Joshua D'Penha D'Sousa

I grew up here in Plano at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as a cradle Catholic. I can remember Msgr. Petter playing his harmonica every Christmas, all the Sunday morning classes, and the nights spent growing in fellowship at CREW. All through my last years of high school, faith had been automatic, no real effort had been put in.

When I got to college I began to understand the importance of faith as my compass rather than just something I did. I joined the Knights of Columbus as well as Prince of Peace Young Adult group. I’m the first one to say, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and by no means am I a perfect Catholic, and yet spending time with the people in these groups and learning about the other people’s faith journeys gave me confidence moving forward in life.

I came back to Seton to become an Adult Leader for CREW and quickly found myself connecting with so many young people in a matter of minutes. I realized that, I could play a role in shaping their futures as my mentors did for me. Every Sunday, I come with the goal of boosting these students so they can gain the clarity it took years for me to find. It has been a blessing working with these high school students. I feel that I’ve learned more from these students than they have from me, including who I am, who I want to become, and the gifts and talents God has granted me.

God gifted me with the talents of charisma and the ability to connect on a personal level with others and I continue to work to sharpen those skills and give back to my communitY.