MEET THE BOARD
A Profile of
The Rev. James J. Gardiner, SA
Jim Gardiner has been an enthusiastic, dedicated and hard-working member of the NYCLTCEN Board for several years now, reflecting his devotion to people who are receiving long-term care, particularly those afflicted with AIDS. He believes that these two populations share many characteristics; they are often frail, dependent, marginalized by society, frequently impoverished by medical expenses and that they therefore spawn many ethical dilemmas. He also brings to the board a long-standing interest in media (starting as the editor of his school paper in the eighth grade) as it relates to various social justice issues. This has proven very helpful with publicity, news reports and conference planning and coordination.
A native New Yorker, born in the Bronx, he was educated at the Holy Rosary Grammar School and the All Hallows High School. After high school graduation he immediately entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement; an affiliation that has continued for forty years. He obtained his under-graduate degree at the St. Pius X Seminary at Graymoor in Garrison, NY, and a Master’s degree in Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington in 1969. On May 30 of that same year he was ordained to the priesthood and began his career as a faculty member of the Martin Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland as well as assistant chaplain at the University of Maryland. It seems that throughout his career the pattern of wearing at least two hats at each assignment has persisted!
Within a few years Jim was transferred to Ohio to serve as a staff member of the Greater Akron Intergroup ministry, an interfaith agency devoted to social action and social justice issues. Among other duties there, he once again found himself an editor of a neighborhood newsletter. At the same time he served as the parochial vicar for St. Martha’s Parish in New York City. In 1973 he returned to Graymoor to serve as Director of Communications and eventually as a member of the Franciscan Friars’ General Council. While continuing with his responsibilities as Director of Communications he moved to serve as the Parochial Vicar at Our Lady Of Good Counsel Church (1982-84) on the Upper East Side and St Joseph’s Church (1984-88) in Greenwich Village. More recently he has been the Director of the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a 110 bed conference and retreat center in Garrison, NY.
In 1983 Jim began his on-going tenure as a consultant with the National Pastoral Life Center in New York. He played a key role in the production of a monthly nationwide satellite series of tele-conferences that were produced between 1986 and 1993. He serves as on-going consultant for NBC and provided the “color commentary” (narration) for the New York papal visit. He repeated this role for the four hour coverage of Cardinal Cooke’s funeral - the quality of this production earned him a local Emmy. When the well-known television show “All My Children” incorporated the theme of AIDS into some of its productions Jim served as a consultant; this eventually led to an on-screen appearance on the soap playing himself as a part of a staged community meeting!
Off screen he leads a busy life. As well as the NYCLTCEN board, he serves on a number of other boards that keep him busy on the travel circuit. They include:
Meet the Board was published in the Spring 2000 edition of the Ethics Network News, 6(2).
Article available on-line at: https://www.angelfire.com/on/NYCLTCethicsnetwork/My2000board.html
Date posted: 5/5/00
To Next Article; Conferences
To Previous Article
Spring 2000 edition of Ethics Network News
Ethics Network News Home Page
NYCLTCEN Home Page
