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I grew up in a deeply religious Irish Roman Catholic family in the city of Philadelphia and felt called at a very early age to become a spiritual leader.  After graduating from high school, I was encouraged to pursue a college education before entering the seminary.  I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University and worked as a mechanical engineer while pursuing a master’s degree in engineering.  Despite a promising career, the call to the priesthood became increasingly clear and compelling.

In 1990, I left my engineering career and turned down a significant promotion to enter Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, for discernment as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  After one year, the seminarians for Philadelphia were required to enter the first "Spirituality Year "ever established in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States—France had established one the year before.  This special year, inspired by the call of Vatican II, was designed to prepare future priests for a deeper life of prayer and spirituality to meet the challenges of the secular modern world.  It proved to be a profoundly formative and meaningful experience.

During this time, I became involved in the Charismatic Renewal, and through prayer and discernment felt called to give my life more fully to contemplation and entered a monastery.  After several years of spiritual growth and formation, I again felt a strong call to parish ministry and was welcomed into the Diocese of Camden in 1997.

In addition to serving as an assistant pastor, I was involved in a wide range of ministries.  These included establishing Good Samaritan groups in parishes to aid those in need; teaching Scripture for the Camden Biblical Institute; leading healing Masses in both the Diocese of Camden and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and providing spiritual direction to the laity both locally and from afar, as well as to clergy and religious sisters.  I served on the board of the Charismatic Renewal Conference and regularly attended the annual conference in Wildwood.  I also promoted Holy Hours and devotion to the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart, worked with youth groups, and coached basketball and taught mathematics at the high school level.

While serving in the Diocese of Camden, I became increasingly aware that many parishioners felt alienated, confused, and disconnected from the institutional Church.  Attendance declined, spiritual engagement diminished, and many parishes—including some connected to my own past—were closing or had already closed.  After eleven years of priestly service in the diocese, I resigned, believing that the Church was alienating too many people who sincerely desired a spiritual home.

Following my resignation, I began working in hospice care as a spiritual care counselor.  In this ministry, I encountered many former Roman Catholics who had developed their own spiritual beliefs after becoming disenchanted with the Church for a variety of reasons.  Many were wounded, alienated, or angry due to scandals and other painful experiences.  I provided the sacraments to those who requested them and sought to nourish the spiritual lives of all people, regardless of their religious affiliation.  Through this work, I witnessed a deep longing among many for a Catholic church rooted in compassion, healing, and inclusion.

After accompanying so many individuals who desired to remain connected to Catholic sacramental life but were discouraged by the current climate, I came to recognize the need for a more benevolent and welcoming church. Through continued prayer and service, the vision for establishing the Parish of St. John the Evangelist under the banner of the Sacred Catholic Church was born.

This expression of the Catholic faith provides a nonjudgmental atmosphere and an open table where all are welcome to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.  The sacraments are offered to all who desire them.  Affirming that we are all children of God, this parish seeks to promote a spirit of hospitality, compassion, and kindness to all—regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, background, or belief system.