1. I grew up in the Air Force, which means I’ve lived in a few different places. Tampa Bay, Germany, and Arizona.
2. As a result of moving around during my childhood before joining the friars, I have attended 12 different schools from kindergarten to graduate school.
3. I’ve been skateboarding since I was a kid. I have always been into extreme sports, and I really wanted to be a surfer. To this day, I haven’t had the chance to learn how to surf, but if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll go for it.
4. I’m the kind of person who likes to try new things, and I’m always picking up new hobbies. Some of the interests include cooking, wood working, and home brewing.
5. Before joining the friars, I considered becoming a firefighter and took EMT courses. Part of the course involved a shift in an emergency room. During my shift, an elderly woman came in with a life threatening issue. I realized that was not the work I wanted to do. Since then, I have worked as a Chaplain in a hospital and that is less daunting to me.
6. I played a lot of sports throughout my childhood and all through high school. I played baseball, basketball, football, soccer and I also ran. Looking back, that all sounds exhausting.
7. Both of my parents grew up in Puerto Rico. Although, my dad was not born there. He was born in Virginia.
8. My dad was born in Virginia because my grandfather was a chef at the Pentagon.
9. One of the schools where I studied was in Rome and all lessons were done in Italian. Fun fact, I did not speak Italian before moving to Rome. I now speak Italian.
10. I first thought about being a Franciscan when I was eight years old. Eventually, I tried to find a compromise with God. I found out, God doesn’t negotiate. That being said, I did try many things growing up and have had a unique upbringing. I have been blessed to see more of the world than most people. I have met many wonderful people, and I love being a friar.