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May 7, 2019By Logan Puissegur, Guest Column, Holy Cross
After spending eight years breathing and bleeding blue and gold, my time at Holy Cross is coming to an end. When I first became a Tiger in fifth grade in 2011, I was not even thinking about the next day, let alone the next eight years of my life or graduation.
As each year flew by, I always had another year to look forward. Once I walk across the stage and receive my diploma, my career at Holy Cross will be over.
While everything is coming to the end, I couldn’t be more thankful for everything that Holy Cross has given me. Being molded into a Holy Cross Man was a starting point in my life because it made me a well-rounded man who lives by faith.
Prior to Holy Cross, I did not have a faith life. I didn’t regularly attend Mass and did not understand why being a Catholic was important.
After classes, Masses, prayer and a life-changing senior retreat, I understand the history and importance of my religion. I live this out through hearing God’s call and giving back in any way possible. I am a campus minister, eucharistic minister, usher, Teen Cross member and an E-Board member of St. Catherine of Siena’s CYO.
Giving back to my community has been a defining factor of who I am and the Holy Cross Man I strive to be.
Many other Holy Cross students have also lived out their faith. Senior Trey Nickens, a three-time all-state singer and two-time all-national singer, has answered the Lord’s calling to lead through his music.
“Holy Cross has given me the gift of music,”” Nickens said. “It has helped me strengthen my faith as I now sing in a church choir on Sundays and have St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, as my confirmation saint.”
Another Holy Cross senior, Andre Farnet, is an exceptional leader of the faith that I have gotten to know well through leadership activities. Farnet is a campus minister, eucharistic minister, Teen Cross member and member of St. Dominic’s CYO. Ever since becoming a Tiger in ninth grade, Andre has put God first in every situation. I attended the March for Life with the Archdiocese of New Orleans with him.
“I’ve never experienced such love before in my life,” Andre said about the March for Life. “The entire week I was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of selfless people who cared about something. It was inspiring to see thousands of people come from all across the nation to speak for those unspoken.”
Watching Andre grow in faith from his freshman to senior year has truly been a pleasure. While he has always been a man of faith, Holy Cross taught him how to be a faith leader, something impactful and inspiring.
While change awaits us in college, we know the importance of continuing to fulfill God’s calling and live out our lives leading in faith.
Holy Cross has been my second home, and leaving it behind will be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will certainly miss having hundreds of little brothers in the middle school, captaining the Tiger bowling team and being a member of the nationally ranked choir.
Through all of this, I am primarily focused on one thing, which is to keep Christ in everything that I do. He has given his life away for us to spend eternal life with him. Holy Cross has put me on the right track, and it will be on me to continue with Christ at the center.
Logan Puissegur will be studying mass communications at Louisiana State University and be a member of a different Tiger bowling team in the fall.
