Adviser’s Note:  In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, Campus Minister Daniel Kriegl asked Charles Peterson to speak at the close of mass on Thursday.  His inspiring words deserve to be preserved in print.

I am gonna begin this by saying what you would expect any senior to say when speaking about their faith. To all the freshman, I did not think that I would be where I am now when I was in your place. I was just like so many of you. I complained about going to Mass, I dragged myself out of bed to go to Sunday Mass (which I would often skip because I just simply didn’t care). I would join in making fun of others that did have faith, and I thought they were weird or abnormal for some reason. And it was because of this mindset that I struggled so much throughout my first couple years in high school. 

I want to tell all of you this: the sooner you realize that God is the only person who can completely help heal your wounds (physical and/or mental), the better off you will be. Yes, you have people there for you, but once you lay down all your burdens in Christ’s hands, you will feel more relieved than you have ever felt before. 

During my junior year I finally decided to talk to God. And not just say an Our Father prayer, but actually talk to Him. And I would encourage many of you to do that. Many people get so caught up in pre-written prayers that they often neglect the true beauty of speaking directly to God. Once I finally did this, my world brightened up. I started to go to confession on Fridays, Morning Mass, prayed daily, and, yes, sometimes even went to rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I hungered and still do hunger for God and all the grace that He bestows upon all of us. 

Once I started to build a relationship with God I had the honor of attending the service trip to Canton, Mississippi, which was led by our Campus Minister Mr. Kriegl. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and it truly humbled me, and, to be honest, was much more enjoyable than any vacation I’ve ever gone on. I would highly encourage all of you to take advantage of all the service opportunities this school has to offer and go on at least one service trip during your time here. Trust me, the day I finally succumbed to Mr. Kriegl’s numerous attempts to get me to go to adoration and morning Mass, my life instantly changed for the better.