After graduation from Bishop Kenrick, I attended Villanova University. I first majored in science and then switched to education, specializing in Religious Studies. Upon graduation from VU in 1974, I was appointed Director of Youth Retreats for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (some of you may remember “The Search for Christian Maturity” retreats held at Camp Neumann in Jamison, PA).
In March of 1975, I became a substitute teacher at Cardinal O’Hara High School, teaching Theology. In September of ’75, I took a full-time position in the Theology Department at Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia, where I have taught for 46 years. For 30 of those years, I served as the head of the Theology Department.
During my tenure there, I also served as a Guidance Counselor, moderator of the Photography Club, the Pro-Life Club, the No Place for Hate Club, and the high school level Rotary Club.
In 1980, I traveled to Israel for the first time. I have since returned five more times. My shortest stay was one week when I represented the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on a religious-based peace mission to Israel. My most extended stay was in 2012, when I lived in Jerusalem for two and a half months researching the life of Father Isaac Jacob, a Benedictine priest who built bridges among the Jews, Catholics, and Muslims living in Israel.
In 1995, I traveled to Poland and visited Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek, three of the six Holocaust death camps. Upon my return, educators elected me vice-chairman of the Holocaust Education Task Force of Pennsylvania, which I held for five years. During that time, I conducted workshops for educators on teaching the lessons of the Holocaust.
I married my beautiful wife, Irene, in 1988. Together, we have a son, Michael, and a step-daughter, Angela. Irene is president of the Association of Catholic Teachers in Philadelphia. Michael is a high school math teacher and recently received his master’s degree in math education and certification in math from Chestnut Hill College. Angi is the executive director of a long-term care facility in York, PA. All of them are doing well.
Currently, I am on a medical leave of absence from school. I spend my time reading and pursuing my passion for writing fiction. With Halsey’s encouragement, I have self-published a youth-oriented fantasy novel titled “Elemenope: Out There Where Dreams Come True.” I have also self-published a collection of adult-oriented short stories titled “Welcome to My World” that focus on horror, history, suspense, the supernatural, and life itself. Some of the stories I would recommend not to read after dark. I am currently writing the sequel to “Elemenope.”
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