Alumni Impact: Sara V.

Name: Sara V.

Hometown: Clearwater, FL

Outreach: Florida State University

Year of Graduation: 2009

College Major: English, Religion
 

Where I live now: Abbeville, Louisiana (temporarily)
 

My family: I am single, but I recently became an aunt!

My work: After college, I served as a missionary with Life Teen (in America and in Haiti) for 6 years doing youth ministry. Then I worked at a Catholic boarding school in Kansas, and later as an elementary school teacher at a public charter school in Nashville. This September, I began formation with a Catholic foreign mission organization called Family Missions Company whose mission is to preach the Gospel and serve the poor around the world. In January, I will be sent out to a foreign mission post again as a Catholic lay missionary!

Brother I know best: Br. Jason - his joyful, loving guidance has been instrumental in my life!

Favorite Brotherhood memory: This is not a specific memory, but I loved having the Brothers around all the time - it felt like the Lord blessed me with a bunch of spiritual Dads.

How the Brotherhood shaped my life: The Brothers definitely shaped my life by their witness of total self-giving. They also taught me to be a disciple and an evangelist which has shaped and changed the way I live my life. I had had an initial conversion before college, but the Brothers taught me how to really live my faith authentically in my own life and how to share it with others.

My service: I was blessed to be able to serve as a foreign missionary full-time in Haiti for 3 years. It was a huge gift (though difficult for sure) to live there and serve God’s people. Our main work was youth ministry with Haitian young people. We also worked with young adults in the area (Madian, Haiti) to build them up as missionary disciples ready to serve in their own parishes. However, my favorite ministry of all has been journeying with teenage girls (from any country). Their desire to love and be loved reminds me of where I have been. I also find their faith and their moments of choosing God to be incredibly inspiring. 

Favorite saint: St. Thérèse of Lisieux is the patroness of missionaries. Her simple and profound spirituality has really blessed me.