I couldn’t tell you who any of the Catholic saints are, except for Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost things. Tradition dictates that saying a prayer to him will help you find any item you’ve lost. As the uncontested king of losing stuff, I have a special relationship with Saint Anthony. He’s who I turn to when I can’t find my computer charger, or my class books the day before an exam, or my friend’s rare 50-year old French comic books that I borrowed. And the amazing thing about this St. Anthony business is that it works every time. I’ll spend hours looking for something to no avail, only to, out of desperation, shoot off a little prayer to old Tony, and then immediately find what I had been looking for. I believe in Saint Anthony.

There’s no reason for me to do so, though. As a Jew-turned-nonbeliever, superstitions like this one are something I theoretically shrugged off long ago. But I can’t help but hold on to this little bit of faith, this occasional belief in the power of religion.

For Gideon Mausner, PC ’11, faith is something entirely different. For him, it’s not something to occasionally indulge in when convenient, but something that needs to be constantly lived, every moment of every day. In our cover story this week, Clare Sestanovich, PC ’13, profiles Gideon, examining his dedication to his religion, and his attempts as a missionary to use faith as a tool for inner-city change, right here in New Haven.

Elsewhere in the issue, Ava Kofman, TD ’14, writes a phenomelogical (and phenomenal) dictation-review of the Katz X Katz show, Lara Sokoloff takes us to Yale’s second-annual vegan conference, Emily Rappaport, ES ’14, brings you her take on the Oscars.

So sit down, take a break from your midterm cramming, and spend some time with The Yale Herald. And for those of you who are too stressed to even do that, just remember: Spring Break is just around the corner.

Much love,

Andrew Wagner

Opinion Editor