Each day I am being stripped of the chains that bind me and I am so grateful for the Lord’s loving and merciful heart and for Mary’s beautiful example of true and authentic feminine trust in the Lord!

It has been just over a year since my re-version and since then my life has changed so much. Just 5 months later I felt called to accept a full position as a college missionary for FOCUS.

After an hour of confession, my priest looked at me and said “Wow, that was one of the best confessions I have ever heard in my life.”

When not preaching at the pulpit, you can find him exercising, spending time outdoors, coaching a CrossFit class or playing with his dogs, Murph and Shorty.

It's been humbling, and a tremendous joy, to share that story at parishes, conferences, podcasts, national radio and in my book, Live Big, Love Bigger: Getting Real with BBQ, Sweet Tea and a Whole Lotta Jesus.

In my freshman year, my prayer life became consistent and fruitful, and out of my first semester came my ministry. I am not perfect, and I have a long way to go, but that is a part of what makes that journey so exciting.

It still isn’t easy. Being a Christian isn’t easy. The Cross is heavy and my shoulders are oftentimes too weak to bare it on my own. Through the suffering that comes with the Cross, however, I can truly attest to experiencing the goodness and glory of the Resurrection.

He’s given me immense graces to trust that He will take care of me as He's always done. And He has blessed me greatly with an incredible support system of family & close friends who have been there for me throughout all of these trials and challenges, because I could not do it without them.

I came back to church alone and had a major conversion in front of the Eucharist. Ever since then I have been sharing my faith boldly and in my understanding of it all!

I became Catholic almost nine years ago. A lot has happened since then, but one constant through everything has been my faith. Not only that, it has honestly been instrumental in my career as a baseball player.

My friend had convinced me of the power of the rosary and why I needed to pray it consistently. I took it to heart in awe of his zeal and wisdom on the matter. From that point forward, the rosary has truly changed my life and who I have become as a man.

I ended up entering the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word in October of 2002 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012. I'm grateful to God for the gift of the priesthood and the religious life!

God has placed so many people in my life over the years that have given me a full understanding as to what it means to love sacrificially, and I’m just a vessel here in front of everyone for the Holy Spirit and I don’t mind it one bit.

Lauren is a fierce advocate for those with Down syndrome and shares about the beauty and dignity of every life and how those with disabilities bring so much joy to our world.

Right now I am focusing heavily on the Eucharistic Miracles Movie so please keep that in your prayers! God is blessing it tremendously but there is a lot of attack so any support would be awesome!

I have a lot to learn still being a young priest, but I love being a priest. I wouldn’t trade the priesthood for anything in the world.

During the retreat, I had a radical conversion in Adoration. I went to confession, and vowed to change my life. I prayed a prayer "Jesus, you died for me, I'll die for you" and I meant it.

We agreed to meet each week, and he was true to his word for months on end. As we had these encounters each week, the sheer presence of this man in my life brought about healing to my infirmity.