This is story about my dear friend, Joe Lumarda, who reveals new personal truths for the first time. Truths that are relevant to the #metoo movement and the horrific unfolding of the latest scandals in the Catholic Church. It is also an amazing story about his life of change, adaptability, courage and family. More than ever we need to have faith in people, leaders, institutions and ourselves. It is so easy to be too cynical these days. Joe's story about his uniforms, his duties, and his values contain lessons for all of us. He gives us truth and hope in large doses. 

Joe is my predecessor at the California Community Foundation. He also was a Coro Fellow. We were having dinner the other nite and co-commiserating about the grand jury report revealing the brutal rapes and abuses in the Catholic Dioceses of Pennsylvania. I knew that Joe went through the seminary and wanted his view on solutions and remedies. As always, he gave me sober thoughts about truth and reconciliation and the need for a lay oversight commission. The next day he sent me this video of a private speech he gave to his co-workers. Ihad never heard the full story.  I was so moved by it, I asked if I could share it. He agreed. 

My hope is it provides you with inspiration to remain true to your values no matter what uniform you wear. 

Thanks for reading and watching. John