I was born in Pittsburgh in 1917 and when I was old enough, I was sent to the local parochial schools. I entered the Capuchin novitiate in Maryland in 1936 and made my first vows about a year later. I was ordained in Washington, D.C. in 1942 but continued my education, obtaining an M.A. in history from St. Louis University. I taught four years at St. Joseph College and Military Academy in Kansas, did a stint as a chaplain, then bounced around for the next 50 years doing parish work in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland and Washington, D.C.