I am a filmmaker and had been looking for meaning in art. I tried a plethora of fields, but couldn’t decide where I belonged. I was looking for a sense of direction and the Brothers of Holy Cross gave me that. Our founder Father Moreau imparted on us a zeal that allows us to be who we are. So I completed a master’s degree in media and technology and now I teach videography at Holy Cross High School. One way I believe we can reach out and make God known, loved and served is through film, through media. There are ups and downs of course. That is what makes religious life fascinating and meaningful.

Thinking about religious life is a lot like surfing. You grab your board, you wait for the right wave, grab it, ride it, and once you are riding it, it is as if God made that wave just for you. Every day is an adventure. You may not know where you are going, but you have hope that you will reach your destination.

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When you encounter a group that is serving the Church, serving the poor and that’s their life, you think, ‘Wow. This is a pretty amazing thing that they do.’ And they do it together, so that was very attractive to me.

Right now, I’m a graduate student in microbiology. I study viruses like Ebola that only break out on the African continent. My dream is to work overseas and I was able to visit our Holy Cross community in Uganda last spring. It was an eye-opening experience because I learned a lot about the struggle Third World countries face when it comes to public health.

The way I see my work tying in to the mission of Holy Cross is that science can improve people’s lives. I may see these rare viruses, but I have a set of skills that I can use to help people. It’s an offshoot of me first, choosing to be a Brother, and then my interest to be a scientist.

“We’re blessing a beauty salon — the first Holy Cross beauty salon. It sounds a little crazy, but it’s really not. We started Holy Cross Children’s Services to help the kids that others don’t serve. But to help poor kids in Michigan, you need to provide services that will help their mom get a job. So we’ve set up these incubator businesses where we provide the proper wardrobe for job interviews, 24-hour dialysis centers — so parents on dialysis can get to work — dental clinics, health clinics and yes, Charlatan’s Beauty Salon, where our moms can get their hair and make up done to go on an interview.

I’ve been at this for 45 years now. We now help about 2,000 people a day. What sustains me? It probably goes back to no matter where I go, some kid says, ‘thank you.’ One of the most gratifying aspects of this work is actually being with people who are marginalized. There are all these stereotypes out there, but we have the privilege of meeting the person.

I wasn’t aware of Brothers of Holy Cross until I began substitute teaching after graduating from college and saw an ad for a Holy Cross school. I took the job thinking I would stay one year or two. Up until then I kind of had an outside view of religious life, but once I started working with the Brothers, I got an insider’s view of what goes on. And the more I began to build relationships with the Brothers, and even my lay co-workers, the more I began to appreciate it.

I was treated like a Brother long before I became one. I think… no… I know it was that camaraderie, that interaction that drew me closer. What surprised me was that they were real people in the sense that I saw them at their best and I saw them at their worst and through it all, they remained Brothers.

Joining was a big leap, but it isn’t as if you’re thrown into it. There are stages with time for reflection so you can see if this is a life you want to live and for the Brothers to see if you fit in too. By the time I petitioned to take final vows, it wasn’t a huge leap anymore— it just felt right.

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Brothers of Holy Cross was the possibility of international ministry. I’ve been in Chile now for six months. I’m stationed in Santiago and I love it. Our community is small but is very interesting and made up of distinct individuals that have been serving there for years.

St. Georges School, where I work has a very unique history. During the dictatorship of Pinochet the school was taken away from Holy Cross. The school was providing scholarships to people who lived in cardboard houses — making education affordable to the poor — and that ran contrary to the right wing government at the time. The brothers and priests — many who are still in Santiago — sold flowers and chocolates to raise money to buy back the school. Some were forced to leave. Some were tortured. It’s amazing to be with men who have risked a lot, if not all, for social justice.

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When I committed myself to a job I considered it a moral obligation to do my absolute best. Also, I guess, I found myself becoming emotionally involved with my students. Their interests became my interests. This is still going on in my present swimming class. The student that has problems has always had my special interest because in my own life, I have always been a student with problems.

There was no opportunity or facility to teach swimming in Liberia, where I spent five years teaching physics. That was one of the greatest “shots in the arm” of my life. I became involved with my students, as always, I found them to be respectful, well mannered with a great desire to learn. I also became deeply involved in Amateur Radio and furnished communication service for the missionaries. I taught teachers in the Liberian public schools and helped them set up radios in their schools.

Today, I live on campus. I have a swimming pool. I talk on the radio and I stay in touch with former students who are my friends. It’s been a wonderful, interesting and fulfilling life. If I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing. Being a Holy Cross Brother was what I was meant to do. I owe a great life to the Brothers.

Holy Cross is a challenging, but rewarding life. It’s an opportunity to grow to your fullest potential in education, ministry and service. And it’s also the chance to work together with others for the mission of the Church with a group that has a history of education, and risk-taking in new parts of the world.

Of all the experiences I’ve had with the Brothers of Holy Cross I can’t pick a favorite. Each experience has been very positive and new. Rome was exotic. I was young and who wouldn’t want to live in Rome for four years? I’m not saying my life has been Pollyanna — there have been trials and difficulties, you work very hard and sometimes make mistakes. But these experiences have always encouraged me, given me a sense of self-confidence and led me to places I never expected to go. So it’s the work, it’s the community life and it’s the prayer. These are the challenges but these are the gifts that we offer.

I entered the Brothers in January 25, 1950, and for the most part have been associated with food service most of my religious life. I think I came by it naturally… I had six sisters and four brothers and from the time I can remember, baking and cooking was very much a part of our lives. I think if you’re in a big family it calls for generosity and giving and I was taught to work for sure.

I’m usually in the kitchen from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. in preparation, and then I go over and sell [the day’s baked goods] to the kids. There’s a lot of love that goes into it. I say to the students, ‘If I was working at the biggest hotel in the world — and I was getting big money — I wouldn’t work any harder at making a good product than I do for you kids.’ If you love God then you love the kids and you are going to try very hard to put out a good product. And I’ve always been interested in the [school and social ministries] in Brazil and the street kids that our Brothers work with.

[Baking] is a gift. Every vocation is a gift. Being a father is a wonderful gift. Being a good priest is a wonderful gift. Being a good Brother is a wonderful gift. If God calls that’s where our greatest happiness will be.

http://www.vimeo.com/16100899 – A documentary short that explores the life of Bro. Daniel Durig, C.S.C.

Written, Directed and Edited by Bro. Nich Perez, C.S.C.
Director of Photography: John Sebastian Gutierrez

“As a student at Monsignor Coyle High School in Massachusetts, I looked up to the Brothers of Holy Cross. They were excellent teachers and they inspired me. I’m now in my 54th year as a Brother and I have always taught and worked with young people in our schools.

Through the years, the students and the culture have changed so much. You have to know how to relate to students today because they’re so much more aware of everything. I think they respect me as a Brother, but they also trust me because of who I am as a person.

The Brothers have given me so many opportunities to grow spiritually over the years. I am fortunate to spend this summer in France at the Holy Cross Legacy Institute, which allows us to explore the history of the congregation and visit the place where it was founded. I’ve also been enriched by the many students I’ve met through the years. I’m honored that so many have kept in touch! Hopefully, I’ve helped them to be better persons.”

Taking a break was the best thing that could have happened to me. But I missed the community, so I started a conversation with the Brothers about returning to the congregation and they welcomed me back.

Through the years, I have been fortunate to assist with programs that have helped young people to explore their own spirituality and for some, the possibility of pursuing religious life. At our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio, Texas, I helped to found the Collegiate Program to provide young men with a glimpse of what it’s like to live in community sharing meals, prayer, household duties, and day-to-day life in residence with Brothers of Holy Cross. Is religious life a good fit? I tell them it’s like a pair of shoes—you just need to go and spend time in a community and see if you feel comfortable.

I really enjoy working with students. When some have expressed a desire to become Catholic it is a booster for my own faith journey! Some of the students have powerful conversion stories that are full of God ’s grace, and those conversations are grace moments for me.