For those of you who don't know me (District Justice Sarah Soucie Eyberg) very well, I attended undergrad at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Why is that relevant or interesting, you may ask? Good question.I went to St. Thomas because that's where my dad, Fred Soucie--attorney and member of the Twin Cities Alumni chapter, attended and played football.
I visited campus a lot when I was growing up. I fell in love with the stories my father would tell about Tommie football, living in the dorms and his many, many shenanigans. One person featured in a lot of my father's stories was Father James Lavin, known among friends since his time at St. Thomas as "Scooter." Fr. Lavin had a huge impact on my father. Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this week.
Fr. Lavin was a beloved member of the St. Thomas community, and his passing prompted an outpouring of love and memories from all the lives he touched. As I mentioned, my father is one of those lives. Fox 9 news in Minneapolis did a piece in Fr. Lavin's honor. My father was interviewed for that piece which you can view here.
I wanted to share this with my brothers and sisters for a specific reason. Fr. Lavin, while not a P.A.D. per se, was certainly a P.A.D. in heart and spirit. The stories of what he did for his students reminded me greatly of how our more experience brethren reaches back to the next class, again and again. Fr. Lavin exemplifies the idea of fraternity and brotherhood. He did these things not for his own gain, but because of his love for those who have come after him, just as our brothers do.
I hope some day to have the opportunity to do for the next class what my brothers and sisters have done for me. I feel fortunate to be a part of an organization actively encouraging these acts of giving back. Especially in light of the digital age and the "me" generation.
I thought my P.A.D. brothers and sisters might appreciate the reminder of what kind of impact our actions can have, for generations beyond out own lives.
***DISCLAIMER***
This message is not intended as an endorsement of the Catholic religion or it's clergy in any shape or form. It simply recognizes the impact of one man on the lives of many. One man who embodied many of the qualities P.A.D. honors in its own members. No animals were harmed in the creation of this blog post.
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