Joe Green is a Seton Teaching Fellow in the Bronx. Originally from Ponder, Texas, he attended Benedictine College, where he studied Theology. He was also a FOCUS student, leading men in discipleship and running a Bible study, and an RA for two years. Joe was also involved with the JPII Fellows and taught a human dignity curriculum at Atchison Public Schools.

What led you to study Theology?

I went into college studying education and history. The idea was to coach football and teach history on the side. At Benedictine, you have to take at least three theology classes, and I took Intro to Theology, and I loved it way more than any of my other classes. We were reading a little bit of John Henry Newman and Fulton Sheen, and they both had this emphasis on education as transforming the entire person. I really loved that. I didn’t want to just do something that was practical, and I also wanted to do something where I was excited to go to class every day. So, it just took off from there.

How did you hear about Seton Teaching Fellows?

I think it was through an email at school. It was the first semester of senior year, and that’s when it hit: “Oh shoot. I gotta figure out what I’m doing after college. This theology thing wasn’t super practical.” I hit panic mode and “spammed” a bunch of applications.

That being said, I knew I wanted to do some sort of service, whether that was FOCUS, or some other missionary group for at least a year. I’m very grateful for the formation that I got at Benedictine, and I wanted to be able to pour myself out and give back. 

What led you to choose STF?

Last summer, I was a Totus Tuus missionary in the Diocese of Tulsa, and I loved being with the kids. I’ve had so many experiences, whether it’s football camp or retreats. I really learned that I love working with kids, whether that’s seven year olds or eighteen year olds! As a Fellow, instead of one summer, I would get to spend an entire year in this work. The locations were also very attractive. It’s just exciting thinking about post-college being a missionary in a far off place. Being a Texan, there ain’t anything further off than New York. I might as well be in the North Pole right now. 

What is your placement as a Fellow?

During the day, I’m working with Kindergarteners, which was kind of surprising. I’ve never worked with kids that young. But, it’s exciting, and I think there’s a lot for the Lord to teach me, working with that young of children. For El Camino, I’ll be working with second graders, which I’m super stoked about. I had this idea that I was going to teach sixth graders. I studied theology, and thought I needed to talk a little bit more about the heady stuff.

The second week in, due to circumstances, I had to teach first and second graders, and I loved it. They’re not too cool for school yet, and they receive the joy you’re able to bring into it. Also, with younger kids, you can be a complete dork and hav fun sometimes, and they love it. So, I’m really excited for that, and I’m really excited for my classroom saint, Saint Therese of Lisieux. I’m really excited to dive into that and share her story with the kids. 

What do you think God has to teach you by serving in elementary school?

What do you think of your neighborhood?

Before this, I’d only been to New York once, and that was just to Manhattan, so it’s different. I was initially a little worried, being from Texas. It’s the polar opposite of what I’m used to. But, it’s really amazing to just experience this confidence and sense of peace that I’ve never had before. From the moment I got off the plane, I was overwhelmed with this confidence of, “this is where I’m supposed to be.” I haven’t been uncomfortable in the slightest. I’ve loved it.

‘From the moment I got off the plane, I was overwhelmed with this confidence of, “this is where I’m supposed to be.”‘

I love the North Bronx. The community here is really beautiful. At St. Nicholas of Tolentine, we’ve gone to mass a couple times now, and it’s a beautiful, amazing parish. One day, we were coming off the subway, and we just heard this music. We saw Saint Nicholas of Tolentine church, and there were these people on the steps singing and preaching, and a huge crowd just praising the Lord. I’ve gone twice now, and I don’t know Spanish, but there’s something beautiful in that and something childlike in that, that I can still unite my prayer to what they’re doing and to what they’re saying. I think there’s a shared desire to be part of this community, and to see what it has to offer. The Sunday Spanish Mass this past weekend was packed!

It’s a really great community, and at least for me, there’s not a desire to go anywhere else. This is where I’ve been placed, and I want to give everything I can to that. Most likely, the kids I’ll be serving, if they’re going to Mass, they’ll be going here at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine.

What’s your STF community like?

It’s been really good. It’s a really solid group of guys. I think that’s another thing that I wanted when I chose Seton and came into this year. I really wanted a strong community of men around me, because, going to Benedictine, that was the first time I experienced it. In high school, it was really hard trying to live out the faith amidst a typical locker room culture. So, going to Benedictine and intentionally surrounding myself with solid men that had the same goals as me and who wanted the same things was very transformative.

This past year, I got to live with five of my good friends in our last year of college. The intentionality you can have with relationships, but also just in your faith life — like saying, “I’m going to adoration”, and inviting whoever’s in the house with you— is huge, and so it’s been more of that here. The guys are great! They definitely inspire and motivate me to do the job well and to grow closer to the Lord. 

What are community commitments like?

The structure is really good. We’ve been praying morning prayer every day as a community, and we have two community dinners each week. That’s been really great. The guys have cooked some good food, and it always just means more when it’s something home cooked that somebody’s put some work into. So far we’ve gone to Mass as a community every Sunday. 

What did the first two weeks of STF look like?

We spent two weeks on the lovely campus of Mount Saint Joseph’s in Cincinnati, and it was a great time, great food. Hats off their cafeteria! I’ve never had college food like that. It was pretty amazing.

At Seton Teaching Fellows Institute, we had sessions every day. It was a mix of teaching, alongside spiritual guidance and formation. I think the highlight for me was definitely the different priests and religious that were brought in for Institute. It was just an all-star cast of people: Fr. Paul Clarke, Sr. Karolyn Nunes… We had Franciscans, Dominicans, Christian Brothers, School Sisters of Christ the King. They were awesome. I loved them! There were two priests who were former fellows and a seminarian, and it was cool to pick their brains and see how their Fellow year inspired their vocations. It was great preparation both for the spiritual side of mission and teaching.

During the second week, we taught at the Romero Academies in Cincinnati in groups, so it wasn’t as stressful. It was a great experience of four days to teach and get to know those kids. That was really helpful too, because we had teachers in our classrooms kind of giving us guidance and critiques. It was just a huge confidence boost going into New York. Because of that, I knew I can do this. 

What is your goal for this year?

My goal is to really just be able to pour myself out. I got to the point in college where, you know, it’s senior year, you get senioritis. You’re kind of tired of being in the same place for four years. Going to a Catholic university is amazing, but it can kind of turn into a Catholic bubble. I wanted to get out of the bubble and really pour myself out. College is great, but it’s kind of this self-centered endeavor. You’re focused on yourself, your academics, and your personal development for four years. So, I really wanted an opportunity to get outside of myself. I think by the end of the year, I want to know that I tried myself and I really gave this mission everything that I have.

I’m excited to see the relationships I develop along the way. More than anything, I just want to be a good example to young men. I think that’s, I’ve discovered, one of my biggest inspirations in life. I was overabundantly blessed with so many strong male role models growing up, whether that was my own dad, my grandparents, or my coaches and teachers. I’ve realized that’s not something everybody has.

I want to be able to show what it means to be a man who’s following Christ, because there are so many phonies out there when it comes to what masculinity is. It’s so focused on the exterior appearances. Even with Catholics, you’ve got the stereotypical guy with the tweed suit smoking a pipe. Not that those are bad things, but that’s not what makes you a man. It’s your heart that makes you a man. It’s your service that makes you a man. I just want to be able to provide an imperfect example of that. 

“It’s your heart that makes you a man. It’s your service that makes you a man.”

What would you say to a man considering Seton Teaching Fellows?

I would say the biggest thing is: don’t be afraid, and don’t be practical. We’re drowning in the practicality of, “I’m going to college so I can have this career and make this amount of money.” Yes, at the end of the day, if you want to have a family, you have to provide for your family. But, I would ask anybody who’s considering this, “Do you think that can hold off for a year?” and also, “Will this be a benefit to you or not?” I think most of the time it will be a benefit to them.

I love the slogan One Bold Year. Something I’ve been adding to it is: One Bold Bear to launch One Bold Life. In a very real way, after college, you’re launching out into the deep. You’re starting to become an adult, and you’ve already spent four years focusing on yourself. Is it going to hurt to have one year pouring yourself out to others? I think you have to keep that in mind and you have to not be afraid. God’s got your back. Go into it with trust. He’ll take care of you. You’re not going to spend one year being a missionary and then realize, “I don’t have money, I’m not going to be able to have a family anymore.” You’ll figure it out after one year.

“God’s got your back. Go into it with trust. He’ll take care of you.”

If you’re uncertain about vocation, I don’t think there’s a better way to spend this year deciding that. There is some practicality in doing Seton. I’m seeing if I like teaching, and seeing if this is something I want to spend my life doing. I know that I like working with young people, but is it in this specific capacity?

All I really know is that I want to live a radical Christian life, and if that means I can continue to serve in more of a missionary capacity throughout the rest of my life, that’s awesome. But if it also means that I go and get a 9 to 5 job after this year, settle down, get married, have kids, I think this experience is only going to aid my ability to be a good co-worker and to take Christ to the workplace, but also to be a better husband. I mean, I’m working with Kindergarteners! I think that’s pretty good training for dealing with my own kids.