Happiness and
How to Find It
Mary Giroux graduated from Sacred Heart in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts
in Pastoral Theology. She is director of campus ministry and teaches theology at
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Marine City, Michigan.
She also is the young adult minister at Ss. Cyril & Methodius
Slovak Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Alumni Advancing the New Evangelization
S
t. John Paul II says, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.” In my post-studies experience, that would be
an understatement.
I am the fourth oldest of fourteen children. I was born and
raised in a Catholic home, but it was not till my adult life
that I claimed the Faith to be my own.
Ministry has always been a part of
my life. My parents, Larry and Cassie
Giroux, have always been involved in
serving the needs of the poor, the marginalized, the lonely, and the needy of
all sorts. My parents never hesitated to
feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or
visit the imprisoned. I wanted, and still
want, to be just like them. It took me
a while to discover exactly what a life
in ministry would look like, but at the
seminary I learned a lot about myself
and where God was calling me.
There have been many times in my
life when God made himself known and
gave me a nudge in one direction over
another. Looking back ten years ago, I
never could have imagined living the life
I am living today. As director of campus ministry at Cardinal Mooney High
School, I have an opportunity to get to
know the youth of today. It is my job
to challenge them to serve, encourage
them to be open to Christ’s love, and
inspire them to pursue truth. As a theology teacher, I get to encourage minds
to think about the truths Christ has revealed and to apply the Catholic Faith
to every aspect of life. As young adult
minister, I get to invite young men and
women to know Christ’s love through
the Sacraments, prayer, the community,
and service.
Each job title I hold has different responsibilities, but they all have one thing
in common: the goal. All Christians are
INTO THE VINEYARD
called, in some capacity, to advance the
New Evangelization. I always thought
that “advancing the New Evangelization” was giving talks to hundreds of
listeners, starting a new organization to
serve the world’s hungry, working to end
abortion, and reaching other seemingly
unreachable goals. These are forms of a
“new” kind of evangelization, but that is
not where God wants me right now.
God wants me to be his face, voice,
arms, and legs—and there is nothing I
would rather