Ministry. I am an interfaith/interspiritual minister, ordained by
One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City in 2017. I am also an interfaith
hospital chaplain, having earned 5 units of Clinical Pastoral Education. I
regularly serve as a chaplain at Albany NY Medical Center. I am also trained as
a Hospice volunteer. Additionally, in May 2019 I received a certificate in spiritual direction after completing a two year program in Albany called ‘Holy Ground.’
Personal.
I grew up in Central New York, and graduated from SUNY Binghamton (Harpur
College) and SUNY Buffalo Law School. I married Eileen Hoffman in the Unitarian
Universalist Church in Buffalo in 1982. We have been members of the UU
congregation in Albany for 35 years, where I have served in various leadership roles, including 3 years as president of the congregation. We have two adult children- James, who teaches social
studies in a public school in the Albany area, and Julie, who lives in
Washington DC and works at a digital mapping company.
Legal Career. I practiced law full-time for 35 years, primarily in the
fields of environmental litigation and energy law. I was also was a clinical
adjunct professor at Albany Law School for 22 years. I continue to provide pro
bono legal services through a legal aid organization called The Legal Project, drafting wills, powers of
attorney, living wills and health care proxies for low-income clients.
Recent
Sermons
“A Declaration of Conscience in the Trump Era”
“Reflections of an Interfaith Hospital Chaplain”
“Spirituality in the Second Half of Life”
“Live As Though You’ll Live Forever, and Be Prepared
to Die Tomorrow”
