I wasn’t able to share as much about my activities from 2019 as I would like, in the midst of grieving and handling the estate affairs of my mom. While it was a painful year of loss, there was much to celebrate too. 

• I visited Miami, Florida for a meeting of the Apostleship of the Sea, a Catholic group of priests, deacons and laypersons who offer ministry at ports of call, as cruise ship and cargo ship chaplains, and other ministries to those who work on the seas (Feb), and was able to visit my friend Rani and the Dominican brothers community  connected to Barry University. 
• I continued my work with St. Mary of Mt. Carmel / Blessed Sacrament Church in Utica, working with Fr. Jim, the pastor, and my friends and fellow lay ministers Peter, Anne, and many music ministry and other colleagues, as one of the M.C.’s for Holy Week celebrations (April).
• I met cast members from Star Trek: The Next Generation at Washington, D.C.’s culture convention Awesome Con (April).
• I was able to travel to Anaheim, California in May / June for work at the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership annual convention, followed by some vacation with my friend Matt as we visited the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, and I knocked out two more stadiums on my MLB stadium tour (with five to go).
• I enjoyed Independence Day in Baltimore with friends and time with family at Ocean City, New Jersey.
• I got to watch Adam Savage of Mythbusters in-person at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum build a replica of the Apollo 11 command module hatch (August).
• I was able to visit Yankee Stadium (August) including an unexpected meeting with a high school friend Michelle.
• I had a work-related visit to learn about prison ministries practices at a correctional facility in Chesapeake, Va., and time with the Kramer-Wong family at Virginia Beach (also August).
• September brought me to Boston College for a work-related symposium on Hispanic ecclesial movements.
• I took in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 live tour in October and celebrated the Washington Nationals‘ exciting World Series games and win with my friends Heather and Matt and others in the DC region, including a trip to their ticker-tape parade in D.C. (October). I participated in a Bethlehem University Foundation event honoring Bishop Gerald Kicanas (the bishop with whom I work most closely in my work at the U.S. bishops conference) in November and was back at National Park in December to celebrate the Enchant Christmas experience there with the Kramer-Wong family.

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