Christmas 2025: Hope for When All Seems Delusion

Professional & Personal Updates

2025 has been a very full year, full of both great things personally and professionally, and some unique challenges and difficulties. In addition to my work at Saint Luke Institute (which I will share more about elsewhere), here are some highlights and photos to share:

• February: Attending the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry near Tampa, Florida, enabled me and my friend Matt to enjoy a healthy dose of early baseball at the Grapefruit League MLB Spring Training in the area, including visiting the spring training facility for the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota. Other visits included the University of Tampa Spartans (then current college champions) baseball, Phillies and the Tigers (though it was a rare rain out and we spent it at the Florida Air Museum instead). I stayed some additional days to see the Blue Jays and Yankees. February also began another year of regular attendance at Baltimore Symphony Orchestra events – always a joy and blessing to see and hear live music performed!
• April: Another visit to DC’s pop culture convention Awesome Con with my friend Rebecca, and later with friend Vic and Kathleen and their children, featuring photos with legend John Rhys-Davis, Shaun of the Dead and guest Doctor Who stars Simon Pegg and Jack Frost, and Star Wars actor and voice actor Ming na-Wen, and the US Jigsaw Puzzle Nationals Tournament. Easter brough me back to upstate New York for support of Holy Week services at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel / Blessed Sacrament Church and allowed me to see the end of the Utica Comets 2024-25 season, which, while abysmal, was enjoyable with my cousin Deb and her husband Tom.
• May saw back-to-back-to-back-to-back travel: Representing Saint Luke Institute at Association for the Ongoing Formation for Priests’ annual conference in Minneapolis / St. Paul, allowed me to also see the Orioles on the road against the Twins at Target Field – a truly beautiful ballpark. it was during this conference when people gathered around tv screens to see the election of Pope Leo following Pope Francis’ death after Easter. Since his election, Pope Leo has been a strong leader in continuing Francis’ reforms and spiritual renewal in the Church. Mother’s Day weekend saw me back in Utica to celebrate the mothers in our family and also my great nephew, Dominic’s graduation from Utica University as he prepares for a career in marine biology. I also used this time to tend to family graves in the area. Then it was on to Buffalo for the National Association of Catholic Chaplains’ conference there as the chaplains, most of whom are now lay people, celebrated their organization’s 60th anniversary. Finally, I was in Chicago for several days after Memorial Day at an excellent gathering of lay ministry colleagues at a National Lay Ministry Summit sponsored by at least 30 ministry organizations discussing the continued important developments among laity called to serve as ministers in various roles in the Catholic Church. I also got the chance to see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and enjoy as Chicago in general and Catholic Theological Union colleagues in particular basked in the election of the first American Pope and a CTU graduate!
• June brought me to Portland by way of an overnight in Phoenix where I crossed off one of the remaining 5 (now 4) MLB stadiums to which I have not yet been – Chase Field of the Arizona Diamondbacks – a huge stadium that had a lot of interesting elements. I also was in Portland, Oregon, for the first time. I was presenting at the Catholic Theological Society of America (also for the first time) on the topic of the Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality and how lay ministry is referenced (or rather not referenced nearly as much as should be) in the national, international and global documents. It was also a month which saw the publication of a peer reviewed article of mine from 2023 on how different interpretations of the 2005 USCCB statement on lay ministry have caused misunderstandings and underdevelopment of professional lay ministry. Even though much of my day-to-day ministry work at Saint Luke Institute draws somewhat on my theological expertise, it is always nice to flex the academic muscle and remind myself (mostly) how good at it I am! The month concluded on the fun side as I joined my friends Andrea Kramer, and their now young adult children Simon and Monica for a game of the famous carnival / circus performing baseball group, the Savannah Bananas at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Our group also visited a mutual friend Rev. Natalie Regan at her new pastorate in northern Virginia.
• July: Friends gathered at my place to watch the Inner Harbor fireworks over Baltimore for July 4, and I returned to Utica mid-month for my Aunt Phyllis’ 83rd birthday (blessedly still going strong!) and for some R&R with family, where I also participated in the Boilermaker Road Race related Walk, which made me realize I have work to do to get back in shape! This month also began a difficult saga of several months of temporary displacement in my home as a 3rd floor sink leak caused a great deal of water damage on multiple floors, requiring insurance rebuilds of flooring on multiple floors and various walls. The work wasn’t completed until early October and both I and my boarder Kenneth were displaced for one month. Looking back on the whole time, I see that it took its toll physically and emotionally, at least on me, generating a lot of stress and difficulty that I hadn’t anticipated. I’m pleased to say that the physical damage to the home is now nowhere to be found and after two years with major repairs, I pray that is it for a while!
• August saw multiple friends gather for a Tiki cruise near Annapolis, Maryland and a return to Utica to celebrate my great niece Ana’s birthday, and a later month Labor Day weekend trip to the Adirondacks with family and friends. Though the weather was rough, we had a great time!
• September: Over the summer, word circulated among colleagues and friends that a former professor from Washington Theological Union, where I received my Masters’ degrees, had died – Fr. Jim Coriden, who taught canon law, and was a truly lovely person and pastoral caregiver. He was honored at a memorial service this month and it brought together many old friends. While the Baltimore Orioles’ season ended poorly, it was enjoyable to end the year with some good games at Camden Yards – a top off to a great year attending games with friends Matt, Chris, Gail, Susan, Rebecca, Russ, Meg, Ali, Tim and others. Late September saw friends visit for my neighborhood Pigtown Festival in Baltimore and other friends enjoy a day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival near Annapolis.
• October brought me to Audi Field in DC to see Charlotte FC play DC United in soccer. A hot day but a fun one as I joined Rebecca, David and other Charlotte fans to see their team win. October brought me back to Utica for the Utica Comets season home opening weekend and later in the month brought be to James Madison High School in Arlington, Va. to celebrate graduating senior and my goddaughter, Monica Wong, as she concluded her leadership in their football color guard in a visually stunning and amazing performance. Also Saint Luke Institute had its major Benefit on October 21, which I had worked closely on with others in strategizing, planning and implementing for the 2nd straight year, but at a newer venue. Wonderfully, we raised nearly $400,000 in support of the organization’s work in mental health care for clergy, religious and others who serve the Church.
• November brought an 11th hour trip to Rome, Italy for three days, representing Saint Luke Institute in a 3-day conference addressing how the Catholic Church is and can respond to mental wellness needs in situations around the globe (e.g. humanitarian crises, violence) and also make sure that Catholics and ministers who care for others have the resources they need to support their own wellness. My time include a presentation on the work of Saint Luke Institute in promoting the integration of mental and spiritual wellness in recovery for clergy, religious and others who seek our care. While sightseeing was limited, we as a group were able to participate in the Jubilee Pilgrimage through the Holy Door opened by Pope Francis early in 2025 for the year of jubilee, which was very moving. Saint Luke Institute also sponsored a breakfast at the U.S. bishops conference, which I was the primary organizer for. I’m glad to say it allowed the organization’s new president and clinicians to engage bishops directly and discuss our services and answer their questions. Thanksgiving in Utica rounded out a beautiful month.
• December brought me to my milestone 50th birthday, celebrated across multiple days with friends at a dinner in Silver Spring, Maryland on the actual day, and other celebrations at different times of the month. Christmas celebrations with the Baltimore Symphony and then in Utica with family brough the year to an enjoyable close.