I’m a 49-year-old guy — married, father of a 15-year-old son. Faith was always something that was drilled into me as a kid. But only within the context of the liturgical church.

In high school and college I began to do some of the deeper thinking that’s required for a person to actually grow in faith. I never strayed too far from my base Catholic roots, but I also didn’t feel overly bound by all the “musts” and “shoulds” that I had grown up with.

In my late 30’s I was hired as a soloist for a Catholic church choir in the Washington, D.C. area. Over the course of 11 years I had opportunities to cantor, and when I soloed during Communion I would try hard to come up with pieces of music that would break from tradition and still convey a core Christian message. Eventually, some people began to tell me that they’d been touched deeply by my singing. I knew I wasn’t doing anything differently and that it had to be something else. It was then I was first able to really grasp my voice as a “gift” from God. And that sparked a small conversion of my spirit and attitude.

Since then I have been blessed with an evergrowing desire to deepen my faith. I have had the privilege to take initial coursework toward possible ordination to the permanent diaconate and I have ended 2 years of unemployment by being hired by my archdiocese to foster evangelization. I had no particular “ambition” to do this and that’s one reason why I am convinced of God’s providence in my daily life.

Peace,
Souch