I was ordained a Catholic Priest in 1967 and did my ministry work in Mexico City, as well as the mountains of the Oaxaca. For 33 years, until my retirement in July 2006, I served as the director of an emergency food pantry and crisis agency in the south suburbs of metro Chicago.

My wife, Magdalena, and I have been married since 1992 and, if invited, we generally attend the receptions together.