Father Quinn Mann
Founder/Spiritual Director
Age: 31
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Praise the Lord! My name is Fr. Quinn Mann. A few years back the Holy Spirit and I were conversing and we felt the need to offer young people a chance to encounter Jesus Christ in a very real and non-concrete way. Camping seemed to be a great way to accomplish this great endeavor of the "new evangelization." Now we have been established in the Green Bay Diocese as Catholic Youth Expeditions and have been taking trips for six summers including 35 different expeditions with middle school, high school, and young adults! God is truly doing amazing work! I am currently in my first priestly assignment at St. Pius X Parish in Appleton, WI. This year is offering me awesome opportunities to deepen my relationship with Christ Jesus!
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| I grew up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and did my undergraduate studies at a small liberal arts college called Hillsdale in Southern Michigan. I majored in political economy and business marketing. Before I knew it, the Lord was really working in my life and I found myself in a Catholic Seminary studying for the priesthood...wow! I have always loved the outdoors and continue to find God in the grand cathedral of nature. Our expeditions are largely inspired by JP "The Great" and we will dedicate our 2008 trips to Father Marty Carr of Oshkosh. We are currently in process of arranging our 08 expedition retreats. Prayer is always a necessary element of this preparation so please keep cyexpeditions in your prayers. Let's see what the Holy Spirit has in store for us this year! Someone just donated us a school bus so that's pretty sweet! Now and forever! |
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about an Father Quinn's Innovative Intervention
Deacon Luke Strand
Priest-in-Training
Age: 27
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21). With joy and sometimes in desperation, around the world and in our churches, in our homes and even around campfires, we cry, shout, proclaim, whisper, sing, and chant, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” We wish to be fully alive! We wish to experience the Way, Truth, and Life, like never before. Our hearts desire mission, passion, and zeal; joy, adventure, and community – a reason to hope. We wish to see Jesus!
Welcome to CYExpeditions my friends! Welcome. It is good that we are here. Praise the Lord!
My name is Luke Strand and I am a fourth year seminarian studying at St. Francis de Sales Seminary for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. God called me to see Jesus in a way that I never had experienced Him before when I was an expeditioner on the first CYExpedition back in 2002. I have been deeply involved in this great movement every year since then. This past summer I was called to encounter Jesus as the Camp Director for CYExpeditions. I had the graced opportunity to live with nine of our amazing staff members at the Helena House on Chamber’s Island, while serving nearly 300 young people who came to see Jesus through prayer, proclamation of the Gospel, and outdoor adventure, all in Catholic Christian community!
Through God’s grace I have just been ordained to the transitional deaconate May 3rd, 2008 and will be ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ in May of 2009. I am overwhelmed by the mere thought of having the opportunity to serve this summer as a deacon! I look forward to being with you – to see Jesus – and to proclaim His Good News to the ends of the earth! God love ya!
Jessica Rinehart
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 22
 Hi, my name is Jess! For the last two years I have been blessed to work at a rehabilitation clinic that specializes in treating children who have disabilities. It was a great privilege to work with these beautiful children, they have in them so much joy, love and determination. I am grateful for the experience I was given by working at the clinic but as we all know “every new beginning must come from some other beginnings end.” So as a new beginning begins and an old one ends I am reminded of the time when Jesus calls the first disciples... (Mark 1: 16-20). In this passage we hear of when Jesus is walking along the shore and he sees Simon and Andrew casting their nets, just doing their ordinary everyday work and Jesus simply says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” If it were me I would have been asking many questions. “Follow this man and leave our jobs behind?” “What does this man have to offer?” “Will it be more than what we are doing here?” The list could go on, but the beautiful thing is that they responded, they followed, and “they left their nets (all of their comforts) and followed him.
They discovered by following Him that He indeed has more to offer then they could have ever imagined--He has the Words of Eternal life. By following Him they discovered that what He had in store for them is much more fulfilling than what they planned themselves. Simon and Andrew’s new beginning was beginning and an old one was ending, they took a leap of faith and they followed Christ when He called them.
This is the best explanation I can give of why I choose to respond to spending a summer working on staff with CYE. I was doing beautifully simple things and Christ entered into that simplicity and is calling me to more. He is calling me to a summer of going to the heights. A summer of prayer, of self-giving, of community to grow more into the person He is calling me to be. I am very excited for the summer and look forward to every blessing and every trial. I pray and hope lives are touched by Christ in an intimate way so they may leave their nets and follow Him. God Bless You!
B.J. Van Dynhoven
Priest-in-Training
Age: 27
Hometown: Little Chute, Wisconsin
Year in School: Pre-Theology II (Year two of six)
Major: Seeking a Masters in Divinity from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in hopes of becoming a Diocesan Catholic Priest, under the Will and Grace of God.
Why I like being Catholic: Being a part of the Mystical Body of Christ – i.e. the church – promotes such a strong sense of unity and community amongst both our living and deceased sisters and brothers. It is by this mystery that all of us are responsible for bringing the sheep (lost and found) back to Christ: The Way, the Truth, and the Life for our salvation. This is a challenge worth accepting! To be Catholic means to grow in a deep and intimate relationship with Our Lord in this world through the gift of the Sacraments, especially in the Source and Summit of our faith, the Holy Eucharist.
Conversion Experience: When I went on my first Alternative Spring Break Trip to North Carolina through the UW-Oshkosh Newman Center and Habitat for Humanity in 2002. Before this mission trip, my faith was in an endless cycle of dullness because I never saw the beauty of the gospels in action on a personal level. This was only the beginning of what turned out to be a significant experience of growing with Christ in my own life – faith WITH works, and ultimately helped lead me to where I currently am in my love and respect for the Catholic Church and its support for the poor, sick, and lonely in our communities.
Why CYE: I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience two expeditions as a participant and I thirst for an even deeper love and understanding of my relationship with Jesus in my own life. By allowing this love and understanding to churn and penetrate deep into my heart, the faith can be moved into a greater action for the youth, so that they may see the goodness and the beauty of God. Oftentimes teenagers and young adults struggle with this the most in many of their personal battles and have nowhere or nobody to turn to (I still go through these moments too). Through CYE, I want to help our young members of society to turn to Christ’s love and mercy in order to promote faith and hope in their minds and hearts. Also, living in community with my peers and fellow CYE staffers and sharing our own experiences will only enhance these virtues.
Corrie Christiaansen
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 22
"Above all, let your love for one another be intense..." 1 Peter 4:8 I should introduce myself. My name is Corrie Christiaansen (pronounced "Chris - tea - anne - sen" and yes there are two a's!) I am 22 years old. I graduate in May '08 with a BA in Theology from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, WI. After my summer with CYE, I will be serving as full time Youth Minister at Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac, WI. Of course, I am a bit nervous but I am also reminded that the joy of the Lord will be my strength. It will be exciting to serve the Lord and our youth in new and different ways! Speaking of, I am STOKED to be with CYE! My favorite memories of my first expedition in '07 include making pancakes on a stick and playing ultimate frisbee in knee deep water with my favorite Catholics! (And yes, it was INTENSE!) I enjoy singing, writing, a nice game of Scrabble with Mom, and being a fool for the Lord. I think it is the talking, laughing, and loving that makes life worthwhile. All I want in life is to be loved and to love intensely. My biggest prayer, other than for my future husband, is to set the world ABLAZE with God's Truth and Love. This is what I live for! I especially enjoy spreading the word about Theology of the Body and Natural Family Planning. I want to reclaim Eden!
God and I love you!
Brandon Barlow
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 21
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44) The Lord spoke to me with these words at mass while I was traveling with a group of Catholics for the 2008 Pilgrimage for Life. He spoke them during a time when I was unsure about the path to choose for summer 2008. I had job lined up near home, but God called to something more. He called me to follow Him and to truly come alive; to give up the security and conveniences of the life I live daily and to encounter Him on this journey with CYE. I have traveled the past two summers with Catholic Youth Expeditions and found it to be a positive time of fellowship and growth. I am excited to be on CYE staff for the summer of 2008 in order to be part of a community which dedicates itself to discovering and fulfilling God’s will. I feel that God has called me to be part of this community and His mission for CYE. The theme for this summer is truly fitting for my spot in life: Verso L’Alto (To the Heights!) - Discovering your deep self!
I am a 2005 graduate of Xavier High School and am currently finishing up my junior year at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. I am studying Finance and Economics and plan on graduating in May 2009. I enjoy being outdoors and staying active. I have learned about rock-climbing in the past two years and have found that to be an awesome time. I also dig listening to music. Although I am not very skilled musically, I hope to learn and practice the guitar this summer. I hope you are able to come spend some time with CYE this summer and look forward to meeting and deepening my relationship with the staff, the expeditioners, and the Lord.
Kristy Mongin
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 20
Hi friends! My name is Kristy Mongin and I’m from Green Bay, WI. I am currently a senior at St. Norbert College majoring in Religious Studies with an emphasis in youth ministry. I have a great family with two sisters, loving parents and two cute dogs. When Christ touched my heart, my whole life was changed and now I try to seek Him in all I do. The journey with Christ is so fulfilling, I pray that you may always hear his voice and follow Him! This summer is going to be such a great experience for fellowship, fun and camping… what more could you need! I hope to see you this summer!
And may you always love Christ as much as He loves you!
garrett gundlach
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 20
Peace of Christ be with you!
My name is Garrett. I am 20 years old originally from Michigan, now living in Wisconsin, and I have been Catholic 20 of my 20 years. I am currently a junior studying Theology, Philosophy, and Spanish at Marquette University, on an adventure to Christ as I complete my semester abroad in El Salvador. The Catholic Church is beautiful- for me, it is more than an institution, it is a pilgrimage, it is a journey in community, deriving strength from those who have gone before us, Jesus Christ himself in the Eucharist, and from the Holy Spirit, who guides us and ignites us in ways unspeakable!
God is presence, God is in the present, God is in my friend´s smile sitting next to me in this Salvadoran computer lab...each breath I take is in union with the breath of the world, the wind of the Spirit, that brings me to awareness of God´s loving call each and every day. Each moment is a conversion experience if I see with new eyes.
The little boy who looks at me and smiles, dirt-caked and half-naked among aluminum and cardboard houses, he is present, he is in the Spirit, and he is my brother. Reality here in El Salvador hurts. Poverty hurts, but Christ lives, and Christ took on the same reality that we are in, and he died in the same reality that we are in, but he lives, and because of that, so do we- we have eternal hope from Him for liberation now and liberation at the end of time.
Marissa Mastrangeli
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 19
Ciao! I am 19-years-old and a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Spanish and Linguistics and getting a certificate in Business. I'll be studying in Spain in the fall and I'll be taking my first few baby steps towards a Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics. I am nost excited about going to Masses that are all in Spanish! I fell in love with the depth and the tradition of the Catholic Church about three and a half years ago and have been pursuing His heart every since. I love grapefruit juice, have been sailing since I was 13 years old, I have a second degree black belt in tae kwon do, am a former pole vaulter, and I love singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I am excited for CYE this summer because... what could be better than celebrating the joy of being Catholic outdoors?
Nada.
Andrew Natali
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 20
Hometown: A-Town (Appleton, WI)
My name is Andrew Natali and I am currently going to school at the University of Dallas in Irving, TX. I am planning on majoring in Philosophy and Theology, although that may easily change at some point. I work in Blakely Library as a circulation librarian, or as I like to call myself, a librariman.
I never really cared too much about my faith until around my sophomore year of high school. During that year, one of my good friends became really excited about Jesus. Everyday I had to sit and listen to her go on and on about how wonderful He is. At first, I tried to ignore her. However, I soon found that God does not like to be ignored. There was always a nagging voice in my head saying, “She’s right, listen to her.” Finally, I started to do that, paying attention in mass and asking questions about what it means to be Catholic. Over the next few years I fell in love with my faith, and now I’m even thinking about being a priest.
I’m working CYE this summer because I know how hard it can be to live as a Catholic young person in the world today. I want to share the hope and knowledge that it is not only possible, but also the greatest way to live. Not to mention if you look at the focus of the summer: Christ, Camping, Christ, Ultimate Frisbee, Christ, Water Skiing… It is pretty much the ultimate combination of things to make the greatest and most meaningful summer ever.
I am also deathly afraid of spiders, so while on camping trips if you run into a problem with them, see Father Quinn. God Bless!!!
Kurt Krauss
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 22
Hey! Praise God! Unidos En Cristo!
I’m a junior at UW-Green Bay, studying Communications-Public Relations. During the school year, I work as the Outreach Coordinator for Catholic Campus Ministry, there. I can’t wait for summer--especially this summer of CYE! It‘s going to be great. Last year, I worked on-staff for the 2007 Expeditions, and am truly blessed to be able to be a part of all of this again. God has been working in my life in so many beautiful ways.
CYE’s had a major influence on me. I went on my 1st trips in 2003, and made at least one expedition each year after. I’ve always been big on camping. Love it! I love the Lord, and this beautiful Faith he’s given us. I also enjoy swimming, boating, and fishing. So, I guess that makes me a good match for CYE. I can’t wait to see what He’s got in store for us. I also enjoy acting, and have a bit of a career started. While most of my work has been in live theater and stage shows, I’ve also done a TV commercial and some films. Recently, I worked as a stand-in for Tommy Carroll in the movie “Public Enemies”.
I’ve traveled around quite a bit. I grew up just outside of Maplewood, WI, and moved to Sturgeon Bay in high school. After graduating from Southern Door High School in 2004, the next 2 ½ years graced me with general ed. classes at UW-Manitowoc. Besides residing in Manitowoc, I’ve also in La Crosse, Allouez, and De Pere.
This has been a special year for me as I decided to step up my discernment, and joined the crew at the Xavier House. Seven of us are living in community, and supporting each other in our search for direction. I’m excited, and can’t believe I’m here. I’ve truly been blessed with this opportunity. God’s been with me every step of the way, even when I didn’t realize it at the time. I’m anxious to see what sort of adventures lie ahead.
To the Heights!
Kevin James Joseph Putzer
Disciple-in-Training
Age:21
Hello all, Praise the Lord!!!
My name is Kevin James Joseph Putzer and I’m 21 years old. I was blessed to be born and raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin by two very wonderful parents who led me ONLY in the right direction! No matter how hard I tried to stray from the path (and still do try to) my parents have always been there to keep me on the straight and narrow.
I’ve gone through several conversion experiences, some big, some small but to sum it up, God is all loving and all forgiving!!! Without His mercy and grace I would still be down in the slump I was in a year or two ago. As I’m sure you all know we go through constant struggles in our lives and find little “niches” that we think solve these struggles. Of course I fell into one of these; as a young single man starting out his college career looking for adventure in a very immoral society, I found myself in a mess of temptations. After a while of living in several of them that seem so “fun”, I found myself feeling empty inside. I couldn’t figure it out, I’ve always gone to church on Sundays, said my prayers (sometimes), and went to confession occasionally. I couldn’t figure it out. Then finally it hit me. I may have thought I was being a good Catholic but the truth of the matter is that I was just being a hypocrite. I was living a double life, my family life, and my friendly (much less) moral life. Once I finally figured out what a hole I fell in, I kept trying to get out of it, but that wasn’t so easy. I found myself getting addicted to my immoral life and couldn’t shake it. For several months I tried to get out of these nasty habits with no prevail. Finally, after a recent CYE and another mini epiphany I realized that I wasn’t praying enough! Of course I’m not going to be shaking those habits on my own! What was I thinking! Anyway, things are much better now, but of course, there are always temptations. But one thing I learned through all of this was the awesome power of prayer!
Sorry I got a little carried away there, anyway… I am attending Fox Valley Technical College studying Fire Science (fancy way of saying I’m gonna be a firefighter). I intern at Oshkosh next semester and graduate this December. And then, I guess I have to look for a job? Yeah weird… Anyway, I look forward to meeting all of you this summer! Praise the Lord! Oh yeah, and in case you were wondering… I like black licorice! Agh gross right?
Melissa Magle
Disciple-in-Training
Age: 22
Hi! My name is Melissa. For the past nine months I have been working as an administrative assistant to the Youth Minister at Holy Spirit parish in Kimberly and Darboy.
Pope Benedict XVI recently addressed the youth of America and said that we need to step up and be witnesses of our faith. This statement encompasses why I am giving myself entirely to JESUS through CYE for another summer. I’ve decided to step up and be a witness of faith. It was on an expedition a few years ago that I was able to really experience the Lord’s presence in my life. Now I am really looking forward to the opportunity to lead others into an experience Christ’s love in the same way that I was blessed with.
I hope that you will step up and go to the HEIGHTS (VERSO L'ALTO) this summer! I dare ya! It is an amazing opportunity to share in the beauty of God’s creation and to learn about our wonderful Catholic faith.
Jenny Johns
Disciple-in-Training
2008 Expedition Director
Age: 25
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a NEW BIRTH to a LIVING HOPE through the RESURRECTION of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is IMPERISHABLE, UNDEFILED, and UNFADING, kept in Heaven for YOU who by the power of God are SAFEGUARDED through faith, to a SALVATION that is ready to be revealed in the final time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Back for another year!!!! By the grace of God, I'll be on pilgrimage with Catholic Youth Expeditions for an entire year of full-time self-gift service for the salvation of souls...That's right, a full-time missionary for JESUS with CYE!! Buckle your seatbelt folks, this has never been done before and it may be a bumpy ride, but I can guarantee you one thing...it will be the greatest ride of your life!!!
I am so BLESSED to have had Christ reach to me in the recesses of darkness and pull me into the fullness of Life: His Life! You know the story, you've probably lived a similar one...I tried to fill my emptiness with the lies of the world thinking that they would satisfy my hungry heart. Guess what? They didn't. They left me empty, tired, weak, searching for more. I was a sophomore in college and I started to go to Mass a couple times a month and I remember sitting in the back of the church watching but not fully knowing what was going on. But I did know one thing: This place brought an incredible amount of peace every time I came. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like I had to pretend to be anyone. I didn't have to be the smartest, the prettiest, the funniest, the whatever. I could just sit back and be me and God would be God, a simple love exchange. This is what I had been searching for all my life: Authentic LOVE!
I realized I was starving because I was feeding on rotten fruit. Over the past 5 years, I have made some major changes in my life and decided to hand myself completely over to God, His Grace and His Will. My identity is in Him. He makes me complete. He is why my life makes sense. He brings meaning to my suffering and joy. He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE and outside of Him, I have found there is NO life at all. The world may laugh at me, mock me, spit on me, crucify me, but nothing can change the simple fact I am His Beloved, a simple Handmaid, a daughter of the King!
How's that for an identity!!!!!!!!
So, we're doing it! The 12 of us are ready for the challenge! We've got our bags packed, our hiking boots on, our rosaries in hand...We're going to the Heights, ascending to the Summit of our Lives...JESUS CHRIST!!!
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