School Story:
I started out at St. Therese Elementary School in Fresno, CA and went there from K to 8th grade. Then I attended San Joaquin Memorial for the next 4 years. After that, I continued on for the the next 2 years at Fresno State. Then I decided to join a Franciscan Seminary (the same order that Brother Gregory Coiro (who taught religion at SJM) belonged to). This took me to several places of study--starting out in Santa Ines, CA (near Santa Barbara) for one year followed by 4 years in Berkeley, CA. After that I spent a year in LA doing pastoral work at a Franciscan Parish and then went back up north where I completed 5 more years of seminary training in San Francisco. I was ordained a priest in 1991. After 5 years of doing traditional parish ministry in LA, I decided to go back to school to get a Masters in Social Work (at Fresno State University). I then returned to parish ministry in 1998. Then from 1999-2000, I spent a year in Rome at the Capuchin Franciscan International Headquarters known as the Generalate. After that, I decided to go back to school to pursue a Ph.D in Clinical Social Work. That's what brought me to the East Coast. Have enjoyed living in Boston for the past 10 years yet look forward to coming back "home" to CA by no later (I hope) than by Spring of 2010. Maybe I'll see some of you then.
