Raised in a Catholic household, my spiritual life felt a bit more handed down than a lived reality for many years. Although I was familiar with the liturgy and recited the prayers, I had yet to experience the profundity of a personal conviction.

This was my conversion, where the scales fell off of my eyes. I had realized I have been living a life of sin. Recalling it now still amazes me how wonderfully God works. From that moment on I stopped living for the world.

Looking back, every step has come from the same place: meeting the Father with complete trust. And every time, He has done something bigger than I could have imagined.

My story isn’t about having it all figured out, nor is it the one I would have chosen. But it shows that God loves to work through ordinary people and everyday moments. Even the mundane moments can become a story of wonder when surrendered to God.

My heart continues to be on fire, and through photography and filmmaking, I feel called to share my story and faith with others. My fiancée and I also started a small candle business, hoping to spread joy and hope through faith-centered living.

Those next two years transformed my life forever and healed me in places I didn’t know were bleeding. I was so impacted by the richness of living in community that I applied to be an SPO missionary.

God never abandoned me. Instead, He led me on a journey to rediscover Him, myself, and fall into an alignment with His will. I said “yes” and this is my story. One step, one day, and one yes at a time all for His will and glory.

I encountered Jesus powerfully during a time of Eucharistic Adoration in the summer of 2009, and the years since have been a wild and amazing adventure following God’s call for my life.

My story is one of ongoing conversion. And that, ultimately, is authentic Catholic masculinity: daily surrender to Christ for the good of our families and the Church.

Though I am permanently blind in my left eye, I’ve been able to see the way that God redeems our suffering. All we have to do is give it to Him and trust in His timing. Nothing given to God is ever wasted.

After graduating ministry college, I assumed (with some relief) that I’d never preach again. I was anticipating a quiet season in Australia. But God had other plans! In 2024, Fr Rob Galea invited me to preach during his concert tour through India, and invitations to speak around the world have continued.

At first it was just a hobby. But that summer, while I was home with more free time, I began investing in it. I cleaned up the design, bought the domain acaffeinatedcatholic.com, and started writing more regularly, sharing posts on my personal Instagram and sending people to the full version on my website.

In September 2019, I attended a high school retreat, not knowing it would change everything. For the first time in my life, I didn’t just know about God, I felt the Father’s love personally. That moment rewrote the direction of my life.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been searching for God—but my real relationship with Jesus began when I was 19. In college, I joined a Baptist church, and later I followed my friends to a non-denominational church. I was trying to grow in faith, but deep down I still felt like something was missing.

During that Mass, I truly felt the presence of Christ in the Church. Unlike anywhere else I had been. Seeing the Eucharist for the first time, the tradition, the veneration, everything about it felt right.

I wanted to attend the most Catholic college I could find, so I chose the Catholic University of America, in Washington DC. There I found a vibrant community of students, clergy, religious, and professors who didn't just talk about the faith, they lived it.

 Through storytelling and beauty, I seek to help others encounter Jesus, the source of all beauty and the deepest longing of the human heart.

I was born in Cleveland to immigrant parents from the Philippines. I was raised Catholic, and even as a kid, church gave me a sense of peace I didn’t yet know how to explain.