Body of Christ

Nicholas Sun’s spiritual life has been shaped by encounters — with people, with saints, and with books and movies — that have drawn him deeper into relationship with God.

  • Sun is married to Claire Sun.
  • He earned a master’s degree in Catholic studies from the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
  • Sun, originally from Fairfax Station, Virginia, moved to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to serve as a Brew City Missionary. He served for three years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UW-Whitewater.
  • He is a video editor with Spirit Juice Studios.

Could you describe one or more moments that changed your relationship with God?
I had a moment when I was in high school when my dad showed forgiveness toward me. That moment helped me to see a glimpse of the Father’s love for me. A couple of months after that moment, I was at World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011. I went to confession and experienced the Father’s presence where his love and mercy felt like a wave rushing over me. Those moments helped me to see that God wants a relationship with me.

How does your Catholic faith inform your daily life?
Living out the sacramental life and knowing what the Church teaches helps me to be aware of everything I do and say, whether it be in my marriage or in my workplace. It shapes me and inspires me to do my best to pray. It may not be perfect, but I’m trying!

What is a skill you would like to get better at?
I would like to get better at writing. I used to write a lot of poems when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. It was my creative outlet. Now being a video editor, I do a lot of creative work. However, writing and poetry have always been the creative media that I am drawn back to.

Favorite movie?
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” I watched it on a plane to Rome in 2017. I was so ecstatic for the pilgrimage with Brew City Catholic and I was planning to take all the pictures and record all the moments in Rome and Assisi. The movie helped me to see how important the present moment is and to take things in. I was really intentional during the pilgrimage about doing my best to capture the moments and take in the present.

Favorite book?
I have to name a couple. My favorite non-fiction is “The Power of Silence.” I remember when I first read that book, I was so impacted by it because it emphasized the importance of being still and quiet so that we are disposed to listen to the voice of God.

My favorite fiction that I have read recently is “The Father’s Tale” by Michael O’Brien. It is over a thousand pages long, and I read that over the span of three years. I would read a good chunk and then put it down for six months (maybe more, if I’m being honest). Every time I would come back to it, it would be during moments in my life, good and bad, where it felt impactful to me. I followed the journey of Alex, the main character in the book, and felt connected to this character in many ways. He was unsure about himself and his own capacity to continue pressing forward in the encounters he was facing. For me, I would read this and would feel sympathetic toward him. I finally finished the book earlier this fall, and at the end Alex began to feel content and optimistic. I shared those feelings since I had begun my marriage with my wife, Claire.

Who are your favorite saints?
One of my favorite saints is St. Thérèse of Lisieux. I heard of this saint when I was in college, but I did not really encounter her until my first year as a missionary during our silent retreat. I read her autobiography, and I was moved by her spiritual life. My family and I also asked for her intercession and she answered. I like to think I have a big sister in heaven watching and praying for me, even though I may not realize it.

St. Joseph is another favorite. I did not think of him seriously until SEEK 2019 when I was a missionary. Sarah Swafford was going to give a men’s talk at the conference. I was asked to go to this talk with a student and, reluctantly, I went. In my mind, I was thinking this was a dating talk or a “Be A Man” talk, which I thought I already understood. Little did I know, it was not that kind of talk. Sarah Swafford pointed to St. Joseph as the model of masculinity and something about that almost made me tear up. It hit me that this saint is someone I should look up to as a model of what it means to be a man, a husband and a father. Providentially the following year, Pope Francis declared 2020 to be the year of St. Joseph, and I made a consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph.