The LSU community gathered Monday at Christ the King Catholic Church to reflect and remember the life of Maxwell Gruver, the 18-year-old mass communication freshman who died last week after a possible hazing incident.

The Rev. Andrew Merrick welcomed all those in attendance and thanked them for joining together to honor Gruver’s life.

“I got the opportunity to meet some of Max’s family,” Merrick said in his opening remarks. “They were very grateful for the love and support of the LSU community.”

Steve and Rae Ann Gruver met with Merrick on Sept. 15, and expressed their desire for the church to hold a memorial mass in honor of their son’s life at the University. Before continuing with the traditional mass, Merrick read aloud from a remembrance of Max’s life written by his family, which will be read by his uncle at his funeral in Georgia on Sept. 19.

“Max never shied away from opportunities to challenge himself,” Merrick said. “This is one of the reasons he was so comfortable in his decision to attend a college out of state where he would not know any people at the start. This confidence and warmth gave him the ability to instantly connect with people so quickly he made LSU his home.”

Merrick spoke about Gruver’s deep connection to the Catholic faith and read a quote Max wrote:

“God works in funny ways. He does bad things sometimes, but in the end, they’re good. Some bad things happen to you, but they happen because they’ll make you better,” Merrick read.

“God does allow bad things to happen,” Merrick said. “What God does…he only allows to happen for a greater good.”

After the memorial mass, the church held a vigil for students and members of the community to come together and remember Gruver’s life.

“Max’s family ask that all of you who’ve been touched by Max honor and celebrate his life by doing three things every day,” Merrick said, reading aloud from the family’s statement. “One: radiate the happy, positive energy that Max did. Two: always look to challenge yourself and seek opportunities to grow. Most importantly, always care for those around you.”