Crossroads Pro-Life Alumni Shares How Seton Influenced Him

We caught up with Seton Alumni Alex and asked him to recap how Seton has influenced where he’s been and where he’s headed.

Can you tell us about Crossroads Walk for Life?

Yes, I spent two and a half summers in this unique ministry. The Crossroads walks were established in response to St. John Paul II’s call to youth to be pro-life witnesses, and that’s just what you do on the walks. Crossroads walks are a peaceful and prayerful witness to the culture of life.

The ministry is very simple in structure; you pray the Divine Office, the Rosary, and Divine Mercy Chaplet as you walk across the country. We stopped at abortion clinics, town halls and other places, and just prayed.

With Crossroads, when you do this kind of witness, you encounter thousands of people and create all kinds of conversations with people who were never challenged in that way before. You can really change people without it being acrimonious. It’s also a way to see the whole country with your expenses covered.

How Did Your Seton Experience Help You in College?

The writing. Definitely the writing. Seton really teaches students to write well so when the other guys were freaking out about the assigned papers, I was at an advantage.

Also, the research skills helped a lot. You hate doing it while you are in high school but man, are you grateful in college for having learned those skills.

What Are You Doing Now?

For the last two years I have been the Director of Youth Ministry for the University of North Florida, and I’m the point person for campus ministry at Florida State College at Jacksonville and Jacksonville University. Essentially I’m being paid to be a big kid and relive my youth.

I organize spiritual events and social events. For example, starting next week I’ve organized twelve hours of adoration each week. We go camping, organize retreats, and try to create a sense of community with the kids on campus.

Any Other Projects?

My friend Sean Morton and I host a podcast called Catholic Bros on the Rocks. It’s still pretty new, but we are having fun with it. We talk about our faith, different topics relating to the faith, and pretty much everything else that pops into our heads. It’s a little bit of a free for all, but a lot of fun.

How Has homeschooling Influenced Your Life?

I think that the opportunities for frequent reception of the sacraments really helped me develop into the person I am now. I grew up near Human Life International and was able to attend daily mass there. We went to confession often and that helped too.

I liked being able to work at my own pace, and we were able to have a good family life because family life happened during school hours as well as beyond those hours. My mom was good about us taking advantage of being near Washington D.C. so we went to science museums and other places in the area. I really liked that.

What Do You See for Yourself in the Future?

I want to continue to work with young people for as long as possible. Youth ministry isn’t the highest paid profession in the world, and I hope to support a family someday so I just take on more responsibility and hope it works out. I love what I do.

Tell Us About Your Wife.

Ally. She’s the best. I met her in my sophomore year in the cafeteria. There were a bunch of people at the table, and in the course of the conversation I told her, jokingly, that I’d marry her someday. I had just met her and I wasjust kidding around, but it happened. We were married in December of 2016, and I’m so thankful for her. I’m such a mess, and she manages to reel the mess in.