December 2017

          My name is Kenny Marks, and I have been a member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish my entire life.  I attended St. Catherine as an elementary student and later Brother Martin High School.  I went on to graduate as a marketing major at Southeastern Louisiana University.  As most of us experience, God always works in mysterious ways in our lives, and shortly after college graduation, God nudged me to pursue a degree in education at UNO, which ultimately led me to meeting my wife and becoming the teacher and coach that I am today.  My hobbies include cycling, backpacking, hiking, coaching, and of course for those who know me, scouting.
          When you are asked to look back on how God has worked in your life, it makes you really reflect on where you have come from and how you got there.  For me, I was lucky because I had two parents who gave me a strong spiritual foundation.  Growing up, I had always felt an obligation to attend weekly Mass, but rarely felt any kind of spiritual awakening.  Even as a young adult, I still found my way to Church but something still seemed missing.
          When I was 20 years old, tragedy struck my family and rocked my world.  In my second semester of college, I received a phone call that my younger brother had been in a terrible car accident.  One of the toughest moments in my life was embracing my parents and attempting to console them, as we each searched for reasons of why this had happened.  I can remember going home that night and crying my eyes out, not knowing where to turn.  Why had God abandoned my family?  How could God put us through so much pain?  Why me?  My brother died ten days later and myself and my family were devastated.  The pain was horrific, and we searched for answers.  
          At that time, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was meeting weekly at St. Benilde Church, and I was invited to attend.  My first meeting was a little awkward because I had never witnessed people praying with their hands raised nor ever heard of people resting in the Spirit.  Something seemed different in that meeting; everyone was so happy, and everyone seemed so strong in their faith.  I went back several more times in search of this peace.  I decided to take a 7-week  seminar called “Life of the Spirit”.  It just so happened that my spiritual leader was ex-Saint Danny Abramowicz, who had overcome alcoholism and found a renewed purpose in his life through the Charismatic Renewal.  Danny was instrumental in helping me see the importance of discovering the love of Jesus in my life.  At the completion of the seminar, I was prayed with, and it was then that I discovered God’s unconditional love and a very real and deep relationship with Jesus.  Finally the pain of my brother’s death became more tolerable and I was able to move on with my life. The Renewal taught me to see Jesus in others, as well as to give Jesus my burdens.  I felt a strong desire to learn more about my faith and decided to read the Bible from one end to another.  I underlined any bible verse that spoke to me.  I also felt a desire to share my faith with others, and maybe help them to see Jesus through my actions.  
          As a teacher and a coach for over 30 years, I have had the unique opportunity to positively influence young people, and attempt to help them see how God can work in their lives.  Over the years God has blessed my life in so many ways and He has taught me that each time I fail, He is there to pick me up.  I have found great peace in spending time with Jesus in Adoration, as well as receiving Him in His body and blood in Mass.  I am able to recharge my batteries each year by attending a Manresa Retreat, and I greatly enjoy sharing time with Him in the great outdoors.  As I move forward in my relationship with Jesus, I continue to find peace knowing that when God is in the center of my life, it always seems to go smoother.