I was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school under the tender care of the Sisters of St. Agnes.  Thanks to their gracious solicitude and passion for social justice, I have always been mindful of my vocation as a Catholic Christian. For more than 30 years, I wrestled with the inconsistency of the ideals taught in the institutional Church as opposed to what I experienced there: hypocrisy, rejection of those deemed unworthy, judgment of people simply trying to live their lives in integrity.  I grew up in the aftermath of Vatican II, and when I first read the offical documents as a young man, my soul burned with excitement at the thought of what the Church could be if it released its stranglehold on the People of God.  Through many years of study and attempts to find a church in which I could be fully in agreement with the doctrinal and moral teachings therein, I finally heard the voice of God in a spiritual experience at my home parish of St. Mary's, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  To that point I had dragged my feet, choosing my own path for many years, half-heartedly living my vocation, with nothing bringing the peace I sought.  In that moment of grace, I decided to surrender, not knowing where the path would lead, knowing only that it was all in God's hands.  I left the Roman Church in 2006, founding Holy Redeemer Catholic Community in 2007.  The journey has been rocky at times, and I have been rejected by former priest friends, criticized by some family members, ridiculed by former colleagues--all of which is a small price to pay for following Jesus with a clear conscience.  As Holy Redeemer enters its fifth year of operation, our goal is to purchase our own building that we may better serve divorced and remarried persons, lesbians and gays, compassionate people who are better educated than most of their clergy, as well as those who take the teachings of Vatican II seriously and are dismayed at the present direction the larger Church is taking.  I am humbled and blessed to walk in the footsteps of the Master, who never promised me an easy time of it, only that I would be able to walk beside him with sufficient grace, head up and knowing that doing the right thing is its own reward. 

I am often asked about how Holy Redeemer is different from the other Catholic parishes in town.  First, since we are not juridically attached to the Roman authority structure, we are free to make our own decisions for our parish and the way we use our resources. The People of God make the important decisions, not the pastor.  We do not tax our parishioners with a "bishop's appeal", and none of our money goes to pay for sex abuse lawsuits. 

Second, I have my career as a public high school teacher, and do not accept money from the church, because I believe firmly that working priests who function in the real world are more likely to learn what real people want and need.  Like the French worker-priests of the 1940s, my ministry extends far beyond church walls, and I am constantly amazed at the power of Spirit as people from various backgrounds are brought into my life, to teach me more of what I need to know, and to make me a more compassionate person.  The Rule of Benedict begins with the word, "Ausculte!", meaning, "Listen!", and as a Benedictine I find that when I can still my own ego and listen with the ears of my heart, God can do great things, even with a flawed man such as myself.  In all things, may God be glorified!