Octavio and Tiffany Rojas

Octavio Rojas

I was born in a small town in Guerrero, Mexico, under very humble conditions. My parents too poor to afford any medical care, birthed me with the assistance of a mid-wife and aunts, in the same house my dad grew up in. No bed, just some sheets to cover the dirt floors and plenty of well water. By the grace of God and our Lady of Guadalupe looking over my mother, I was born a healthy baby. I am the oldest of six, four boys and two girls. 
 
When I was a year old, my family moved to Mexico City. In 1976, The building of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was completed and opened. My parents were both Catholic and had a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. They ensured we were there as a family for the opening ceremony and attended Sunday masses thereafter.
 
In 1980, my family decided to move to Dallas, TX. Both my parents worked blue collar jobs but made it a point to be off on Sundays so we could attend church as a family. We attended 10:30 AM. Spanish mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Downtown Dallas. I can recall very fond memories of going to mass as a family and then family brunch afterwards. 
 
Despite growing up Catholic and attending most Sunday masses, attending adoration and confession was not a family practice. I never really knew much about my faith until I met a beautiful convert named Tiffany. A simple coffee date, turned into 11:45AM. Mass at SEAS and brunch thereafter.

I began attending Sunday masses, adoration and monthly confession with Tiffany, and a couple months later, at her invitation, I attended my first ACTS retreat. It was a moving experience that inspired me to service. Post retreat I began serving at Supper Club ministry, became a Knight of Columbus, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and I’m excited to have been called to be the director of the 2017 Fall Men’s ACTS retreat at SEAS.

I’m looking forward to discovering other ways In which the Lord will call me to serve Him and the Body of Christ.
 

Tiffany Rojas

I was born and raised in New York City, NY with my older brother and parents. I was taught from a young age to trust and love God despite never having attended church. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I had always had a longing and desire to get to know God better than I did, but I never knew how to make that happen. My heart was restless and through the years I constantly heard the message of putting God first in my life from various people very loud and clear.
 
In 2002 I relocated to Dallas, Texas, but it wasn’t until the Fall of 2010 when I would finally find what my heart was so desperately seeking and longing for. At the random invitation of a friend, I attended a Sunday mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the homily truly spoke to me. I felt such an incredible warmth from the community despite not knowing most of the prayers being recited, and felt the Lord saying, “Welcome Home”. I didn’t feel strange or out of place as I was convinced would be the case. I began to attend Sunday mass regularly from then on, and found in the bulletin information about becoming Catholic through the RCIA program. In 2012 during the Easter Vigil, I was baptized, confirmed and received first Holy communion. Alas, my restless heart was resting in my Lord and my God. I had never felt more fulfilled.
 
A few weeks later, I attended an ACTS retreat that was incredibly life changing as it was the first time in my life where I ever experienced God’s presence and love in such an intimate and powerful way. Many of the women I met on that retreat are still my mentors, best friends and people I’m very proud to call family!
 
I wanted nothing more than to give back what I received, and immediately became very involved in ministries such as Lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, RCIA Sponsor, Supper Club Ministry, Diocese of Dallas Young Adult Ministry, as well as ACTS to name a few.
  

Two Become One

On the Feast of The Assumption, August 15, 2015 we were married at SEAS, and 14 months later blessed by the birth of our beautiful daughter named Rosario. What a blessing to be able to share the memory with Rosario that she was baptized in the same font as her Mom just 3 years prior!
 
We are so grateful to God for our union, our loving Catholic Community at SEAS, and of course the gift of our faith. In closing, a quote from one of my favorite saints, Augustine of Hippo “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."