Missionaries Answer Questions About Summer Experience

Amarillo—The 16 missionaries who participated in Lux Christi this summer in the Diocese of Amarillo were asked questions about their experience. An additional story can be found on page 10 of the Aug. 16 issue of The West Texas Catholic.

Name: Michael Burns
Hometown: Wichita, Kan.
School: Wichita State University
As someone who had never been in the Diocese of Amarillo before this summer, what did this experience teach you about this diocese?
“This summer has given me the opportunity to be and live with the youth and parishioners in the diocese. It has allowed me to get a new perspective of the Catholic Church outside my own parish, and has helped me foster a deeper sense of gratitude for my own Faith. It has been a great blessing to be able to encounter the people of this diocese, and see first-hand just how much they care about their Faith. Their generosity and willingness to serve in any way possible is a proof of how they truly live their Faith in their everyday lives.”

Name: Benjamin Colombo
Hometown: Ballinger
College: Angelo State University
How did your fellow missionaries change you this summer?
“My fellow missionaries really pushed me this summer. They called me out of my comfort zone and really challenged me to pursue the virtues of humility and patience this summer.”

Name: Brooklyn Cornelsen
Hometown: Canyon
School: New graduate of Canyon High School, no plans to attend university.
Did this experience this summer give you a better idea of what it means to be a missionary for Christ?
“This summer, especially our formation, has certainly shaped the way I see and live missions. More than that, though, being a missionary has forever changed the way I see and live everything else in life. I know for certain that I am not the same person leaving missions than I was during or before training. The impact this summer has had on me will ring out through the rest of my life. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”

Name: Kevin Gomez
Hometown: El Paso
College: West Texas A&M University
How has this experience this summer in the Diocese of Amarillo changed you?
“With the spiritual formation provided by this program, I have learned to fully trust in God and become vulnerable with Him. As a result, it has allowed me to easily share my own knowledge and experiences with the youth in the Diocese of Amarillo. Additionally, being a missionary this summer has opened my eyes to see how much the youth needs our support and that our mission does not end along with the summer but it continues every day.”

Name: Yessenia Gutierrez
Hometown: Stamford
School: West Texas A&M University
What’s the one thing you wish you could have done this summer during this experience?
“This summer gave me the best summer of my life. Considering we spent a month in each parish, the one thing I wish we could have experienced is all this without COVID restrictions. Ironically, it would not have happened this summer if we weren’t experiencing the pandemic. We got creative in finding ways to eat out and in finding things to do for fun with kids we were building relationships with.”

Name: Emily Heitschmidt
Hometown: Nazareth
College: Oklahoma State University
What will you miss most about this summer?
“This summer was so full of growth in relationship with Christ as well as new, lifelong friendships. Saying goodbye to the people I have met here will without a doubt be the most difficult part of the end of the summer, and I will miss getting to wholeheartedly live out my Faith alongside people who are striving for the same thing. I have loved every second of the past two months, and I will always look back at this time as one of the greatest periods of growth in my life.”

Name: Tess Homer
Hometown: Amarillo
College: West Texas A&M University
What was your most favorite part of your experience this summer and why…
“My favorite part of the summer was building such authentic friendships with the youth, and going on our own formation journey along with them. It was so nice to see that we built true friendships through our activities, small groups and having our youth stay with us past 11 or even 11:30 some nights! Our own formation allowed for genuine conversations among teammates and small groups and watching our youth encounter Christ in Adoration, small groups, and fun activities showed so much beauty.”

Name: Patrick Loper
Hometown: Overland Park, Kan.
School: Benedictine College
What will you take back to school this fall from your experience this summer?
“I will return to school with a missionary zeal and a greater relationship with God.”

Name: Celeste McAtee
Hometown: Tulsa
School: University of Tulsa
How has this experience made you appreciate your Catholic Faith?
“This experience has helped me vividly see the universitality of our Faith. While serving in Borger and Pampa, I encountered diverse groups of Catholics and participated in many forms of worship. I saw clearly how much God loves each of His unique children.”

Name: Kevin Metzler
Hometown: Denton
College: Texas Tech University
Did this experience in the Diocese of Amarillo change your mind about your career path? Yes or no and why or why not?
“This summer changed my career path in the way I will strive to better include Christ in my everyday life.”

Name: Theresia Miller
Hometown: Lonsdale, MN
College: Benedictine College
After your experience this summer, is this or something similar something you hope to be a part of next summer?
“Being a part of this ministry has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I thought I was a little crazy to come all the way from Minnesota to Texas to be a part of the mission, but it has been an immense gift from God. I have learned so much from my teammates and the youth I have served. Though I do not know where I will be next summer, I hope that I will be able to participate in something similar throughout my life whether it be this or FOCUS, etc..”

Name: Anna Phillips
Hometown: Amarillo
College: West Texas A&M University
As a native of the Diocese of Amarillo, what was it like to be in other parishes in the diocese this summer?
“Having grown up in this diocese, I found the work I did as a missionary to be extremely rewarding. Often times, when people hear the phrase mission work, they think of an individual who is somewhere far from home serving the poorest of the poor (which is very fruitful) but for me, serving the young people of my own home diocese is a different kind of special. The youth truly are the future of our Faith, and serving them in my own diocese has blessed me in many more ways than I could have ever imagined.”

Name: John Wesley Reeves
Hometown: Amarillo
College: West Texas A&M University
How has your faith grown as a result of your experience this summer?
“Blaise Pascal, the great theologian and mathematician, is quoted in saying ‘All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.’ One of the downsides of living in this period of history is being bombarded with the constant stimulation, or ‘noise’, as C.S. Lewis calls it in the Screwtape Letters. I’m a very fidgety and impatient person at times, especially when those times are silent, 60-minute intervals before the Lord of the universe.

“Holy Hour, the correct term for this time of day, was very stressful at first, since it took a long time and could be very boring if I didn’t pray it right. However, as time moved on, I came to desire these hours with Christ. It was in the silence I was thrown back into reality, and that can be a rather hard fall. Once my restless tics subsided, I could sit before the Lord, talk to Him, but more importantly, be with Him, which brought me closer not just to God, but also to myself as a person.

“To really look at my life, and ask myself, am I happy? All of my time with Him alone has 1) brought present vices to the surface, and I have a better idea of what they are and how to combat them, and 2) shown me the importance of taking time for God so I can grow in prudence, self-control (the desire for stimulation), and knowledge of God. This form of prayer is reminding me that Christ came to establish a relationship, not a program, and ultimately only a strong love for God can bring others to the Faith.

“One cannot give what one does not have, and so one cannot spread the Gospel if he or she does not know Christ. To develop this relationship, I have learned, requires one to set aside the world’s ‘noise,’ and, as the Psalms tell us, to be still and know that He is God.”

Name: Joseph Rziha
Hometown: Atchison, Kan.
College: Benedictine College
Addressing parents, why would you recommend this program or similar programs for children next summer?
“This program embraces the most true and Catholic way to create disciples of all ages because it is not just another program but, as Jesus did, creates a relationship that strives towards knowledge and love of God and brother!”

Name: Benjamin Seago
Hometown: Bryan
College: West Texas A&M University
Do you find yourself hoping to bring this experience or something similar into your home diocese next summer?
“This experience would benefit any diocese it comes to, as would Totus Tuus. It would be wonderful to bring this to the Austin Diocese one day, but right now I can see the Amarillo Diocese is just getting started with this and it needs care and attention to be successful. While I have other plans for next summer, I’m open to God’s will and will do anything I can to help Father Shane Wieck with whatever he needs.”

Name: Brooklyn Strafuss
Hometown: Dalhart
School: Texas Tech University
What did this experience this summer teach you?
“This experience showed me how important authentic community is to the youth, especially in Christ-centered friendships. I enjoyed learning about them and talking about the mutual, innate desires of our hearts—happiness and communion with God—that we were created by God for God, by Love for Love. I have grown in understanding that the goal is not a problem-free life, but instead a life in dependence on God, and that problems and difficulties reveal the greatest capacity to grow in trust and dependence. I am grateful for my summer as a missionary, for the ways I have grown in so many friendships and for the many ways people have supported and participated in mission with us.”