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Welcome

This blog began as a public journal during my undergraduate studies and has grown into a space for honest, imperfect reflections on faith, education, and public theology. Written across different seasons of life and formation, these posts invite dialogue and thoughtful interpretation rather than aim to settle debates.

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Introduction & Overview

This blog began in 2011 while I was an undergraduate student, as a way to share retreat talks, essays, and reflections on my experiences at Xavier University. Its primary purpose was to detail my study abroad experience in Shanghai and serve as a “public journal” of that summer in China.…Continue reading “Introduction & Overview”

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October 17, 2025October 17, 2025
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Being an “And Companion”

God sees what human memory forgets. On Sunday, October 19, the Church honors the Feast of the North American Martyrs—St.…

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September 23, 2025September 23, 2025
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Looking like the One we Love

People often adopt the traits and characteristics of those they love.  Friends often look, act, and dress alike. Couples begin…

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April 18, 2023May 1, 2023
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Discerning Thomas

Earlier last week, I was invited to the Jesuits, and I accepted their offer to enter the novitiate to discern…

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Public Theology & Spirituality

What I wish I said…

3 Dec 2018November 4, 2020
On December 3, the Feast of Saint Xavier High School, at an all-school Mass to celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier, Mary Ann Bowman and I were the recipients of the…
Public Theology & Spirituality

I have a confession

3 Dec 2018November 4, 2020
As a Catholic, I have a confession to make: I have deliberately missed Mass on Sundays for the last several months. For some this may come as a shock. For…
Public Theology & Spirituality

What are you Thankful for?

26 Nov 2018November 4, 2020
How strange to imagine that we only devote one day to gratitude. In a country where we relish abundance and excess, shouldn’t we have countless things to be thankful for?…
Public Theology & Spirituality

Can you notice the difference?

10 Nov 2018November 4, 2020
Sitting in a small, un-air-conditioned room in the sweltering heat of a summer in Shanghai, China, as I was entering my senior year of college at Xavier University, I posed…
Public Theology & Spirituality

You are never alone

17 Sep 2018November 4, 2020
The month of September is Suicide Prevention month and schools and agencies all across the nation are giving voice to something that is preventable.  Each day in our country, there…
Public Theology & Spirituality

Prophetic Voices in Light of our Church’s Pain

3 Sep 2018November 4, 2020
In light of the recent accusations of abuse and sexual harassment, and fueled by Sunday's Gospel, I have been looking towards various faith leaders who are speaking truth to power.…
Public Theology & Spirituality

A Devout Meditation in Memory of Donald J. Trump

12 Jul 2018November 4, 2020
In college, I took a course that covered a wide selection of Thomas Merton’s writings, one essay in particular, "A Devout Meditation in Memory of Adolf Eichmann," I have not…
Public Theology & Spirituality

What does it mean to be American?

3 Jul 2018November 26, 2018
  Looking around at a Fourth of July party, I realized, many of my closest friends are my political opposites. How could this be? In a time when culture tells…
Public Theology & Spirituality

Who are you looking for?

3 Apr 2018November 4, 2020
“Who are you looking for?” Walking around the streets of New York City and visiting the September 11 Memorial Museum, I felt compelled to attend evening mass at St. Patrick’s…
Public Theology & Spirituality

The REAL “War on Christmas”

24 Dec 2017November 4, 2020
“Let there be peace on Earth And let it begin with me” Sung in church choirs, concert halls, and chiming through shopping mall speakers, Let There Be Peace on Earth,…
CrossRoads…

Who is Jesus?

7 Sep 2017November 4, 2020
For a few weeks now the Gospel from Sunday, August 26, 2017, (Matthew 16:13-20) has been wrestling in my mind. The Gospel begs the famous question by Jesus, “Who do…
Public Theology & Spirituality

What do you do on Father’s Day, when your father is gone?

16 Jun 2017November 4, 2020
I have not been home for Father’s Day for most of the last 10 years, so by and large Father’s Days consisted of a short phone call or maybe a card.…

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