September 2024 

     My name is Chance Miller, and I am honored to share my journey in my Catholic faith with the parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena. A lifelong resident of New Orleans, I graduated from Brother Martin High School and Tulane University where I had a successful football career.  I love my profession as a residential contractor within my family business, Miller Building Company.  I am blessed to be married to my beautiful wife of 25 years, Cheri, who is a Registered Nurse and the Director of Care Management for LCMC Health. We are the proud parents of two amazing, beautiful daughters, Peyton and Paige.  Peyton is our oldest daughter who graduated from LSU nursing school last year and has been working as a Registered Nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital. Paige is currently a Junior at LSU studying nutrition and dietetics.     

     As a child, I made all my Catholic sacraments; Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation, but honestly practicing my faith was never a priority in my life.  As a teenager and young adult, I found myself making every excuse I could to skip mass. Although I grew up in the Catholic school system, I always had tremendous angst going to mass even though I was taught the importance of it. Selfishly, I found myself always questioning what attending mass would do for me.  When I did attend mass for special occasions and holidays, I was always searching for the understanding of what the homily meant to me. I would leave church confused about what I was supposed to receive from the mass.  Personally, I felt as if SOMETHING, a message, or a sign, was supposed to hit me over the head like a 2x4.  I was hoping that my attendance at mass would increase my Catholic faith and force me to want to follow God’s word.  I convinced myself that if I could make the effort to attend mass and live by the golden rule, many blessings would automatically come my way.  Boy, was I wrong.

     Two years ago a very good friend of mine, Lance Ranlett, asked me to join a program new to St. Catherine called That Man Is You that he was going to lead every Friday morning.  Little did I know that my decision to attend the program would be the catalyst that would kick off my religious journey and improve my faith and relationship with God. Simply put, That Man Is You is a Catholic-based program for men that is designed to help facilitate an improved personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That Man is You addresses the pressures and temptations that men face today, especially those relating to our roles as husbands and fathers. The program marries current social and medical science with the teachings of the Church to fully develop the vision of man. A man’s role as a father, brother, son, and son-in-law, are such vital components to every family and community. The program focuses on the many ways men can do a better job within our households and communities by following the wisdom of the saints. That Man Is You strengthens the role of what our responsibilities are to our families, our community, and our church. I appreciate how the program met me where I was in my spiritual journey and encouraged me to take the next steps needed to improve my Catholic faith. Before I knew it, I became a group leader in the program, and I take great pride in that role and cherish all the friendship bonds I’ve nourished through fellowship in our church community.       

     After two years of religiously attending and leading That Man Is You meetings, Lance encouraged me to expand my journey in faith by committing to going on an adoration, community, theology, and service retreat called ACTS.  I was hesitant to attend a retreat of any kind since I had not been on one since I was a Senior in high school.  Although I reluctantly agreed to go, I found myself thinking of excuses of why I couldn’t go.  Once again, I was pulling back from my faith out of the fear of the unknown. However, I used the lessons I had learned from That Man Is You, and through prayer and faith I decided to attend the ACTS retreat this past Summer. When I requested information on what I should expect on the two-and-a-half-day retreat, Lance’s answer was simply to come with an open heart and mind. After attending the ACTS retreat in July, I now understand why that was the advice given.      
 
     The ACTS retreat is designed for retreatants to not worry about your usual daily schedule or planning for what is to come, or the demands of your everyday life.  Once you have the freedom of being detached from your everyday life, it allows you to focus on the reason you agreed to attend the retreat and that in itself becomes very freeing.The ACTS retreat allowed me to recharge my faith in God while expanding my relationship with him.  This retreat also opened my eyes to not just focus on my own daily struggles but to also be a support for others who have similar, and oftentimes, worse challenges. I came to realize that the crosses we all carry in the world today are often not fair, can be cruel, and typically arrive with no advance warning.  Although the crosses we carry might never get lighter, our faith in God makes us stronger so we can handle the burden and even help others with their crosses.  The ACTS retreat has forever changed my perspective of what my daily focus should be.  I’ve learned that mercy and forgiveness are always readily available when you keep God with you.  The ACTS retreat has truly made me a better version of myself.  I highly recommend attending an upcoming ACTS retreat to anyone who is interested in enhancing your relationship with God. 
     
     Through my religious journey, I have found myself trying to show others God’s grace and love with simple gestures on a daily basis.  A simple wave, a compliment, or a smile can make such a positive impact on another.  Introduce yourself to a neighbor that you have been living next door to for years but maybe never tried to get to know before. It is important that people in our community know that there are thoughtful and generous people of faith in the world.  Remember, you never know the size of the cross that others carry on a daily basis.  

     One’s catholic faith is a continuous journey.  Never give up and always strive to be the best version of yourself! No one is perfect, but I have gained so much confidence in my personal relationship with God through my religious journey. God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness allows each of us to find our way to everlasting hope and happiness with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God bless you all,
Chance Miller