IN MY SHOES: From Porn To Priesthood
The New York Times tells the story of Ronald Boyer (AKA porn star Rod Fontana) who,
"[a]fter 30 years of sowing the wildest of oats … has searched his soul and chosen, to the surprise of family and colleagues, to seek a priesthood in the Episcopal Church."
Mr. Boyer’s embrace of Christianity was not a result of a bolt-from-the-blue conversion. It was a gradual awakening to spirituality …
[H]e became a police officer and was offered a job in New York City in 1975 … [b]ut before he could start, the city went to the verge of bankruptcy … At that crucial moment an actor friend confided that he was making a living by appearing in pornographic films, and offered to get him involved.
"I did my first job. After that, I was hooked. …
"I love sex. I love performing. I love the combination of the two. I could go back and do it again, but I don’t think I would. I had a passion for that. I put it there. Now I’ve channeled my passion to a different place." …
The process to priesthood will take several years. Mr. Boyer … is undergoing training to become a deacon, which will allow him to conduct most aspects of ministering short of the sacraments. To become a priest, he must study in a seminary for approximately two years and his candidacy must be approved by the diocesan bishop.
J. Jon Bruno, bishop for the Los Angeles Diocese, said Mr. Boyer’s path to the priesthood would not be precluded by who he was. "I wouldn’t put up an immediate impediment because of someone’s past life," he said. "There’s no exclusion in the gospel for anybody."
[Editorial Note: The Stiletto wishes Ronald Boyer well in his new life – and hopes his spiritual awakening "takes" better than Paris Hilton’s purported jailhouse conversion (third item).]
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