I was born on October 31st, 1958, in St Mary’s hospital in Richmond Heights. I grew up in St Luke’s Parish also in Richmond Heights where I attended grade school. After graduating 8th grade, I entered St. Louis U. High. Not much happened
in high school; I ran track and cross country, played trumpet, baritone, and tuba in the band, had average grades and thanks to the encouragement of the associate pastor at St Lukes Parish, (Fr Joseph Pins), I decided to enter Cardinal Glennon College Seminary in the fall after graduating from SLUH in 1977.
It was in the seminary that I met some very interesting characters such as Frank D’Amico, a classmate, and Ron Hopmeir, who was one or two years behind us. There was one other notable character who joined our class sophomore year, Patrick Hambrough. I still have pictures of us from those days. We were a LOT slimmer and looked so young! After graduating from Cardinal Glennon College, I still wasn’t sure about being a priest and so I decided to leave. I got a job working during the day at St Peters Cemetery next to Normandy High School and I also worked as a bartender in a restaurant in the evenings. During this time, God did not give up on me. He kept haunting me, calling me to return to the seminary. I kept trying to run away like Jonah, but in the end, I gave in. I returned to the seminary and was ordained on January 3, 1987.
As far as assignments go, I did my acolyte internship at St Josephs parish in Manchester, I was deacon at the Cathedral Basilica. My first assignment as a newly ordained priest was at St Josephs Parish in Cottleville. I was later invited to work in the St Louis Missions in Bolivia in South America. I accepted the invitation and after language school I worked for several years in the city of La Paz and in the villages of the Alti Plano around Lake Titicaca. (There are some pretty funny jokes having to do with the name of that lake, but I’m not going to repeat them in a church bulletin). I later moved to northern Bolivia to work in the villages in the
Amazon jungle. On returning to St Louis, I was assigned to St Ferdinand Parish as associate pastor, and then was made administrator of St Francis DeSales parish in St Louis City. I would go on to be pastor of St. John the Beloved Disciple parish in Jefferson County, Holy Redeemer parish in Webster Groves, Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in House Springs, once again to St Ferdinand Parish in Florissant and finally here to Queen of All Saints with all of you. And I am VERY HAPPY to be here.