Father Francis has been at Mitty for three years now and is both Mitty’s chaplain, celebrating all the masses and working at the retreats, and a teacher of the Journey Through Scripture class. He started his teaching role after being offered the Freshman classes because, as he puts it, “it became something natural for me to do.” It was something he loved doing—in fact, he was a high school teacher before he became a priest. 

The offer to be a Journey Through Scripture teacher was perfect for him as well, especially because of how close the Bible is to his heart. This passion is  further exemplified by his morning routine, where he looks forward to starting off each day with his morning prayer, listening to summaries of the gospel, and reflecting upon various questions. As he explains, it “gives a good perspective to begin my day, beginning with an idea of where God’s grace might be at work.” 

Starting the morning off right is important for Father Francis as a typical day for him can get busy fast. He explains that “scheduling your week and also calling God to manage your time well” helps keep him on top of things. He sets a timed schedule before every week every Sunday afternoon and always calls on God to help him take things one by one. 

The tasks that he writes on his daily schedule differ by day. “One day it could be celebrating with the sports team; on other days it could be sitting with a sophomore who is crying.” He may be on his way from an ecstatic team when he needs to switch gears to comfort students. For someone else, they may think of such tasks as a burden or taxing, but for Father Francis, he takes them with grace and feels that “God has put me there for a reason.” 

Life as a priest requires his support for numerous groups and events. His schedule is packed, resulting in challenges of time management. He is balancing a lot–activities in church, at school, and even grad school at night. He wishes he could go to all the school games and plays, but he stays realistic about what’s possible: “I try my best to manage my time well so there is at least one event I can go to.” 

Overall, Father Francis has found himself able to both pursue teaching and also serve as Mitty’s Chaplain. His role in the Mitty community has led him to believe that “there is a bigger purpose and that’s why we are here,” a message to all Mitty students.