By Zoebelle Bean, Catholic Editor
(from left to right) Fr. Jordan, Br. Andres and Fr. Bob competing in ‘Jeopardy’ – Photo by Zoebelle Bean
The Friar Show was back and better than ever for a Spring Edition in the Moose during an after-Mass social on Sunday, Mar. 2, hosted by Campus Ministry Social Media and Outreach Coordinator Emily Klein. Three Aquinas friars, Father Jordan Deguire, O.P., Father Bob Keller, O.P. and Brother Andres Maria Trujillo, took to the stage to compete in a Jeopardy-style game show and answer questions from the audience.
Flyer for the Friar Show Spring Edition – Photo by Emily Klein
This social was a crowd favorite in the fall and returned in the spring to cater to more students. After competing in a game show based around general pop culture knowledge, the friars set up a panel onstage for a Q and A from the audience.
“I love when we get the chance to ask our friars questions in this format,” junior Anna-Marie Comden said. “It really gives us a chance to get to know them better.” The questions were given from the audience and responded to in real time. On this evening, former Aquinas friar, Brother Joseph, more commonly known as “Bro Joe,” was visiting Grand Rapids and also had the privilege of joining the other friars onstage for the Q and A panel.
The questions were written by students on pieces of paper anonymously and brought to the front of the room to be answered. One of the first questions was, “What is your favorite heresy?” This received a good laugh from the audience. “I have two answers to this,” Fr. Jordan said. “The long answer is in my high school, I took a church history class. We spent a month on the early church…which is where the creed comes in…so we learned what wasn’t true. In there, my favorite heresy is one that comes near the end: monothelitism. It’s the heresy that Christ only had one will…which would mean that his human nature would be a puppet to his divine will…to which the Church said no. Christ has a human will as well, he’s a fully-enacted human being. The short answer is John Calvin.”
Students appreciated having their questions answered. “I thought it was really funny when Father Jordan said Calvinism was his favorite heresy,” freshman Trista Cridler said. “Because I, too, think Calvinism is stupid.”
One of the other, more serious questions, included, “Are you ever shocked hearing people’s sins in confession?” Br. Andres was unable to answer this since he is unable to offer absolution yet, but the other friars had some answers. “Not really,” Fr. Jordan said. “I think maybe we like to think we’re better at sinning than we are. Most of us aren’t that original.” Fr. Bob responded by sharing a funny story about one of his first confessions being someone mistakenly thinking they’d committed adultery by putting on their mom’s shoes and pretending to be an adult.
Sometimes, however, the Q and A was more humorous. “[I’m glad] Fr. Jordan answered the question ‘What days do we wear pink?’ correctly,” senior Gina Mondro said. “This continues his streak at the Friar Show because, last time, he said ‘He doesn’t even go here’ to Kyle [Cameon].”
Some of the less serious questions included, “What would your rapper name be?”, to which Fr. Jordan expressed that his rapper name would be “D.J. J.D.” Another paper had the question, “Do friars enjoy a ‘cold one’ and what is your favorite drink?” Br. Andres said his favorite drink was boba tea, and Fr. Jordan said he had written his undergraduate thesis on beer. Another more silly question included, “What is your favorite Dorito flavor?” Bro Joe said he judged Doritos based on bag color alone, not the actual flavor title, and said the purple one was his favorite.
Other students received good tips from what the friars had to say. “I found it really helpful,” sophomore Bonfils Matenga said. “Especially when Fr. Jordan shared advice on building a prayer life. He encouraged everyone to start small when beginning to build a prayer life and reminded us that growth takes time. The most important thing, he said, was to be consistent in prayer, and over time, it will become a stronger part of our daily lives.”
The Friar Show plans to be back next semester, during the fall of 2025.
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