St. Pete Catholic’s Daniel Zepp talks identity, discernment and faith [Audio]

Click the arrow above to listen to St. Pete Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton’s conversation with Daniel Zepp, president of St. Pete Catholic.

At 13 years old, Daniel Zepp was already a towering 6 feet 3 inches tall. As the now-president of St. Pete Catholic High School recalls, for as long as he could remember, his identity was tied not to who he was as a person, but to his athletic performance on the field. His athletic success in high school led to earning a football scholarship to Boston College and a deep immersion into the everything that came along with playing football – the culture, the prestige, and the community. That is, until it all came to an abrupt halt during Zepp’s sophomore year with a career-ending back injury.

In this long-form conversation, Zepp tells the story of coming to terms with his own identity and the multiple fractured worlds and social circles that young men navigate every day. He talks about reclaiming his faith at Boston College, and finding his purpose in helping other young men square their purpose and their faith.

Zepp shares the basis of his dissertation, Intersection of Masculinity and Faith in College Men’s Identity, and explains how it tackles questions of hyper-masculinity, and how St. Pete Catholic High School is encouraging young men to develop values that run against the cultural grain: humility, compassion, fortitude, authenticity and wisdom.