WINSLOW
Although just turning the page on his 18th birthday, Oscar Burney is already discerning the next step in his life journey.
Currently a senior at Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown, Burney is looking to enter the House of Formation in Little Rock next fall as a seminarian, a decision he has been considering since before high school.
He has served as an altar server for almost seven years at his parish, Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine in Winslow, and currently helps the parish train new servers.
“In hopes that they will learn to serve reverently,” Burney said, “and likewise bring up new altar servers in the future.”
If students were asked at Ozark Catholic Academy, Burney would stand out as a person who lives out his faith every day. That is why he serves in the position of spiritual director for men at the school and has been the cross country and track teams chaplain for three years.
Burney said he feels humbled to serve in these positions but also says he thinks the most misunderstood role of everyone’s life is to be the light of Christ by serving and loving our neighbor.
“Most people, including myself, seem to think that they have to do something big like the saints to be considered great, but there are so many more small things that are left undone that together make up the biggest thing,” he said. “It is my hope that I will be able to help people understand this truth this year before I leave high school and head off to the world.”
Coffee, tea or soda?
“Soda, but chocolate milk is the absolute best.”
More stories will appear in our 15 Young Adults Who Inspire Us 2024 Section as they are posted online.
