“The beauty of this program is that it does not only challenge you to grow intellectually, but spiritually as well. Through my time in the Catholic Studies program, I was not just presented with new ideas but a completely new way of seeing the world and being within it. In other words, this program truly shows one what it means to be Catholic. Thanks to this program I am more confident in sharing my faith with others and better equipped to engage in a broad range of cultural discussion and bring the wisdom of the Church to these discussions.“

John lives in New Jersey with his wife Allison and their two children Arthur and Lydia. After returning to the faith in early adulthood, John has been eager to learn as much as he can about the faith and help others grow with him. He serves as a catechist at his parish for both confirmation candidates and adults converting to the faith through the OCIA process. Recently, he began a new job as a middle school teacher where he is teaching across several disciplines including Math, Language Arts, and Religion. John says that it would not be possible for him to integrate the faith into such a variety of subjects if it weren’t for the Catholic Studies program at Franciscan.