National Conference 2010 - Made for More

Notre Dame

I arrived yesterday afternoon and stepped foot, for the first time, onto the campus of Franciscan University of Steubenville. I will spend all the time I have from now until 3:00am on Wednesday morning, speaking to men about FOCUS and encouraging them to apply to become a missionary.

Last night, I spoke to the household called AMDG (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam). The talk went really well, and one of the men has already applied to become a missionary. Please continue to pry for the success of this recruitment trip and for all the men in their discernment!


Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG)

"Our mission is to build a brotherhood that is devoted to living for the "Greater Glory of God." We strive to do this by being devoted to Mary Our Mother, following closely the example of St. Ignatius, and holding a vast openness to the Holy Spirit. We strive for a very close and intimate brotherhood that leads us to deeper holiness and a holy fear of God our Father. We are known for being outgoing, charismatic, loud and joyful."

"That Man is You! is transforming men, families and society as it presents the vision of man fully alive! Combining the teachings of the Church and wisdom of the saints with the best research from modern science in an interactive, multimedia format, That Man is You! puts this vision within the grasp of every man."

This Thursday I will embark on a new journey in life. At 5:45am I will enter a church filled with men I do not know. I do not know who they are, where they are from or what they do. I do not know if they are a husband, father or boyfriend. I do not know if they are a "craddle Catholic" or a new convert to the faith. All these things I do not know. The one thing I do know id that they are all striving to be better men.

Through a 13 week course, I hope to grow stringer as a man, husband, friend and brother to everyone in my life.

Please pray for me and all the men who enter the church this Thursday morning!

Christmas fun...

Grilling with my nephew, Hays.

Hanging out with my sister, Cindy.

Brought home the Victory in an annual family football game!

Hanging out with Justin, Stephanie and Brayden!

Our Lady of Coatlaxopeh

In 1519 when the Spaniards first arrived in what is known today as the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, they encountered the native Mayan peoples. The first thing that the Spaniards did was to inquire the native Mayans about the name of their land (naturally asking in Spanish) . As the natives looked at each other in confusion asking “Uk Athan, Uk Athan” which means “What are they saying? What are they Saying?,” misunderstanding their language, the Spaniards declared that this must be the land of “Yucatán” which was a similar sounding word in Spanish.

In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego— a native Aztec. As the story goes, Mary conversed with Juan Diego in his native language of Nahuatl which is an Aztec dialect. When Juan Diego told the bishop of his conversations with the Blessed Mother, and what she called herself, the bishop believed that Juan Diego had said “Guadalupe”- a location in Spain, and thus common word in the language of the Spaniards… It appears that this could have been similar to the “Yucatán” incident as modern day studies have taken a second look at what Mary might have actually called herself in her visitation to Juan Diego. Many scholars now believe what Mary actually called herself in the Nahuatl language was “Coatlaxopeh” which means, “she who breaks, stamps out or crushes the serpent!”

Imagine this in light of the timing of her appearance—a time where hundreds of thousands of humans were being sacrificed on pyramids covered with symbols of serpents!

One Year, So Fast!

On November 24, Ali and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I am thankful for such a wonderful wife, and a year that has allowed us to grow closer than imaginable.