Robbie Mouton
Episode 282
24 JUNE 2024
He was a pitcher on his high school baseball team, including being All-State AND having thrown a no-hitter at a tournament where he made the All-Tournament squad. He went on to college baseball at both Bradley University and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He also played in the Northwoods League for the Alexandria Blue Anchors. Almost immediately after his baseball career he delved into the world of skiing, with notable runs such as Jackson Hole and Big Sky, among others. He even combined skiing with faith, as he talks about here, plus he also served as an adaptive ski instructor.
Notable guest quotes:
“I was born and raised Catholic, grew up going to Saint Ambrose … in Woodbury, Minnesota… went to Mass there pretty regularly with my family … received all the sacraments through school. Obviously being a Catholic school, we had religion class and learned about our faith in that way.”
“My big faith influence, or, model of faith, was my grandma… just a woman of very, very deep, beautiful faith, who has inspired me to pursue that same faith and find the joy that she finds through her faith and her relationship with Christ.”
“Pitching, just being on the mound felt like a sacred place to me and had that confidence when I took the mound that I would be able to do what I needed to do to help the team at the end of the day.”
“I fell back on my faith, and I remember something my dad always said growing up is, ‘An hour spent with God is never an hour wasted.’ And so, I found a lot of solace and comfort in going to Mass. Bradley (University) had an 8 p.m. student Mass on Sunday night so I was able to go after Sunday evening lifts and just started to get, I guess, more plugged in with the Catholic community there.”
“We, at the time, had FOCUS missionaries and a Newman Center there as well and, yeah, there were several people that took me under their wing, and, I would say, viewed me as a child of God and not just the baseball player and I found comfort in that as well.”
“(I) remember Adoration at that retreat and just how beautiful that was to be in God’s presence and fully realizing that this is God’s presence, and that’s where I began to gravitate towards being with the Eucharist especially in times of great need and finding so much comfort in God’s physical presence.”
“Going into Bradley (University) as a baseball player who, somebody who fully identified themselves as a baseball player and that was where my worth laid, coming out of that retreat and recognizing that I am a son of God and that’s where my identity lies, and that completely changed my perspective on life and where I put my worth.”
“We met up with other college athletes and FOCUS missionaries at the Houston airport and, for the next four or five days, were in Puerto Rico working with the kids, I would say of some very impoverished areas on the west side of the island, and it was … life changing.”
“I, quite frankly, think that all of us athletes and missionaries got so much more out of that trip than the baseball skills or the volleyball skills that we imparted on the kids there.”
“As hard as it was in that moment to go back to my apartment and be in tears and be confused, I just continued to pray, ‘Lord, if this is Your Will, like, I don’t, I don’t understand it, but I’m okay with it, and help me to see Your plan for me through this’.”
“By the way, we’re sneaking in Saturday night Mass at 5 p.m. at the Utah Newman Center and driving 40 minutes from the mountain in our ski gear to make sure we hit Mass over there.”
