Who I Am —
and Why I'm Here

If you had asked me six months ago what I would be doing next year, Christ in the City would not have been on my radar. I was beginning my career as an engineer at a great company, surrounded by people I genuinely enjoyed working with. After years of hard work, I was accomplishing many of the goals I had set for myself when I moved to Boston five years ago. By most measures, life was going according to plan. Yet God had other plans.

A priest friend invited me on a spring break mission trip to serve people experiencing homelessness in Denver. I signed up without thinking too much about it. I knew it would be one of the last opportunities to spend time with him before he moved to Rome. Only when I was sitting in the airport terminal at 4 am, exhausted after a busy week of work, classes, and life, did the reality sink in: I had just committed to a full week of street ministry.

I had some experience with homeless ministry before, but I would not have described myself as enthusiastic about it. I knew there was a deeper love to be discovered there, but I had not experienced it for myself. As I boarded the plane, I remember thinking: "This will either be a terrible idea, or God is going to do something big."

God did something big.

During that week, I not only encountered people living on the streets but also witnessed the lives of the missionaries themselves. There was a richness, freedom, and joy in the way they lived that is difficult to put into words but impossible to ignore. For the first time, I began to understand what it meant to love the poor — not as a project or obligation, but as friends. Being there felt strangely like home, and by the end of the week, I did not want to leave.

When I returned to Boston, something had changed. My job had not changed, but my perspective had. I still enjoyed engineering, yet after experiencing a deeper sense of joy, meaning, and purpose, everything else seemed dimmer by comparison. That same night, I submitted my application to Christ in the City.

As I continued discerning, I found myself pulled between two good paths. Professionally, things were going well, and many of the emotions from the mission trip had faded. I knew I could not make a decision based solely on a powerful experience. I needed clarity.

That clarity came on Holy Thursday. While praying with the Gospel and later witnessing the Washing of the Feet at Mass, I was struck by the simplicity of Christ's example. The priest quietly knelt, washed the feet of others, and then continued with the Mass. No spectacle. No recognition. Just love expressed through humble service. In that moment, everything came into focus. I sensed the Lord inviting me to follow His example.

The answer became simple: "Yes, Lord."

Gratefully, there is much that I am looking forward to this year. Above all, I am excited for the opportunity to continue growing in love for the poor and to learn what it means to serve them more wholeheartedly. I look forward to sharing life in community, building deep friendships, and being challenged in ways I have never been challenged before. I know this year will stretch me, teach me, and invite me to grow in virtue, humility, and trust as I continue becoming the man God created me to be.

I am also eager to deepen my faith and take it to new heights — both spiritually and physically. And, of course, I hope to take advantage of Colorado's sunshine and unpredictable weather, exploring a few 14ers along the way and perhaps striking a Frassati pose or two at the summit.