A Life Seeking God: Remembering Kevin Riedel

On a slightly rainy Friday morning in a little church in Washington, VA, friends and family, VMI cadets, W&L students, along with numerous priests and seminarians of the Catholic diocese of Richmond, gathered to celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial for an individual of exceptional virtue and service: Kevin Joseph Riedel. Kevin, prior to his untimely passing on January 25th at the age of 33, was the campus minister for the Catholic student communities at both VMI and Washington and Lee University. Although a position that Kevin held only since August of last year, his incredible impact during this short time cannot be understated. Unlike previous campus ministers, Kevin's background was one steeped in the local area and with a special connection to the Institute. His immediate family included no less than four VMI alumni: his father, David '79; Uncle, Len '75; brother, David Jr. '07; and his youngest brother, John '21. His brother, John, also had the distinction of former President of VMI's Newman Club. It's a small wonder then that Kevin himself didn't follow the path of his Keydet family, but as explained by his father, "Although Kevin was born into a VMI family, if his livestock couldn't root around on the parade field, VMI just wasn't where he would go. Instead he ended up at that finishing school in Blacksburg: VA TECH!" It would be impossible to speak of Kevin without noting his immense passion for everything outdoors. In a way, Kevin could be described as one part Thoreau, one part Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: raising livestock, building and living in a "tiny house", working as a trail crew member on the Allegheny Trail, and being a part of a Woodland Fire Crew were just a few of the activities Kevin partook in. As relayed by Kevin's family, a review of the pictures on his phone at time of death showed that close to 98% were of him outdoors. Cadet Heather Crum, class of '23, recalls how "he loved to hike, which would make you think that he would have really good hiking shoes on all the time, but ironically enough, anytime he would come to Newman Club he would be wearing low quarters like us. I found it interesting that he would wear the shoes, which most of us hated, willingly." Although Kevin's love for God's creation was a huge part of his personality, this love was merely one facet of his immense spiritual life. Kevin was "always seeking to know from God what the Almighty wanted him to do," which led him to spend 5 years as a seminarian (a priest in training) for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and a year with the Glenmary Home Missioners before opting out for other discernments. While Kevin's journey of discernment went in many directions, this was not a barrier for his Catholic faith. "He never once doubted that God would lead him in the right path and use him for His greater good." When the position of Catholic Campus Minister for St. Patrick's Church in Lexington was made known to Kevin, it appeared to be a perfect opportunity. According to Kevin's father, "...we all thought this was something he would do well and could be of great service to the community." Kevin was energetic and proactive during his time as campus minister, distinguishing himself by his devotion to the job. Organizing retreats, assisting at Mass, overseeing campus ministry and Newman Club meetings, and attending this year's record cold March For Life in D.C. (even if only two students joined him!) were all done with the same quiet confidence that was a mark of his character. Kevin had big plans for St. Patrick's Campus Ministry, among these a spring break pilgrimage to Chimayo New Mexico with the campus ministry from JMU. Cadet Luke Lynch '22 says this of Kevin's leadership: "In Newman Club one day, I jokingly said that I needed a role in leadership, so I came up with the Chairman of Morale. Kevin, seemingly all too willing to accept that position, decided it was a great way to get me even more involved. As I was talking about how fun [the pilgrimage] was going to be, he decided to slip in with an incredibly sly tone 'as Chairman of Morale you would be perfect to be the Leader for the trip.' My fake leadership position suddenly became a real one." While the numerous anecdotes and stories of Kevin's impact on the Lexington Catholic community can fill up an entire issue of The Cadet, I'd like to close with remarks from Cadet Jake Sekerak, class of '23: "Before I met Kevin, I didn't have anyone I really considered a mentor, especially with regards to my faith. Kevin, thank you. Thank you for everything. You did more for me than you could have known, and I will always be appreciative of that. I learned how to be a better Catholic, a better man, a better human, and it is all because of you. Truly good people are hard to come by these days, so I consider myself extremely lucky to have crossed paths with you. God bless Kevin, the Riedel family, and all who had the pleasure of meeting who I consider to be one of the best humans I've ever met." From all of us at The Cadet, and from all of the people whose lives you touched (including the author's own), thank you.