The Jersey Connection – I was born in Paterson in Northern New Jersey. I have spent many vacations as a kid and as an adult in Southern New Jersey on the Jersey Shore. To understand me and how I tick – it helps to know something about New Jersey and the Sopranos.
Two food items from Jersey that are essential for my well-being – Taylor Ham and Pizza. Taylor ham is the proper name – not pork roll. A Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll (below) gives you a great start to your day at breakfast and it is also tasty at lunch. A slice of Jersey pizza – big – cheesy – with a touch of olive oil dripping down the center when you fold it – is good anytime day or night.
Many Italian restaurants in New Jersey are BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) – they not only have great food at a reasonable cost, but the drinks are always free because you bring them with you.
New Jersey has a tradition of great vocalists including, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Jon Bon Jovi, and Whitney Houston, but the one who leads my league is known throughout the world as simply - The Boss – Bruce Springsteen has had my attention since I heard his first album in 1973 – Greetings from Atlantic City. His raspy voice and the rock & roll beat from the E-Street Band is all you need to put some “get-up & go” in your life!
The best and most memorable connection to New Jersey is my family: my grandparents; my parents (Doc & El), who were the best teachers I ever had; my older brother, Richard, now deceased, who gave me a love of history and books - he was a scholar’s scholar; and my sisters, Anne Mary & Nora, who put up with me and more importantly supported and cared for me growing up, and now they and their families provide loving support. I am a blessed Jersey guy.
One of my earliest childhood memories took place at a major league baseball game at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn watching the Brooklyn Dodgers. At that game, my grandfather told me, “We love the Dodgers and we hate the Yankees!” Those words have guided me since, with one major adaptation, the Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1957, so I had to wait for a “new love” which came for me in 1962 when the New York Metropolitans (THE METS) came into existence. Since that time, the Mets have become the source of my baseball affection, and the Yankees (“the evil empire”) have remained the source of my derision.
I enjoy cooking and preparing meals for friars, family, and friends. I especially like preparing traditional meals for the big holidays. The more at the table – the merrier!
A favorite social gathering place for me throughout my life has been Irish bars. A pint of Guinness, having a good conversation with plenty of laughs, and singing a few songs have filled my days and nights with great joy!
A highlight of my life, as a Friar Minor, was participating in the General Chapter of the Franciscan Order held in Assisi in 2015 and having the opportunity to meet Pope Francis (above). Two features of that meeting have remained with me: his welcoming smile and his direct look into my eyes. I knew that I was meeting someone very special.
I have been part of the Siena Community for 54 years as a: student (below), alumnus, friar, trustee, guardian; administrator; faculty member, president, and provincial minister. I am filled with gratitude for all the good people who I have met, worked with, and have been privileged to serve. Thank you, Siena, for helping to shape and form my life.
