeam/CYO/CoreTeam/ACYC2013/
FatherFrattheRappingPriest/TND/SaintDrogo/SaintMike'sFightNight/
Scatterball/Club630/TheDogHouse/FOCUS/2Kings2:23-24/KofC/

God Bless Auburn and War Eagle!!!

 

ACYC 2013 - Orange Beach

This past weekend I got a chance to go to ACYC in Orange Beach.

It was such a wonderful experience to see the lives of over 300 high school students become more "WIDE OPEN" to the love of Christ.  It was heart warming to hear the amazing experiences that so many of them had at adoration on Saturday night and to see their lives change right before my eyes.

But the one thing that always gets me when you go to a High School retreat as opposed to when you go to a College retreat is the liveliness of these young people and what it takes to get their hearts warmed up:

First of all there was a great music team who knew how to just speak to the soul of a high schooler with a passion for music and a gift that they used to the fullest.
Second there was the crazy and holy seminarians of the Archdiocese of Mobile who showed these young people who might be discerning the priesthood or religious life what really goes on in the life of a seminarian and how much fun they have while at the same time striving for holiness and the vocation of the priesthood.
Then there was Father Frat the Rapping Priest, Father Victor Ingalls.  No words can describe what he has done for CYO at Auburn over these past 8 months, the first 8 of his priesthood.  He has been such a blessing and only time will tell what further surprises he has in store for us and for the rest of the world.
Finally there is the sisters and religious brothers speaking, praying, and giving advice to young people as well as playing football, frisbee, and volleyball on the beach Saturday.  It is so powerful to hear the different ways in which people find their way in life especially from Nuns and Priests.  It is even more important for these young people who are in one of the hardest places in their lives in deciding what they want to do next and to hear that it will take time, but that will only happen if you are "WIDE OPEN" to God's will and from their experiences to help these kids to open up is going to be something special that i look forward to seeing and hearing about over the next few months.

See a recap of ACYC by clicking HERE!!!

 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Pray For Us!!!!