On his decision to enter the Jesuits

I got out of the Navy in New York on April 1. I decided to enter the Jesuits and get it over with, get that monkey off my back. I finally said to myself, "This is it. I have had this thing on my back now for years since high school. I finally want to do this thing and do it right. I am not going to leave in two weeks time, because it is hard to get up in the morning. I am going to stay there as long as I have to, and get it out of my system." I was hoping that things like smoking would just kill me, so I would just say, "No, you just cannot do this. This kind of life is not for you." I have been a Jesuit for 49 years.

On working in Brazil

During theology studies I just got used to the idea of working in Brazil. I was able to plan my studies during my four years of theology with this in mind. I was ordained in 1966 and a year later I went down to Brazil for seven years. I was able to receive whatever they would give me; I was totally available to address any need. All they had to do was send me down there which is what they did. There was nothing, of course, to prepare me for that immersion. They just sent me to live in Brazil with several other New England Jesuits as though we were members of the Vice Province of Bahia. We had a pretty good sense of commitment among our group of New England Jesuits there on mission there in Brazil. We grew to understand much more clearly that we should expect there would be certain sacrifices we would be called to make in our own particular circumstances and not to be surprised.