BLOG

In 2023, I was working as the Pastoral Associate at St. Paul Catholic Church in Riverside, a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The parish invited Dr. Mary Soha to present on the Martyrs of La Florida. For many years I was aware of Dr. Soha, she gave many presentations to the seminarians but for some reason or another I was never able to attend, sadly. This time, fortunately, I was able to go to the parish function and I found the story very inspiring. I asked to sit dow

Let’s talk about interdenominational dialogue for a moment. I am a practicing Catholic–emphasis on the “practicing” part–and from 2023 to 2025 I sang as the Bass section leader for Lakewood Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, FL. There was no ulterior motive of converting the congregation to Catholicism, nor did I feel anyone at LPC trying to convince me to renounce my faith; only profound mutual respect. It was the most welcoming congregation to be a part of, and the choir

I remember when I was 17 years old, I bought a ticket to see Beethoven’s Symphony No.9  at the Jacksonville Symphony. I drove all the way from Keystone Heights just to sit in the very back of Jacoby Hall. It was my first live concert and the atmosphere was incredible. The orchestra was stellar and the symphony chorus sang with such power and clarity I felt I could touch the divine.. At the helm, conducting the orchestra, was a young and vibrant ginger maestro, Courtney Lewis.

During the Jacksonville Symphony’s production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen , I met the incomparable Baritone, Dr. John Daugherty. I asked him for lessons and he obliged after we wrapped. I had never taken formal lessons before, so it was a great opportunity to see exactly what my voice was capable of. After the first few lessons, I was invited to join the University of North Florida’s production of Franz Lehar’s operetta, The Merry Widow , under my new voice teacher’s direction.

Picture it, Florence, 2024. It was my first time in Italy and I was soaking up the street life after the afternoon riposo . As I was walking past the Badia Fiorentina  monastery (the church with the skinny hexagonal spire), I heard the echoes of a chant. And if there’s one thing about me, I’m going to break into a cloistered community to hear some more chant. Thankfully, they allowed visitors, so I entered the monastery and was greeted with the most beautiful midday prayer. T

Pope Francis proclaimed 2021 to be the Year of St. Joseph. In honor of Christ’s foster father, I wrote a motet based on a poem I found about the death of St. Joseph. I was hopeful that the smaller, elite schola at the major seminary would like to sing it to commemorate the Year of St. Joseph. However, without much of an explanation, they excluded my work from their repertoire and told me to kick rocks. Such is life.  For the summer of 2022, I was assigned to Our Lady Star of

I was blessed to have 24 years with all of my grandparents alive and well. Unfortunately, my maternal grandmother passed away in April. This happened while I was studying at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, FL. Coincidently, the rector of the seminary, Fr. Alfredo Hernandez, lost his mother during the same semester. Having never lost a close relative or friend, I’m not sure I knew how to grieve. Thankfully I was surrounded by people who I could turn to

The Institute of Priestly Formation (IPF) is a summer program for seminarians to delve into the spirituality and charism of the diocesan priesthood. It is hosted each year at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. I was one of about 200 men in formation who were sent there for the summer, and it was one of the most spiritually enriching experiences of my life. The first week led into an eight-day silent retreat, during which we prayed in community, met with a spiritual director,

After about a year of developing my skills as a composer of sacred music, I desired to write an original Mass setting. I had grown up with Mass of Creation and Mass of Renewal , and in Miami I fell in love with Misa del Pueblo Inmigrante and Misa Melódica . I was very familiar with the parts of the Mass and the historic texts, so I thought, “Why not?” I asked my Vocation Director and Bishop for permission to create an independent study in Liturgical Composition with the sem

After the success of my first choral anthem, I became highly sought after for my prodigious skills in composition… and then I woke up. Well, I actually did wake up to an affirming email from one of St. John Vianney’s philosophy professors, Fr. Robert Vallee. He sent an attachment of a poem that he had written about the archangel, St. Raphael, and asked me if I would be willing to collaborate by setting it to music. I was flattered and agreed to try my hand at another person’s

The orientation to my first semester at St. John Vianney College Seminary ended with a weekend silent retreat. We were encouraged to journal on a set of readings which were determined by our spiritual directors. I was happy to be assigned passages from Luke which focused on the Incarnation. During one period of journaling I began to write a simple poem, meditating on the mystery, naming what I imagined to be the infant Christ’s surroundings, and appreciating the juxtaposition