A young men’s house in St. Paul has dedicated itself to St. Don Bosco, a saint known for his service to young men in his time. The house originated from an idea by Derrick Diedrich, a University of St. Thomas graduate who wanted an intentional living situation with other young men. Now after the house has blossomed, Diedrich has gone to study at the University of Notre Dame and handed the reins of leadership to Michael Ennis.
As the new leader, Ennis said the transition has had its share of challenges. Diedrich had a vision for what the house should be, Ennis said, and he has a different way of leading the young men. But he has been learning how to make the transition from resident to house leader. Ennis brings with him leadership experience from his time in St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO) households. He is open to input from his fellow young adults, Ennis said, and despite the challenges, he continues to lead with Diedrich’s idea of a high standard of living in the Don Bosco House.
“Our spaces are clean,” Ennis said. “Our house is prepped and ready to host.”
Ennis told “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley during an interview airing at 9 p.m. Sept. 6 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “I’ve come to really appreciate the way that Don Bosco led the young boys. He had a very gentle approach, but he worked extremely hard.”
Because the Don Bosco house is made up of young professionals, Ennis said, it’s difficult for a daily routine to be established. Its residents carve out time to share together, such as dinner once a month as an entire house and occasional morning prayers.
“One of the cool things about our house is all the guys go to different parishes,” Ennis said. “We’re not affiliated with one specific parish and that allows us to invite each other into those communities, into those events. Then we have our own events. We have one event coming up in October called Bosco Fest and that’s where we just have a big block party. We have food trucks, we invite all our friends, we have them invite their friends. … Those events also allow for community time.”
To hear more from Ennis about leading the Don Bosco House, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 7 and 2 p.m. Sept. 8.
The program also includes an interview with Aidan Nicholas and Patrick Storms, two seminarians who attempted a pilgrimage on foot from Minneapolis to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Also, Deacon Jim Meyer dives deep into his healing from Parkinson’s disease.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
