The impact of a Catholic education at Pius X not only enriches students academically and spiritually, but the connections they make with faculty, staff and classmates also can have a profound effect on the trajectory of their lives. Read about how three experiences at Pius X made a monumental difference in the life of Fr. Liam O’Shea-Creal ‘13.
When I was asked to reflect on the impact Catholic school and Pius X had on me, my memory went to three specific events. Two came from my theology classes and one from the football field.
In theology class as a Senior, I had class with Fr. Ben Holdren. Father was not shy about his love of music, but neither was he shy about how formative what we listen to can be. As beings with memory, imagination, and an intellect, it matters what we hear. We are used to being careful about what we say but he argued that what we hear shapes what we say.
One day in class we did a “lyric study” during which we read the lyrics to two different songs. One was “radio appropriate” while the other was not because it has a swear word. On the surface, the “radio appropriate” song seemed like a safe song while the one containing “bad words” was not appropriate to listen to. However, when we studied the lyrics, we saw that the first song spoke of things that are immoral and dangerous to the human soul, in a jovial and “fun” manner. On the other hand, the second song — while containing a few inappropriate words — was a story of a soul moving from a dark place to a place of light. In sum, it was a gritty song with powerful and positive lyrics!
During this exercise, I remember raising my hand and asking, “What if we just like how the song sounds but we don’t repeat the lyrics?” Fr. Holden responded, “If you were dying of thirst and someone put two cups in front of you, one was poisonous and one was water, which one would you want to have smell and taste bad so that you avoid it?” I said, “The poison.” He replied, “Music that sounds good but has bad lyrics is like a poison that tastes good. Someone drinking it does not know how dangerous it really is.” That day forever changed the way I look at music and media: It matters what I see and hear just as much as what I choose to say.
The next formative moment happened senior year with Fr. Michael Zimmer during a discussion about vocations. Since having taught me Totus Tuus back when I was a fourth-grader, Fr. Zimmer would ask me when – not if — I was going into the seminary to become a priest. One day, I walked into his class, and he looked at me with a huge smile on his face. I asked, “What?” He replied, “You’ll see.” Then he proceeded to show us an epic video about the priesthood. I placed my head on the desk and just stewed.
After class, I had two periods off, so I went to the chapel and “let God have it.” I did not know why I was so angry, but I knew I needed to be in the chapel. I stayed there and tried to pray as best as I could. At one point, I picked up a Rosary and began by saying, “Mary, I don’t know all the Mysteries, but can you fill in what I am lacking?” I am confident now that she did. I did not leave the chapel wanting to become a priest, but I was less angry and had learned how to make a genuine prayer: “Mary, Jesus, I don’t know what I am doing, please help me.”
The third experience happened after my last football game in a Pius X uniform. I was walking off the field of Millard West and decided to pause and kneel for a short prayer of gratitude. I had played my best game, made a sack, had a few yards of receiving, broke up a pass while on defense, but most importantly, I had not gotten hurt. I was grateful.
While kneeling, suddenly, I was aware of someone standing next to me. I looked up and there was the coach from the other team. He congratulated me on my senior season and asked me what I was doing for college. I told him that I wanted to play lacrosse in college. He paused and said, “The Cross? You want to become a priest?” I said “NO! Lacrosse. It is a sport I have grown to love.” He replied, “Oh, that makes sense, but maybe you should think about the priesthood too.” This man, whom I had never met, spoke a truth to me that I did not recognize at the time. But it became true, nonetheless.
As I reflect on these stories, there are so many things to be grateful for: A priest to challenge me because of his concern and care for my eternal soul; second, a chapel where — even though I had no confidence in prayer — I could still pray in front of Jesus and know He heard me. And finally, while wearing a jersey bearing the name Pius X, a complete stranger assumed I would be willing to give my life to God.
All these experiences were incredibly impactful during my Catholic school education. Today, I am honored to be back as a teacher at Pius X where I may be able to take part in the pivotal moments happening every day in our students’ lives.
