Mike Tishka ’15

The motto of Brother Rice is to “Act Manfully in Christ Jesus,” and this means to act in ways that Jesus would want you to act. This doesn’t mean that we have to go out and perform miracles like Jesus did; it doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our entire life for someone, and it doesn’t mean that we have to perform acts of extreme kindness. Jesus set himself as a model for us. He was gentle and forgiving, truthful and blunt. When He was challenged about his teachings, He always answered directly and without apology. If we follow His lead, we won’t have to cover up or try to make excuses for ourselves. As humans, mistakes are inevitable and will happen often. When they do happen though, we are to admit it instead of trying to defend ourselves or make excuses, apologize, ask forgiveness from God and others if they have been wronged, and make things right whenever possible. Basically, to live like Jesus is to live a life of forgiveness, one in which we don’t hold grudges and one in which we become the better person and apologize for our mistakes rather than be stubborn and refuse to admit that we are wrong.

Recognizing Jesus as our Lord and Savior and doing great things will not automatically punch us a ticket into heaven. He emphasized that we have to live by God’s instructions and to do His will. Yes, it is important to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but it is even more important to live according to His teachings, which come from God. We must worship God in both spirit and in truth. Just any form of belief and worship in God won’t do. Instead, we have to be sincere in worshipping Him as well as being true to our belief. As difficult as it may be for many teenagers including myself, going to church is a vital part in acting manfully in Jesus. This goes hand-in-hand with sincere worship as our attendance at mass says a lot about how serious we are in living like Christ.

Other ways in which we can live like Jesus is to pray regularly and study the Scriptures. We are to be in regular contact with Him and His written words of life in the Bible. He wants us to donate to the poor. We can donate in many ways, such as giving money, donating clothes that don’t fit, or even giving some of our time to help out at a soup kitchen. Jesus said that if we really wanted to be great, we should serve others just as He did. We should not take this literally because none of us would give up our lives for all of humanity, but we can take His teachings and spread them amongst our friends and family. Jesus wants us to use every opportunity we have to do good for others because if we do something good to the least of a fellow Christian, it is as though we have done it to Him personally. Lastly, Jesus wants us to continually examine our lives and change the areas of them that don’t agree with His biblical instructions. We must be able to admit our faults and improve on them in ways that Jesus would want us to improve them. We need to constantly change throughout our entire lives until we are completely changed like Him. We may never reach the point of becoming an exact replica of Jesus, but until the day we die, we can do our best to at least try and match the life that Jesus lived.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this and say that I will do every single thing I talked about and try and live the perfect life. I don’t think there is anyone out there who can perform all of these actions all the time and never experience any falling out with God or Jesus. Many people go through periods where they are not sure how they can even attempt to live like Jesus and this disbelief causes them to stay away from some of God’s teachings. Rice’s motto will always have a spot in my mind. When faced with tough decisions, I will think of “Act Manfully in Christ Jesus” as another version of “What Would Jesus Do?” I feel as if both mottos are similar in meaning and they both hold the same message. They force me to really think about whether or the not the decision I’m about to make is a smart one and they remind me that I can be the better person and refuse to take part in or choose the negative outcome. Spending four years at Rice has taught me to examine myself as a person as has taught me that going with the crowd and choosing the wrong thing to do is almost always never the right decision. Rice has taught me that it’s okay to do the right thing and that peer pressure does not and should not control my life. What I have learned here will guide me on the right path in life and will steer me towards success.

Luke Simon ’15

I applaud Brother Rice for teaching each man to act manfully in Christ Jesus.  Most people go through the routine of high school without gaining much knowledge from it, but I think most people who go to Brother Rice take out the most important lesson.  Our motto is something we are taught the minute we walk into the doors of Brother Rice, and by the time we leave these halls, we will be living examples of men who act manfully in Christ Jesus.

Danny Capua ’15

Acting manfully in Christ Jesus, as Rice has taught me, will mean doing the right thing and making the right choices in the future. This motto implies respect, honesty, and morality, three things which I will vow to follow throughout college and the rest of my life.

The “manfully” in our motto means respect. As a man of Edmund Rice, I will make it my duty to respect everybody around me. I will shun racism, respect women, and support my parents as they grow old. This also means I will respect myself by not doing drugs or alcohol, and taking care of my body by exercising and eating healthy. Thus, I will give others the respect they deserve and that I deserve.

Acting manfully in Christ Jesus means being completely honest. I will live this virtue by not cheating on tests, never lying to the people I care about, never lying to God, and never lying to myself. It is wrong and I do not want to develop a reputation of being dishonest. It is morally wrong.

 

Marcus Aubin ’15

Finishing up my junior year at Brother Rice High School, I did not have very high hopes for my upcoming peer ministry class, nor did I expect very much. However, upon beginning the year, I decided to go into the class with an open mind and try to do whatever I could to make a contribution. I figured that I might as well be optimistic entering my final year in high school and I knew my faith was an area I particularly needed to improve. Brother Ickes and Mr. Panfil persuaded me to join the class when I was a junior by raving about how influential and eye opening the class can be. Fortunately, they were right.

Right away, I began the year by participating in a grammar school retreat at Mother McAuley which I volunteered for. Through this retreat, I had the opportunity to speak about my relationship with my family, realizing it was actually very poor upon writing an outline for my talk. Speaking in front of all those kids truly made me realize that I needed to improve. I spoke genuinely, honestly, and from the heart, which Father Mark Walter noticed. After the retreat concluded, he invited me to speak on the same topic in front of the eighth graders at St. Linus grammar school. Of course, I accepted the offer and giving the talk again open my eyes even more regarding the matter. Not to mention, it even improved my public speaking skills.

The insight that these two retreat opportunities provided me was great, but I needed something more to really push me over the edge towards improvement. Kairos provided this for me. I attended Kairos 131 in the winter and I loved every second of it. Kairos was such a great experience, especially since I attended with several of my close friends. Listening to their stories was inspirational to say the least. People in particular who impacted me were Mike Lysaught, Sean Campbell, Jack Panella, and Jimmy Opoka. Once I returned, I was able to put what I learned into action. I apologized to my mother for being such a jerk at times. Since K131, my relationship with her has improved drastically. Granted, things are not perfect, but we have definitely made strides in the right direction since then.

Kairos 131 was outstanding, but being invited to return as a leader was even more significant to me. Mr. Augustyn invited me back and honestly, I was shocked at first. I did not expect to receive such an honor. I knew that leading a Kairos would bring about many challenges. I struggled at first, especially with the writing of my talk; I even felt that I would not be able to deliver a talk worthy enough compared to my other fellow leaders. However, with the help of Mr. Augustyn, Ms. Axelrood, my parents, and more, I was able to construct a talk appropriate enough to present to the Kairos 132 congregation. My nerves were high going into the retreat in March, but once things started carrying on, I relaxed and enjoyed every second of it. Our group of leaders even overcame one of the biggest challenges in Kairos history during the “naked mass” on Thursday night. I felt more accomplished than ever once we returned, even more so when compared to K131. If I had never joined peer ministry, I would not have been able to experience any of this. I am so glad I decided to listen to Bro Ickes and Mr. Panfil, I decision that I will never regret.

Danny Capua ’15

Peer ministry, for me, was a journey. Junior year I felt like I was making a mistake signing up for the class, doubling the service hours I had to do and requiring me to help out with masses. I also did not feel like I was religious enough to commit to being a peer minister. However, I can honestly say that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have had some amazing memories.

By far the best memory from fifth period Peer Ministry was the intellectual talks we had early on in the first semester. Ranging from talks about evil in the world to the origins of the universe, the topics piqued my curiosity and truly strengthened my belief in an all-loving, all-powerful God. These talks reminded me that there is evil in the world because God gave us free will, and that God is the mastermind behind the theories of evolution and the Big Bang. If I had any doubts about my faith Junior year, these doubts were gone by the end of my first semester Senior year.

Another good memory I have is leading the freshman and sophomore retreats. Thinking back on myself two or three years ago, I found it very rewarding to pass down the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout my four years here at Rice to the naive and inexperienced underclassmen. I remember how reckless I was when I was younger, with a weaker faith in God and a sense of superiority towards others. I had the opportunity to inform these underclassmen that they should start maturing and start growing their faith in God now, before they get too old. It was a very fulfilling experience for me.

Thus, being a peer minister yielded many amazing, rewarding, and fulfilling experiences for me. Taking this class was the best thing I have done for my faith in God.

Kevin Shilney ’15

Some  great memories I had this year were through the retreats we held. The freshman one was something cool to do helping the kids learn more about their school. I really enjoyed the sophmore one, it was my favorite of them all. I’ll never forget the opening skit we did for those guys, little things like that I will always remember and cherrish. Also, even when I was a sophmore I loved the skits that the seniors did for me. We tried to keep their legacy alive through our presentation.

Now that my year is coming to a close I am realizing all these things I’m going to miss and it brings a sick feeling to my stomach. I will forever cherish my time at Rice and carry the lessons I’ve learned with me. I actually have learned things through the Theology classes at Rice. Freshman year first semester with Mr. Knoell I learned that the bible cannot be taken for literal interpretation. Second semester I learned about myself and some things you encounter in life with coach Kelly. Sophmore year with Mr. Johnson I learned lessons from movies and his lectures. Junior year with Coach Dwyer I learned plenty of lessons about whats right and wrong along with morality. Now, my senior year I’ve tied together everything I’ve learned and developed important skills like trust and leadership. This year has helped me form the person I am now and who I am going to become. I’ve never been happier with the choice I made coming to Brother Rice High School and appreciate you being apart of this sucessful year for me.

Luke Simon ’15

When I was a freshman and sophomore, I always wanted to be like the leaders of the retreats.  When we were picking senior classes, I had no hesitation to put down Peer Ministry for my theology class.  As the date for the freshman retreats drew closer, my excitement did as well.  Finally I would be the one who is writing down nicknames for the freshman and sophomores, and giving them life lessons they’ll carry on for the rest of their lives.  I thoroughly enjoy when I’m able to make an impact on someone’s life, and I think my peers think that as well.  The most rewarding experience is knowing that you changed someone’s life for the better.

Greg Bernier ’15

My best memories of being involved in ministry at or through Brother Rice, is working the freshmen and sophomore retreats this year. Working the retreats was a good opportunity to lead a good size group of people through prayer and discussion, I felt that I learned a lot about myself and other people.

Another thing I enjoyed in peer ministry was the discussions after movies that we watched in class. I enjoyed this because we got to analyze certain parts and people in the movies that we watched, and this often lead to good talks about morality and conscience.

Lastly the service hours that we needed to complete for brother rice, was not only giving a helping hand to other people but also another opportunity for me to learn more about myself. From helping at soup kitchens and doing labor for elderly people in my neighborhood, I’ve gained much experience in helping others and also learned how to do things that I’ve never done before.

Charlie McDermott ’15

Some of my best memories at Brother Rice are in my Peer Ministry class. The first one that comes to mind is our Freshman retreat, it was awesome to see all the new crusaders and get a chance to sit down and talk with them. In doing so I got to know some of them on a personal level which I really enjoyed. The activities we did also helped us show the younger guys what it means to act manfully in Christ and how to be good men. I always loved going to retreats because the older guys always had good lesson to teach to us younger crusaders.

Another one of my favorite memories as a Peer Minister was doing my service hours. It really gave me a chance to give back a little to others and show my gratitude for my blessings. When I was doing my hours I got to know some of the other volunteers and they really inspired me. Most of them were regulars that just loved to help others out and give back to their community. They showed me the reward you get from volunteering and helping others.

Mike Schalasky ’15

The best memories about being in Peer Ministry is being involved with the community, becoming a Eucharistic minister, and also going on to kairos. The first memory with being involved with the community is going out and serving others on an everyday basis. Being more involved in the community to me was not something I would want to do in the past. Since starting Peer Ministry I have done more community service within one day then I have in the past four years here at Rice.

The second favorite memory is becoming a Eucharistic Minister. If it was not for joining Peer Ministry then I would have never become a Eucharistic Minister. Becoming a Eucharistic Minister has helped my faith in God because I feel more holy after being able to help serve the Church community.

The last memory I loved the most was having to go on Kairos. I feel Kairos brought me together with so many other people from Rice that I have never known, or hung out with before. Kairos was by far the best memory I have of being involved with ministry. The retreat brought reality to my eyes with noticing there are other people out there that I can relate to.