Matthew Verive is the liturgy coordinator in Catholic Campus Ministry. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, senior Matthew Verive always had his eye on DePaul. For him, DePaul was a natural fit: close, but not too close, to home and offering a well-established information technology program in Chicago, where he knew he wanted to be.
Today, Verive is a senior information technology major with a concentration in web development. Since arriving at DePaul in 2014, Verive has pursued many academic and personal interests. He currently serves as the student liturgy coordinator in Catholic Campus Ministry, the president of the Catholic Student Union and the chancellor of DePaul PokéDemons, a Pokémon club he founded his junior year.
He also served as the liturgical music assistant for Catholic Campus Ministry, the president of DePaul Liturgical Musicians and as an A/V technician for DePaul Student Centers. Verive joined CCM's liturgical choir his sophomore year at the recommendation of one of his friends, and his overall involvement gradually increased after that.
"CCM not only has great people, but also great programs, and I've been hooked ever since the first time I stepped foot in the office. I knew I had found home," Verive says.
Thanks to his involvement in CCM and Student Centers, one of his favorite memories at DePaul includes assisting at the 42nd General Assembly of the Congregation of the Mission the summer of his sophomore year. The assembly, which consisted of over 130 global Vincentian delegates, met outside of Europe for the first time in over 400 years. For two and a half weeks, Verive helped manage the sound system and other technical aspects of the event as an A/V technician. He also led the singing during a multitude of assembly prayers and masses as an incoming liturgical music assistant for CCM.
The Easter season has been particularly busy for Verive, who helps at CCM's seasonal programs in addition to his regular volunteering at Lenten Sunday night masses. He served at a fish fry in early March in collaboration with St. Vincent's Parish and works various events during the Easter Triduum in late March, such as a pilgrimage to different churches on Holy Thursday and Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. On Easter day, Verive will serve at morning masses at St. Vincent's Parish.
Verive's tireless involvement doesn't stop at on-campus jobs or student organizations. He maintains various social media initiatives he created for the university community, such as the "Did You Know, DePaul?," "DePaul on the Dollar," "GO Blue Demons" and "DePaul Public Safety Alerts Facebook" pages. Outside of the university, he holds Pokémon tournaments and game sessions at a local card shop, and competes in tournaments across the country. Verive unites his computer and gaming interests by running PidgiNet, a website he created focusing on video games. When he's not involving himself in these initiatives, you can find him delving into local history at DePaul's Special Collections and Archives.
As his time at DePaul draws to a close, Verive reflects fondly upon his experiences.
"I've learned that your time at DePaul is what you make of it," he says. " I feel I've truly tried and made the most of it."
After graduation, Verive will work at Willis Tower for United Airlines as an information security analyst. As for his long-term plan, Verive says he looks forward to whichever path God leads him to.