Saints of Tommorow

David Maddox

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:49:19 EST

David Maddox
St. Vincent de Paul
Goddard, Kansas
Bishop Carroll Catholic High School
Class of 2007

What are your interests?
Tennis is much of what I do, I play on my high school team and I play in many tournaments as well as with different groups and other high-school students around Wichita. I will be playing in college at Rock Hurst University. I also love going to encounters and XLT at St. Vinny's which I started going to about a year ago. I really enjoy hanging out with friends and watching a good movie with some ice cream or lying in my hammock.

Where do you go to school?
I am a senior at Bishop Carroll

What's some of your favorite songs right now?
I really enjoy songs by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus especially "Face down" and "Guardian Angel", I enjoy "The Gift" by Angels and Airwaves, and "Cupids Chokehold" by Gym Class heroes, my favorite Christian bands or artists are anything by Rich Mullins, FM Static or Reliant k. I enjoy many types of music but mostly alternative.

Have you ever dreamed about being in a rock band and smashing a guitar on stage?
I am teaching myself the guitar right now so that would pretty cool.

How did you get started coming all the way out to SVdP?
At least once a week, sometimes as many as three or four, we drive about 30-35 minutes to come here...We were searching for a church that fit us, our family had heard of SVDP and tried it, instantly we felt at home, Fr. Mike, Kale, all the parishioners, everything made me know I was where I belonged. I have grown in my faith and so much closer to Jesus since coming here a year ago

What's been the highlight so far?
There have been so many things about going to church here, the XLT's are amazing as well as encounters. Just getting involved in the way of the youth and the high schoolers here, I have gotten to know many other people and felt so comfortable with them all; this has been the highlight so far.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself staying probably in the Midwest area, maybe coming back to Wichita after college to raise a family. I really want a family and kids within ten years and if I do come back to Wichita I will definitely be attending SVDP still. I haven't yet decided what I want to do as far as a career goes but I have been thinking about something in the health field.

What do you struggle with the most when it comes to understanding God?
What I struggle with the most is how God can be so amazing with forgiving me when I mess up over and over and over again. Continuously I fall and every time he picks me up, I find this amazing and hard to forgive myself though I know God has. Also I struggle with understanding pain and tragedy and why it happens, especially with the innocent.

There are going to be other people reading this. What would you like for them to pray for you about?
I would ask for them to pray for my shortcomings and for me to have strength to always stay strong in the face of any adversity, especially next year going into college. I would ask also not simply for prayers for me but rather for all those in the world who have no one to pray for them.

And what will you pray for them about?
I will pray that they will always know God's love and grace, and that they will know that they are always loved no matter what they are going through.

Ellie Hook

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:48:16 EST

Ellie Hook
St. Vincent de Paul
Andover, Kansas
Andover High School, class of 2008

What Do you do for fun?
I love to draw and paint, or just lose myself in a book. I also really like to play tennis on my school team and soccer and swimming, just for fun. Oh, and I love to listen to music or watch movies with my friends and family.

What is your favorite thing about school?
I love being around people all day long. In each class you have different friends and meet new people. Somehow I actually enjoy the kind of busy and hectic schedule of high school.

Have you thought about what you want to do after high school?
I've thought a lot about it, actually, but I haven't come up with anything! I know I want to go to college but it's still up in the air where I want to go, what I'll major in, and what job I'll have after college. You can tell how organized and decisive I am, can't you? At least I have another year to figure it out.

What parts of your faith have helped you through high school?
I think the whole idea of Christianity has helped me tremendously throughout high school. If you go to school with morals and a good heart, those kinds of people seem to connect with you. Just today people at the next table were laughing and making fun of someone for no reason. My really good friend looked at me and told me how sad she was for the person they laughed at. So, the people I hang out with have hopefully been drawn to me, or I to them, because of our faith and kindness. They keep me in line and help me hold onto what's important.

What parts have made it difficult?
It's hard to go to classes with people who don't want anything out of life. You see smart people wasting their lives, or great people without faith. A lot of my friends are ultra-liberal too, which is hard for someone as conservative and Pro-Life as me. But I suppose diversity and different ideas make us stronger...

Do you find it easy to share your faith with others?
I don't like to push people into something they don't want, and I don't think that works anyways. But I try to be a good person, and show the real me to different groups and different people. I think that I share my faith by any random act of kindness I give or help I can offer someone. Sometimes the only way you can get someone to grow is to show them how happy you are with your own faith.

At what point did your faith really blossom?
I think that in the past two or three years I have grown tremendously in my own faith. By becoming more active in the school, community, and church I have somehow changed. Maybe by being around more and more people I see how far Christ has changed the world, or maybe how much He has changed me. Confirmation especially helped me to think more about what I believe in and why I believe it.

What would you say to someone who may be struggling with their faith?
I would tell them to talk to someone they care about. I can ask my mom for help or guidance anytime I'm struggling, or maybe to get more involved in the church. I love working with the kids in Children's Liturgy of the Word, lectoring at mass, or seeing how much the Pastoral Council at St. Vincent de Paul's care about every member of the church. Seeing how many people care about the good of the whole church really strengthened my own faith.

Daniel French

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:47:06 EST

Daniel French
St. Vincent de Paul
Andover, Kansas
Andover Central High School, class of 2007

What are your interests?
Sports, mainly soccer and baseball, but occasionally I like to play some B-ball with my homeys. I enjoy long walks on the beach and on a more serious note I like to spend time with my family and I have a keen interest in Catholicism.

What are the lessons that you have learned in sports that relate to your faith life?
In the past year, as a team captain of the soccer team, I have learned to lead by example. Even though you might not be doing something in front of a crowd, there are still people watching. In practice particularly, I learned to encourage my teammates to work harder and become better players every day.

Have you thought about college?
Going to college is a definite must for me. Some goals for myself in college are along the lines of majoring in business entrepreneurship, or international business, playing sports (intramural, club, or at the collegiate level), and being as involved on campus as possible. Most importantly, though, would be that I continue to strengthen my relationship with God

If you could change anything about high school, what would you change?
Honestly, I couldn't say that I would make changes with my high school years. My experiences, good and bad, have shaped me and my character. Sure, there are things that might make life easier for the students, but if everything comes easy, then what do we learn. The best and worst experiences in high school work hand in hand to teach us how to handle success and controversy.

What time in your life did you need God the most?
As my relationship with God increases, my need for God increases. It is so important not to settle with where I am at, as far as my relationship with God. I'm always striving to grow deeper in my faith.

Have you always been into your faith?
Yes, and no. There is a fine line between coming to church on Sundays because your parents tell you to and being into you faith. For the longest time I was one of those kids who hated going to bed on Saturday night because I knew that first thing Sunday morning I would have to sit in church for a whole hour! (compare that to an eternity) Finally, it hit me. I was talking to a friend and I had one of those "epiphany" moments, where for the first time I started to grasp how important my faith in Christ was in my life. From then on I can't wait for Sunday, because I know that I get to CELEBRATE the mass. I have come to the conclusion that the moment that you can honestly become excited about your faith is the best moment.

What struggles do you face as a Catholic teen, especially at school?
When I tell people that I am Catholic I can see a pause in their reaction. Most of the time I am able to relate with people on a Christian level, which is fine for me because in a conversation with a Baptist friend about Christ it is more appropriate to converse about Christianity rather than Catholicism or Baptistism. At the same time, it can be frustrating because there are many times when I want to talk about my faith as a Catholic but I know that I might make the person I'm talking to uncomfortable. In those situations I put my faith in God and if I see an opportunity I'll ease into a topic that can relate to Catholicism. I also know that I always have friends in the church that I can talk to.