On applying to the Society

So when I was applying for the Jesuits, I said, "Boy, these guys are really something! I'll never be able to compete with them. They'll never accept me." But I did decide to apply to the Jesuits. As one of the veterans who lived in the dorm put it, "Why pay for your education? Just join the Jesuits. Get an M.A. and a Ph. D., and if it doesn't work out, just flee." So I said, "Sounds like a good idea." So I applied and was accepted.

On flying in the back seat of an F14

After the plane crash overboard the aircraft carrier and after the impact it had on the crew, the Admiral called me in and said, "I want to thank you for the way you talked to the troops." It meant a lot to me. Later on, when he discovered I had done some flying in Puerto Rico, he said to me, "You know something about flying? I'd like you to get in with the air community on board." So I went through Water Survival and Aviation Physiology. These two courses qualified me to ride in the back seat of the F14. Lt. John Tartaglione was the first pilot who christened me. Later on I realized that the admiral knew what he was doing. I became a mascot: "The chaplain will go up with you." Every time I went to the pilots' squadron room, I was like their long-lost brother. So it turned out to be a very good thing.

On choosing contemplation

The bottom line is that I grew as a priest spiritually in all this. I think I now understand better that Gospel passage: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things." There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her. Mary had chosen the better part. Being active for 35 years straight, I now do not want to do anything more in public. I now choose contemplation.