====== Childhood (1952-1966) ======
===== Ellicottville, NY =====
  * Second child of ten in a Catholic family.
  * Taught by seminarians in summer school.
  * Father (later Msgr.) McCarthy would come to visit Mom and Dad.
  * I was given a St. Joseph's missal at my First Communion and used it regularly at Mass.
  * I put poor old Greg W. to sleep one night while trying to explain the parts of the Mass to him.  
===== Orchard Park, NY =====
  * Entered Nativity of Our Lord grammar school half-way through sixth grade.
  * Cried when asked to "diagram a sentence."  In retrospect, I was very fortunate to have had a taste of the good old days of Catholic schools!
  * Became an altar boy and was the first Grand Knight of the Altar when Fr. Wetter or Fr. Wopperer organized a chapter; got to wear a gold cross.
  * An elderly woman whom I did not know said to me once, "I'm praying that you will become a priest."  She liked the way I looked in my cassock, surplice, and gold cross, I guess.
  * Sr. Margaretta tricked me into becoming interested in Canisius High School, first through the spelling-bee, then through the hope that I might win a scholarship on the entrance exam.
====== Canisius High School (1966-1970) ======
  * First few weeks: //"I'm talking!"//
  * Joined Berchman's Debating Society
  * Sophomore year, talking with Fr. Fred Reisert, SJ: "Can I have RC airplanes if I join the Jesuits?"  
  * Played guitar at Mass.
  * The scholastics looked happy as they returned to their residence at the end of the day.
  * I fell in love with the Society: "If I was ever so crazy as to want to be a priest, I would want to be a Jesuit."  Phil Pfaff, Gerry Aman, Paul Nochelski, Gerry McIntyre, Paul Naumann, Rico Raulli.  I saw Naumann or Raulli take final vows.  

====== Boston College (1970-1973) ======
===== First year (1970-71) =====
==== Converting to Catholicism (Fall, 1970) ====
  * Mary-Ellen.
  * The guru & The Void.
  * Learning to pray, however badly (!).
  * Daily Mass, Burke House Mass--lots of new friends.
  * Jim's challenge: God or pleasure (sex, drugs, music).
  * Questioned three times in December: "Do you want to be a priest?"  Peggy: "If God wants you to be a priest, He will make you happy."
==== Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Spring, 1971) ====
  * The stupid book.
  * Dr. Kreeft's class.  Met Peggy as we left the building.  13 hours of nonstop talking about GOD!  It was a Monday--ended up at Burke House with Nick Covino and Dave Gill.
  * Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Cenacle.  Russ Kirk, Russ Surveyor, Judy Thibault, Mal Billa; Tommy Delorenzo.
  * 2 Corinthians 12:10: "My grace is at its best in your weakness."
==== The Lost and Found (Summer, 1971) ====
  * Sunshine and the Jesus Freaks in Orchard Park.
  * Documents of Vatican II.
  * "He is starting his own church.  I could do the same thing myself!"
  * Arguments with Dad: "Do you want to be a professional?"
  * August 20, 1971: First letter to the provincial.  "Three weeks or three years."
===== Second Year (1971-1972) =====
  * Cleveland Circle Christian Community.
  * Completed application process; delayed entrance until after graduation.
  * Learned (slowly) how to talk about sports and weather instead of Pentecostalism.
===== Third Year (1972-1973) =====
  * Marian House: Dan, Tony, Dave; our daily recitation of our covenant, morning prayer.
  * October 13, 1972: I thought the end of the world was going to begin that night.  My fallback date was November 13.  I guess I was wrong.

====== Novitiate (1973-1975) ======
===== First year (1973-1974) =====
  * August 27, 1973, St. Andrew's Hall, LeMoyne College, Syracuse, N.Y.
  * Fall: courses at LeMoyne and in the house.  Don Hinfey: synoptic gospels (!).
  * Spring: two courses at S.U.  Andy Brady's course on spirituality.
  * John Fernan, soup kitchen, Catholic Workers.
  * United Farm Workers all year and in the summer time.
===== Second year (1974-1975) =====
  * Calvary Hospital.
  * **Long Retreat**.  Cornwall on Hudson.  
  * Summer: Puerto Rico with Pete McKilligan and George Simon.

====== Philosophy (1975-1976) ======
Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y.
  * "Love necessity."
====== Regency (1976-1978) ======
Regis High School, Manhattan, N.Y.
====== Seminary Theology (1978-1982) ======
Regis College, Toronto, Ontario
====== Ph.D. Studies (1982-1991) ======
The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
====== LeMoyne College (1988-1990) ======
  * Rejection hurts.
====== Canisius College (1990-present) ======
  * "Preaching Jesus, and Him crucified."

====== Praying to persevere for my whole life ======
  * //Definitely not a given in today's society!//