About Me
I am a priest of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey. I was ordained a priest in 2004, first being assigned to St. James Parish in Red Bank, NJ. I was assigned to the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony in Hamilton, NJ in December 2005. In addition to being a parochial vicar here, I also serve as Secretary on the Board of Trustees for the Mount Carmel Guild, a Diocesan charity founded by the Third Bishop of Trenton about 80 years ago. The Guild provides emergency services, and home nursing to those in need in the city of Trenton.
Prior to becoming a priest I taught at Columbia College in Missouri. I attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.
I consider myself very orthodox and traditional. I have a great love for the liturgy, and it pains me to see the mundane celebrations that are all too common today. The word liturgy comes from the Greek which is translated “public work,” but the Church has consistently spoken of the liturgy as our participation in God’s work of salvation, which is of course done for our good. The focus of liturgy should be the praise and glory of God, not for the entertainment of us.
I am the oldest of four children, having three sisters. My sisters have gifted me with seven nieces and nephews (4 nieces and 3 nephews). My parents were married for 42 years when my father died in 2005. Both of them were very devout Catholics (Mom still is, and hopefully Dad is praising God in heaven). I am so thankful to them for sharing with me the gift of faith.
For about the last year I have been involved with Communion & Liberation, the ecclesial group started by Msgr. Luigi Guissani.
Miscellaneous things about me: I am a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with thyroid cancer a few months after being ordained a priest. Another thing that happened to me after becoming a priest is that I started to read comic books. I am a fan of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Avengers. I love classical music, particularly string quartets (I am a fan of Hilary Hahn). Unfortunately I have little by way of musical talent; I have been wearing a hearing aide since I was 29. I enjoy reading; the classics, C.S. Lewis, Tolkein, Sci-Fi (Asimov), and Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” novels. Of course I enjoy reading theology: Guissani, Cantalamessa, St. Francis De Sales, Abp. Fulton Sheen, St. Thomas Aquinas.
