“My name is Dunbar John. I’m from the Caribbean island of Grenada and grew up with six sisters and five brothers. Everyone had to be in bed by 9 pm so as to rise early to start morning prayers in our living room – at 4 am. Then we went to morning Mass and, only after that, on to school. After graduating from Catholic school and attending secretarial school, I was hired as secretary to the judges of the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court in the capital (St. George’s), the highest appeals court in the West Indies, when I was just 15. I was elated with joy and couldn’t wait to get back home to tell my mom the good news but, after spending money on wardrobe items for my new position, I had nothing left to pay for the bus. So I started walking the 75 miles, getting more and more worried; the only thing I could do was pray. Prayer was so engrained in us. Then a car pulled up, and a member from my village called out “Want a ride?” A miracle! I moved to the city because the distance from my village was too far to travel every day. The city people, though, made fun of me, calling me “country bookie come to town.” But I stayed serious and focused. When I was 19, I emigrated to the United States. I studied accounting, but it was difficult finding work without much experience. So I joined the Army and became a male nurse. I served stateside and in Vietnam, where I fell from a helicopter, injuring two vertebrae in my neck. Upon discharge from the Army, I attended several more colleges, graduating as a registered nurse. I worked at Westchester Medical Center for 22 years; I also studied labor relations and served as union president at the Medical Center for five years. Along the way, I married and became the father of two girls – one now a lawyer, the other a social worker. Through all my years of working, though, I felt something was missing. My religion. So I attended Mass daily at Assumption. Then, seven years ago, I was asked to be a sacristant. That was the best day! I enjoy immensely every moment of what I can do for the Church.”