PAUL FREDERICK, JR. - 33 years old, born in Baton Rouge, LA, attended St. Paul High School in Covington, LA; graduated from Louisiana Tech with a BS in Forestry Business; active in the Forestry Club; working in the forestry industry for Weyerhaeuser the past ten years; worked in raw materials procurement as a timber buyer; greatest enjoyment came from interacting with suppliers and helping them to be successful in their business; enjoys hunting, fishing, lifting weights, reading and, most of all, just spending time with friends and family; spent two summers as a volunteer for Boys Hope teaching riflery and archery at their summer camp in Ontario, Canada; pre-entrance trip with his father and three brothers on a fishing trip to Ely, MN; attended retreats at Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, LA and the Thanksgiving Discernment Retreat in Grand Coteau.

MARCUS (MARC) FRYER - 24 years old, born in Minot, ND; attended Strake Jesuit in Houston; graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Management; taught CCE at St. Lawrence in Sugar Land, TX while in High School and again taught CCE at St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station, TX; while at Texas A&M was the Shift Supervisor for the University Emergency Medical Services and also served as a Medical Clinic Technician in the Beutel Health Center; since 2002 has been with the EMS Division in the Cy-Fair Fire Department in Harris County; in free time likes to work on the ambulance, swim and go to movies; spent a year in Strake Jesuit’s Alumni Service Corp while living in one of the Jesuit residences; took part in discernment retreats at St Charles College, Grand Coteau.

JOHN HOUGH - 22 years old, born in Oklahoma City, OK; graduated from Clinton High School, Clinton, OK; received a BA in Letters from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; was a Drum Major in High School and a member of the University of Oklahoma Percussion Ensemble; a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, served as Treasurer and Chaplain; involved with fraternity community service projects; helped organize Burgers at the Beach, an event to raise money for the Red Cross; a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Center; took part in the Wednesday College night Liturgy and program; Eagle Scout; Member of Knights of Columbus; enjoys reading, playing percussion instruments, playing tennis and hanging out with close friends; works for a Food and Fuel convenience store; one friend has observed that John is the only person who reads Robert Frost just for fun while at work at a gas station; attended discernment retreats in Grand Coteau as a sophomore and a senior.

STEPHEN PITTS - 22 years old, born in Marrero, LA, graduated from White Station High School, Memphis, TN; graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Mathematics (Japanese Minor); spent junior year at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, focusing on Japanese language and culture; took part in a three-week course on the Greek and Roman origins of British Art at Brasenose College, Oxford, England; research programmer in the Department of Arthritis and Immunology at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City and in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Univ. of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; translated the autobiography of a Zen Buddhist monk, Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto; peer minister at St. Thomas More University parish and President of the University of Oklahoma Catholic Student Association; mentored exchange students through OU Cousins; has helped lead weekly liturgies, retreats (SEARCH retreat), Bible studies and service projects, including a spring break mission trip to Mexico; enjoys reading, especially Graham Greene, Herman Hesse and Endo Shusaku; also likes hiking, swimming, badminton, languages (fluent in Japanese, has studied Chinese and Spanish) plus photography, cooking, adventures and living peacefully.

SYLVESTER TAN - 27 years old; born in Douglasville, GA; graduated from Chamblee High School, Chamblee, GA; received a BA in English (Environmental Studies Concentration) from The University of the South, Sewanee, TN; was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to study “The Changing Face of Catholicism” in Kenya, Tanzania, India, Madagascar, Vietnam, Nepal, Egypt and Turkey; moved to the Casa Balthasar in Rome to undertake the two-year Discernment Program; then enrolled in the Gregorian University in Rome, receiving a Bachelors in Philosophy; while at the Casa has worked with the Missionaries of Charity’s shelter; taught catechism and played games with around 30 gypsy children in Rome; fluent in French, Italian and English (his father is Vietnamese and his mother is French); has dual citizenship in USA and in France; special interest in ironwork, classical music (especially Mozart), fixing old clocks, hiking, ecology, literature and theater.