When I was growing up there were only three things that were important: God, basketball and me. It was not always necessarily in that order. Being Catholic was as matter of fact as was having blonde hair and blue eyes. It was what we were and what we believed and it guided our every day way of life in a very healthy and nurturing way.

Through God’s intervention and the skills he gave me to play the game I was invited to play basketball at IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania). It was there that I began to realize that life was more than basketball. I had lost a high school friend to leukemia at the age of 19 and the pursuit of worldly goals began to lose its importance. In order to stay focused on the challenges of being a college student I found daily Mass as the source of strength and direction. When I was at Mass I felt at home and it began to become clear to me that anything less than “God and heaven” as my goal would be second best.

When things were going well and life was cruising along I went on a retreat where I met some very normal healthy people who were considering religious life. Through my intriguing questions posed to the group I realized I was not much different from them. This thought would not leave me until I dealt with it directly. As soon as I said 'yes' I felt a peace come over me that has not left me in nearly 25 years. I thank God every day for this wonderful gift of priesthood.