Free Spirit; in 50 Years As a Priest, Cathedral Rector Joseph Champlin has Followed His Own Path

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[Paul Cowley] and Champlin had lunch and developed an ad campaign to promote the Guardian Angel Society, which supports the school monetarily. Nearly $100,000 has been raised so far. "He wanted a new playground and roof for the school, but I told him nobody can relate to those things but they can relate to a black child without a computer in this world we live in," says Cowley, who stresses he's not Catholic. "I'm born again. I told Father I believe in the Bible, and as long as I don't have to do the Catholic thing, I'm in. And Father was fine with that. Now the school has computers all over the place, and the kids are learning. Father has paid for everything that I've done. He's been a great client. He takes great advice, and that's why he's successful. He didn't want my help for free, and the results are unbelievable."

So Champlin called account manager Mary Dougherty at Clear Channel, which owns WSYR. "We had a focus session with Clear Channel, and they thought it should be not a feel-good thing but still have some kind of spiritual context. It could be spiritual but not religious, in the sense that it should be nondenominational," Champlin says. "It could mention God but not so heavy on the Catholic side. It's been going on for four years now, and I've had wonderful reactions. I saw somebody on the street, and I said, 'Good morning.' And he said, 'Hey, I think I know you.' Then I went to visit a man at a nursing home. I didn't know him and he didn't know me. I just walked into the room and I said something, and he said, 'Aren't you on the radio? Aren't you Champlin?' Then he said, 'You may have tried everything else.' Isn't that something?"

In fact, as the marriage priest, Champlin recently found himself commenting to local media, the Associated Press and even cable's Fox News Channel about a Valentine's Day contest held by WKRL-FM 100.9 (K-Rock). The "winner" of the contest would receive a free divorce. "Divorce is the death of a dream," Champlin notes. "People in the midst of divorce go through a lot of pain, self-doubt, dejection, self-recrimination. It's all irrational but it's very painful. So the next thing I know I get a call from Washington: 'Would you do something on Fox Television?' So I went up to Syracuse University and there's a monitor there and they put an earpiece in, which I'd never done, and the guy asks you a question, but you can't see him--you're looking at the camera--but for all of five minutes. So that's my national claim to fame."

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Free Spirit; in 50 Years As a Priest, Cathedral Rector Joseph Champlin has Followed His Own Path

Please don't call him monsignor. In his melodic, soft-spoken, priestly way, the Rev. Joseph Champlin hesitates to talk about having that title bestowed upon him, "sometime between 1971 and '79." In fact, he has stored the ceremonial red vestments he received from Bishop Frank J. Harrison ever since.

"I've never worn the outfit since the first time," a half-joking Champlin quietly relates. "It's hanging in the closet. Do you want it? I got it when I was in Fulton, because I know the liturgy or something, and they gave it to me and some other people. But seriously, it's always kind of a hurtful thing because they tend to give it to someone who works in the bishop's office, and the poor, simple guy who's in the country parish doesn't get it. I once wrote an article, that never got published, that encouraged a vote every five years among the priests, who they think should get it. And they would be honoring the guys who are jus...

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