"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -Matthew 22:37-40

Love God. Be loved by God. Love others.

It's all about love! What more can I say?

Dan began to help out at the local Elburn food pantry with his mother when he was eight years old. He continued with food pantry until he went away to college. Dan has been playing guitar since he was thirteen, and started playing guitar and singing with his father in the St. Gall's guitar choir when he was in high school.

He was active on the St. Gall's peer ministry team in high school, helping to put on retreats, and often leading praise and worship music. In the summer of 2000, he started participating in Camp Wow at the Dixon Valley Camp as a counselor. He has, and continues to, lead the praise and worship music at each camp.

Dan went on to college at Benedictine University to earn his Bachelor's in Sociology. During this time, Dan participated in prison ministry retreats for juveniles called TREC (Teen Residents Encounter Christ). He was also heavily involved in University Ministry for all four years. He helped to lead University Ministry programs, led praise and worship music, played guitar and sang in the chapel choir at Mass, and was a Peer Minister during his senior year.

Leading praise and worship music is one of the most significant ways that he has been involved in ministry opportunities. While he often leads music on his own, he is especially excited about the band he is in: Days Forward. He and the four other awesome Catholic friends in Days Forward do their best to point others towards God through rock-and-roll Christian music.

Currently Dan is attending UIC to earn his Master's in Social Work. More importantly, he is engaged to the beautiful and wonderful Katie Graham. The wedding is set for the summer of 2006! Dan seriously considers his relationship with Katie to be a ministry and his vocation. Their relationship is where Dan and Katie have seen God most clearly in their lives, and they love to share that with others.