Bellarmine Preparatory School

Prospective Families / Bellarmine Memories: Essay Winners / Bryan Strub

Bryan Strub

A Small Part of the Puzzle

In Father Dan Weber's Grateful Memories, he picks memories to share that have shaped him and his faith. So when I picked my memory of Bellarmine to share, I kept the Bellarmine Mission statement in mind and chose a memory that has and will continue to shape me to be a leader in action, modeled on Christ, and committed to the transformation He envisions for the world.

The piece of the jigsaw puzzle that I have pulled out of the grand picture of Bellarmine that I would like to share is the joy that I receive by having the great honor of serving my teachers and fellow students at mass every week as a Eucharistic Minister. It is really something special. I have to admit it is also odd though, it is such a unique experience because never before have I been looked up to as a leader in this way.

I have been granted the amazing gift of literally acting as God's hands, personally delivering Jesus Christ to my own faith community. I realized that when I served wine at the first all school mass of the year in the Booster Gym. It was also the first time that I had served as a Eucharistic Minister, and it simply showed me that if I can fulfill that part of the Bellarmine Mission Statement, if I can be a model of Christ for my small community at Bellarmine, then I can go and be a model of Christ for other communities and ultimately for the rest of the world.

I give credit for my faith life today to my decision to become a Eucharistic Minister. The result of that decision has led to some of the best times of my life, such as being a crew member on Magis retreat, leading the Xavier Urban Plunge retreat and going to mass every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:45 A.M. I didn't realize it at the time, but the decision to become a Eucharistic Minister was so critical to my time at Bellarmine that it completely altered the jigsaw puzzle and the rest of my time at Bellarmine.

I am still a year off of becoming what God and Bellarmine want me to be, however I have already taken a large step towards completing the mission statement, which calls for students to be “leaders in action.” Being a leader means someone who sets an example through their actions of service to those around them. So, in accordance with being a “leader in action,” whenever anyone asks me “What is the greatest thing that Bellarmine has ever done for you?” I will change the question a little bit and respond with: “The greatest thing that I have ever done for Bellarmine was making the decision to become a Eucharistic Minister.”