My mother’s great-uncle was Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen, so I grew up around priests. They seemed very happy. Later, I realized that they were on their best behavior because they were with the bishop!

Despite that, I wanted to do the things a priest does: celebrate Mass, preach, absolve sins, offer healing to people in need of it. My mother died when I was 16, and a lot of chaos in my life followed. I gave up the idea of priesthood for a while, but it always stayed with me. A priest, Father Frank Muscolino, stayed after me to at least consider a vocation to the priesthood. Eventually, when I was 26, I entered the seminary. The diocese didn’t have high standards back then! I was ordained in 1990.

For the first 15 years of priesthood, I was “one foot in and one foot out.” I was looking for any reason to leave. Eventually, I realized Jesus was in control of my life. He would provide for me. For the last 20 years, I have been taking it one day at a time. God sustains me. Every morning, I pray that whatever happens that day, it will be according to God’s will.

We talk with the children about “God sightings.” If a person has faith, they can see the presence of God anywhere. That has been my experience. Every day I recognize the presence of God, at least when I review my day. Hopefully, I am learning how to serve God and His people.

What I have learned is that my priesthood is about my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the reason for my vocation. I serve Him every day, and I fail Him every day. He always forgives me, so I can try to serve Him again.