Wade And Kelli Lovell
My name is Wade Lovell. My wife, Kelli, and I are the youth ministers at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Daylight.
How was your faith formed?
I grew up Catholic but by the time I was in college, some people had questioned the ‘whys’ of my faith and I didn’t have answers to those questions. When I searched for the answers, I wasn’t satisfied with what I found and it led me to even more questions. Eventually the Holy Spirit led me to a group of people who were living their faith and knew why. Their witness helped open me up to a deeper relationship with Jesus and a love of His Church. The more I found out about God’s love and His design for my life, the more I wanted to know.
Who or what has been a big influence in your life?
St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body has been a big influence for me. It was the first truth that I discovered that resonated with my life and profoundly answered questions about life that society could not. Other influences include my parents and the witness I see from the parents of our youth-group kids. They show me how to live my faith through my marriage and family, how to raise faithful children, and how to love and serve others. But no one has been a bigger influence in my life than my wife and our three children. They have taught me a lot about forgiveness and unconditional love. The way I love my children has opened up my eyes to how God the Father loves me.
What do you do in your role as a parish catechetical leader?
There are three things I try to accomplish as a youth minister. The first is to teach the young people the ‘whys’ of our faith and how it relates to their lives. The second is, along with the other adult volunteers, to be a witness of our faith to the youth. My wife and I do youth ministry together, and we usually bring along our three young children. I feel the witness of our marriage and family, and the importance of service, is beneficial to the youth. And we provide an opportunity for youth to get together and talk about their faith and live it out in community. I feel this is the most important aspect of our ministry because we are made for relationships, and youth learn and are influenced greatly by their peers.
Who do you consider to be positive role models today?
Everyone who loves Jesus and is trying to live out their faith. My pastor is the greatest example for me of someone truly living their vocation. His witness helps me better live my vocation. All the saints are great role models. There are so many to look up to – and see how they lived with heroic virtue through the same circumstances in life that we are living through.
Describe a time when you have experienced God’s presence in your life?
The other day my three-year-old came up to me randomly and said “I love you, daddy.” I experience God’s presence in moments like those and in my relationships with those around me.
What are your dreams for parish faith formation today?
My dream is for everyone to have a relationship with Christ, grow in holiness, and have continual conversion. How to achieve that is something that probably only the Holy Spirit knows. The beauty of our faith is that there are so many facets and ways to grow closer to God—almost as many as there are people. But that also means what will benefit some might not be the same thing to benefit others. My dream would be something that integrates prayer, community, service, sacrifice, and study of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and what it looks like in each individual’s life.
How do you nurture your faith life?
Prayer, study, the Sacraments, community, and action. I’m a big fan of Ignatian spirituality and prayer. I read and pray the scriptures. I read spiritual books and learn about saints. I participate in the Sacraments. I try to live out what I discovered in my prayer and study, especially the works of mercy. A great way for me to learn about my faith and nurture it is when I plan youth group events. I do a lot of research and prayer to make sure I’ll be able to answer most of the teenagers’ questions. I also watch a lot of EWTN.
What makes being a Catholic so important to you?
Being Catholic is important because of my relationship with Jesus. I love that God gave us the Deposit of Faith and entrusted it to the Catholic Church. Being Catholic takes into account how I was made and what I was made for. It helps to satisfy my desire for God spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
What is your best wisdom on life?
Prayerfully read the Bible every day. The Bible used to be confusing and hard for me to read. Then I took some classes, read some books, and talked to a local scripture scholar about how to read and understand the Bible. That helped me discover some great truths about how I was made and what I was made for. Those realizations blew my mind about how awesome God is.
What is a scripture quote that you would like to share?
The Bible is full of wisdom and some great humor, but there are three passages that I try to think about every day. “He must increase; I must decrease.” John 3:30. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” MT 9:13. And the final judgment and works of mercy in MT 25:31-46. I also love Psalm 103.
The Diocesan Office of Catechesis compiles “People of Faith.”
