Wedding Party

Teresa Knauss

Maid of Honor

Taber Carlson

Best Man

Taber met Michael through awkward circumstances shortly after starting his new campus minister job in Tyler. New to town and in search of community, the one and only Father Justin Braun shared a very special phone number with Taber. Father said he acquired the contact information from a concerned mother and instructed Taber, who is no stranger to such requests from his career in campus ministry, to reach out to this random stranger. Reluctantly, Taber called the number with understandably low expectations. What was he to say - “Hi, I got your number from a priest who got it from your mom, want to be friends?” Upon reaching voicemail, Taber proceeded to leave a much less eloquent message, full of awkward pauses, fillers, and sentence fragments and, rather than taking the option to “Erase and Rerecord” Taber decided to let it ride… assuming there was little likelihood this person (child/adult/human?) would even bother to respond in any case. Much to his surprise, Michael did indeed call back, apologizing for missing the call since he had been out running at the time, and agreed to meet later at a fire pit Taber was hosting. Whilst there, the two got to talking and, when initial rapport was sufficiently built, and positive vibe checks were passed, Michael took advantage of a lull in the conversation to say, “Not gonna lie, that was a weird… message you left!” Taber affirmed this, proceeded to explain his understandably awkward position, and the rest is history.

Lauren Lewis

Bridesmaid

Dan Onderko

Groomsman

Michael’s career in science and medicine can be traced back to an infamous day in August of 2008 when 16 year old Michael stepped into my chemistry class. Since that day, our relationship has evolved with my role moving from mentor, to peer, to friend, to brother. As the year went on, no matter where he lived, we stayed in touch, and he always made a point to visit me and my family. His friendship is something I deeply value, and I am honored to stand by him and celebrate his marriage to Teresa.

Hannah Banicki

Bridesmaid

“So, ya see that piece of bread on the altar up there? That’s Jesus.” - Hannah, to Teresa, before going into Teresa’s first time of Eucharistic adoration during their last year at Missouri State And the rest is history.

David Amaro

Groomsman

I’ve been friends with Michael since we were in first grade. We were close from the beginning and I quickly realized the caliber of person he was raised to be. When my twin brothers were admitted to the NICU in Dallas, my parents were often away from home to be with them. So Michael and his family let me stay with them and we became closer everyday. Life led us down similar paths in life; our shared values and ambitions led us into medicine. Years later, I was injured in an accident in Tyler while my family was out of town. I called Michael and again, his family took me into their home to help me recover. I am blessed to call him a friend and thankful for the chance to celebrate alongside this wonderful couple on their wedding day.

Claire Krakowiak

Bridesmaid

I met Teresa in the summer of 2021, when she moved to Detroit to be a FOCUS missionary at Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry. My first impression was that she was quiet and pretty normal - which quickly changed :) Soon after meeting, we became friends, and had the opportunity to spend more time together as coworkers! Over the years, we’ve shared a ton of laughs, and I always find myself at my most authentically goofy around her. Her openness and strength in hard times inspire me, and I’m honored to be standing next to her on her wedding day!

Charlie McGahren

Groomsman

Michael and I crossed paths in 2020 in Houston thanks to some mutual friends, and we quickly connected over our shared passions for golf, whisky, and late-night conversations about life. After Michael relocated back to Fort Worth, we made it a point to call each other regularly and visit whenever we could, which helped strengthen our friendship. I'm really excited to celebrate Michael's special day and can't wait to witness his journey as a Husband.

Rachel Levy

Bridesmaid

I met Teresa on October 1, 2017… yes I remember the exact day because, not to be dramatic or anything, but it was kind of a pivotal day for my life. I was about 1 step away from leaving my Catholic faith behind when this “long skirt girl” came up and introduced herself to me after Mass. “Long skirt girl” (aka: Teresa) invited me to join her Bible study, and the rest is history. My life did a 180, and Teresa was there to walk with me through it all, always being a good holy example of what it looks like to live with childlike joy and be your authentic self… As for Michael, he won my vote way back in covid times in the form of fresh baked cookies delivered to our house for the roomies while he took T out on a Zoom date.

Sam Walton

Groomsman

I first met Michael when he stopped by Springfield, MO, needing a place to stay before a date with Teresa, who would later become his future wife. What started as a casual visit sparked an unexpected and lasting friendship, deepened by shared experiences like traveling to Peru on a mission trip and later living together in College Station, Dallas, and even briefly in Houston during COVID. Over the years, we’ve laughed, fought like brothers, and supported each other through life’s highs and lows. Michael has become more than a friend—he’s family to my wife, Lauren, and me. I’m honored to celebrate his marriage to Teresa, grateful to have such a remarkable friend by my side.

Gretchen Stai

Bridesmaid

Teresa and I met our first year in FOCUS where we were forced roommates, but quick friends. Teresa had the quote from Saint John Paul II “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.” on her bedroom wall and that quote describes very accurately what friendship with Teresa has taught me. I met Michael during those promising early dates in Galveston, and was so pleased and surprised to hear about the rekindling of their relationship - God truly has perfect timing! I am beyond excited for Teresa and Michael and honored to be part of their wedding day!

Eric Vogt

Groomsman

I first met michael in 2013 through a mutual friend. Gotta be honest, first impression? Wasn’t a huge fan. Maybe it was the pastels…Anyway, we truly connected a year or two later when we were both experiencing a “reversion” back to the faith. He approached me at the “Fullness of truth conference” and asked if I’d be interested in fellowship with the campus missionaries and some other guys coming back to the fold. Needless to say, the friendship took off from there. Between his medical school, my graduate school, my marriage and having two daughters, several moves and, 12 years, we have managed to maintain a great friendship and made some enduring memories along the way.

Sabrina Jasso

Bridesmaid

I’ve been friends with Teresa since the summer of ‘21 up in northern Michigan. (Yes, just like kid rock in the summer time) We both work for FOCUS and were missionaries for the summer program they run, Summer Projects. I instantly knew we would be friends because of the level of comfort I felt around Teresa! We shared many things that summer, laughter, tears our hearts, and a bedroom! The foundation of our friendship is centered on God and I know it will be so easy for us to be life long friends. Mushy gooey love words. The end.

Stephen Koch

Groomsman

Michael and I met at a church happy hour. We bonded over our love of beer and whiskey. We enjoy getting out to play golf and chillin with the guys.