I am a native of Dayton, Ohio, the son of parents who are now deceased. I grew up with one brother and one sister. Unfortunately, my sister also passed away, leaving my brother, his wife and their dog as my immediate family. After graduating from Belmont High School, I went on to attend St. Gregory College Seminary, Pontifical College Josephenium and Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary. I was ordained to the priesthood in 1985.
My first assignment was parochial vicar at St. Peter in Chains in Hamilton from 1985 to 1988, and I acted as a hospital chaplain at Ft. Hamilton Hughes Hospital during the same period. I continued my parochial vicar duties at Ascension Parish in Kettering, Ohio until 1993, when I moved to New Orleans to complete a counseling residency internship at Covenant House for a year while serving as an Associate Chaplain with the New Orleans Police Department.
Upon my return to Cincinnati, I joined the Seton High School faculty as director of campus ministry and guidance counselor after earning an MS in mental health counseling from Wright State University in 1994; I have been a licensed counselor in the State of Ohio since then.
In 2000, I left Seton to volunteer as a missionary in Wuhan, China for two years, where I taught psychology and English at the South Central University for Ethnic Communities and worked for the local church. Since a priest is not permitted to operate publicly in China for any reason, most serve as university faculty members and in a clandestine way minister to the local people.
After my missionary assignment, I returned to the U.S. and was appointed pastor of Holy Family Parish in East Price Hill until 2008. During this time, I also served as a volunteer Hamilton County Probation Officer to help rehabilitate past offenders. Soon thereafter, I began serving as a Chaplain for the Hamilton County Justice Center and the Cincinnati Police Department. I continue to serve as a Cincinnati Police Chaplain today.
After completing my degree in canon law studies from The Catholic University of America in 2009, I joined the Archdiocesan Tribunal as Adjutant Judicial Vicar. I was subsequently appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese in 2011 and Vicar General in 2012.
On a personal note, one of my focuses is trying to help those on the outskirts of society, something I do through my interactions with individuals who are incarcerated or recently released. I exercise daily and love to read. I also very much enjoy scuba diving and skydiving, although my current responsibilities have made opportunities to pursue those interests virtually non-existent. I look forward to meeting the members of all three parishes in our new Family. As we journey together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, I hope to serve our Family during the challenging and joyful times ahead.
