Gulf Pine Catholic

6 Gulf Pine Catholic • March 20, 2020 Finding Your Vocation BY AARON P. HOMMELL If anyone had asked me if I would be working as the Director of Public Relations at St. Patrick a decade ago, I’d have laughed. In 2010, I was a junior at Franklin College of Indiana studying broadcast journalism and interning at the National Federation of State High School Associations. Fast forward to the spring of 2016. I was a stressed-out solo practitioner with a criminal defense practice in Gulfport. Looking for a hobby of sorts, I sent the football coach at St. Patrick a letter. I asked if he needed an extra set of eyes to analyze players or film. I had played football throughout high school at one of Indiana’s football power- houses, Roncalli, and I wanted to give back to my local Catholic school. Instead of watching some film, the coach asked me to stay on as a volunteer offensive line coach. I waffled on whether I wanted to give up the money in the hours I wouldn’t put in at my law office, but knew it would be a tonic for my stress level. I accepted the voluntary role. We went 0-11 that first season and set the school record for most losses in a season. We went 6-14 com- bined the next two seasons, and I stayed on to coach an improving line. We struggled but pushed through. I won’t lie and say that there weren’t times where I thought about quitting. I would ask myself, “Why did I ever agree to do this?” and “Why in the world do I want to be out in the 100+ tempera- tures and lose so many games?” It’s the kids. It’s the school. It is Catholic education. It is seeing one of those freshmen from your first year coaching grow into a senior that is signing to play ball at the next level. It’s having a player you coached dis- cern the priesthood. All of that is good for your soul. At some point, you stop worrying about the wins and losses as much. You worry more about the young men that you are leading. Early on in 2019, a position with St. Patrick opened up in public relations. Admittedly I was not going to apply for the job because I was worried about the perception being sold that I burnt out of the practice of law. I was stressed out, but I was afraid of what others might think. Professionally, this was suicide. Financially, it was nearly nuts. The few folks I confided in were onboard 100%, or they asked if I needed a psychiatrist. I spent countless nights debating the idea of applying with my wife, who is also a lawyer. I prayed. Then, one morning, I woke up and knew that not only was I going to apply for the position, but I was also going to accept the job if it was offered. You see, Catholic education helped me get through a very rough time in my life. I grew up in a single-parent household where my mother scraped by sending me to a Catholic school from kindergarten through eighth grade. I then attended the closest Catholic high school. During that time, she was fighting T-Cell Lymphoma. She lost that battle during my senior year of high school. The generosity of our Catholic community kept me on the right path. My coaches, my teachers, our administra- tion -- they all helped me. I never realized it at the time how much their guidance and tutelage helped me grow. My only hope is that in my position, I can bring more people to Christ and provide the same level of support that I received. I have now been at St. Patrick for 11 months. I don’t think I have ever been happier, and it isn’t just me. St. Patrick’s Director of Advancement, Patrick Miller ‘08, left his job with Mississippi State University and alderman for the City of Starkville to come to St. Patrick to advance the mission of Catholic education. His story is not mine to tell, but it is rewarding to witness his journey as he finds his vocation, just as I did. Finding your vocation in life is fulfilling. Get out of the rat race. Do things you love. Pray that God supports you on your journey. There will always be time to answer that email or return that phone call tomorrow. Get out there and start living life. Hommell Las Misas Celebradas en Español/ Masses Celebrated in Spanish Sábado/Saturday Pascagoula: Sacred Heart Parish, 6 p.m. Domingo/Sunday Laurel: Immaculate Conception Parish, 4 p.m. Hattiesburg: Sacred Heart Parish, 1:30 p.m. Ocean Springs: St. Alphonsus Parish, 2 p.m. Picayune: St. Charles Borromeo Parish, 11:30 a.m. Gulfport: St. John the Evangelist Parish, 2 p.m. Lunes/Monday Biloxi: Our Lady of Fatima Parish, 6 p.m. To submit your parish activities for Diocesan Briefs, email information to tdickson@biloxidiocese.org.