Q: First, tell us a little about yourself–where you live, your family, how long you’ve been at DE, and what you did before coming here.
A: Although I now live in Pennsylvania, I’m originally from Southeast Louisiana and grew-up in what’s known as the River Parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I’m a proud Cajun with heritage going back to the Cajun Diaspora in 1755 when my ancestors landed on the shores of Louisiana. I grew up with the 4 seasons in Louisiana, Mardi Gras Season, Crawfish Season, Hurricane Season, and Football Season. Being Catholic was something intrinsic to Cajun Culture and something I always grew up with, going to Catholic schools my entire life. One of the main struggles I’ve overcome is my stutter. I grew up with a severe speech impediment and stutter. People couldn’t understand me as child and my stutter prohibited me from talking much. I’ve gone to speech therapy up until my mid-20’s when it became more manageable thanks to some great speech therapists. Now people may not know I stutter even though it takes plenty of concentration and intentional techniques to speak properly. It’s just been God’s way of telling me to shut up and listen and to gain some wisdom that every thought doesn’t need to be voiced. My wife would agree.
Even though I had that struggle, God called me to become a Teacher/Football & Softball Coach. After getting a Masters in Theology from Notre Dame in New Orleans, I was a Theology Teacher for 4 years which was a very challenging but rewarding time in my life. In 2016 I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for a Catholic Non-Profit in Philadelphia, called The Culture Project. I gave talks to High Schoolers around the country on Human Dignity and living with sexual integrity along with other pro-life work. In that work I met my now wife, Alisan, the very week I moved to Philadelphia, Thanksgiving week 2016, at a coffee shop. We chatted and she realized I didn’t have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving so she invited me to her family’s home for the holiday not realizing I was crazy enough to go. When I met her at coffee I realized I was going to marry her so I figured I might as well meet my in-laws. I evidently made a good impression and her 3 large brothers and large father, who all played college football, (one brother was a linebacker at Penn State) gave the approval and we were engaged in the summer of 2016 and married in April 2017 at St. Joseph Church in Paulina, Louisiana. My wife got her dream job as a United States Attorney in her hometown of Williamsport, PA (Home of the Little League World Series). We moved to Williamsport and I worked as a DRE at a small parish for 3 years until I took the leap and started with DE in January of 2021. I left the parish full time in December of 2021 and have solely been at DE since. We are now raising 3 half-Cajun kids in what I call the “Deep North” of Pennsylvania— Thomas 5, Margaret 3, and Mary who we just welcomed into our family on August 12th.
Q: What do you love most about working at DE?
A: My magazine is far reaching and I love helping build up the Catholic culture in a place that’s not very Catholic and mostly unchurched. Practically, I love having the flexibility with my family as we have 3 little ones running around. My wife is a Federal Prosecutor and Adjunct Law Professor currently. I don’t know what I would be doing if DE hadn’t come along and helped me support the needs of my current state in life. Also, I love meeting such great inspirational people who are just so incredible and make me realize how much I need to grow.
Q: Who is your favorite author?
A: It’s utterly cliche but of course I’d have to say J.R.R. Tolkien. My son Tommy knows all about “The Frodo Story” which helps him go to bed at night. We usually don’t make it to Mordor before he falls asleep.
Q: Which would you rather do: wash dishes, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, or vacuum the house?
A: I’d mow the lawn all day everyday if I could. I get most of my thinking and podcast listening done while mowing. I’m a nerd about getting rid of crabgrass and have trained my son to pick out crabgrass from our lawn. We have a corner lot so it’s a lot of yard to manage.
Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Cold smoked Ribeye Steak, then seared perfectly to medium-rare. Nothing else.
Q: Do you have a favorite saint, and if so, why are they your favorite?
A: I have a devotion to St. Thomas Aquinas and named my son after him. I pray with him, read about him, and try to think like him. I took many philosophy courses in college but oddly enough wasn’t taught Aquinas until I was in grad school. The whole world and the history of thought were scrambled in my mind and Aquinas made everything fit like a puzzle that I finally solved.
Q: What does a typical weekend look like for you?
A: I wake up early, pray and read, put some type of meat on the smoker for at least 12 hours. During those 12 hours I’ll cut the grass, play with my kids, riding bikes and walking around our neighborhood full of kids. I’ll try and wear my kids out until they are exhausted and in bed sleeping by 7:30 PM. During the day I’ll eat a quick lunch and go get my wife a Diet Pepsi from Panera Bread. In the afternoon my kids will have quiet time and watch a show. I’ll make my wife an iced Coffee while we stare at our new baby, Mary Alice. Later in the afternoon between 2-4, families with kiddos will see my kids playing outside and come play on the play-set, sand pit, or tree swing. I’ll have a beer with one of the dads. We have a solid “take a beer give beer” policy in our neighborhood. The kids are down by 8PM, the meat is ready and I have a late dinner with my wife, then either watch a show or watch LSU and a Saints game.
Q: If you could jump on a plane tomorrow, where would you go?
A: Louisiana—I don’t get back there much and have lots of family and friends there.
Q: What’s a goal you’re working towards right now?
A: I’m always working on new sponsors, but I have a goal of leading a Men’s Retreat in my area and for readers of my magazine Lycoming Parish Neighbors.
Q: What advice would you give to someone new in the business?
A: No one is going to do you any favors, no one is going to call you back, you can’t wait for something to happen, you have to go out and do it.