I got to know the former governor of New Jersey as he reached out to people during his period of turmoil. Whatever your view of his past actions, I always found Jim to be a deeply spiritual person whose repression of his homosexuality drew him away from God and his own true calling. He is studying for the Episcopal priesthood now - and more:
McGreevey volunteers at Exodus Ministries at the Church of Living Hope in East Harlem, New York, which tries to help newly-released prisoners learn life skills and handle the significant challenges that ex-convicts face. It’s not just job-hunting. One of the photographs below shows Jim helping one young man figure out how to set up a free e-mail account on Yahoo. With limited access to computers, the guy had no idea how to do this. This is not atypical. We take this kind of knowledge for granted, assuming everyone knows how to set up free e-mail. They don’t.
The gifts that McGreevey brings to these formerly-incarcerated men and women are vast. He still retains many of the contacts and friendships in government that he had when he was Governor, which has been a Godsend to a program that needs state assistance to function.
We are so quick to condemn past flaws, and so slow to acknowledge new beginnings. It is God's work Jim now does - and his open orientation, God's help and a strong relationship have made all the difference.
2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan