Who Am I?

My name is Fr. John C. Garrett and I am a Roman Catholic Priest. I have 3 younger sisters…. Ann Marie, Jennifer and Mary. My family is very close. Growing up we all played together, prayed together and laughed together. We grew up with strong Catholic values and I served as an altar server in Church. I attended St. Raphael’s grammar school in Hamilton, NJ and McCorristin Catholic High School in Trenton, NJ. In my junior year, I applied and was accepted for my senior year at the US Capitol Page School in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1982, and served as a messenger (liaison) between the offices of members of the House and Senate. I then attended King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA on a full academic scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology in 1986. While at King’s College, I was involved in Student Government, The Psychology Club, Knights of Columbus and Campus Ministry. During summers and on breaks, I worked in the Constituent Relations Office for Governor Tom Kean (NJ). The summer after my junior year, I was asked by the U.S House Foreign Affairs Committee to participate in an exchange program between South Korea and the United States and spent 3 weeks in South Korea.

Upon graduating from King’s College, I was accepted into the Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. During my graduate studies, I was involved in the Newman Center, the Knights of Columbus and also worked several assistanceships and part-time jobs. I completed my Ph.D in Counseling Psychology in 1992 and did my internship at the University of Missouri. Over the next few years, I worked in various capacities at various organizations and academic institutions in teaching and academic roles with a focus on helping people with various forms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and domestic violence. I also continued my involvement with the Knights of Columbus.

After several years working in various positions with my Doctorate in Psychology, I felt that God was calling me to be a priest to serve the needs of people in a unique and special way. I applied to the Diocese of Trenton and started my studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. There I earned a bachelors in sacred theology (STB), M.Div, and a MA in Systematic Theology. I graduated the seminary in 2003 and after completing my diaconate, I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Trenton in 2004.

Upon becoming a priest, my first assignment was at St. James Parish in Red Bank, NJ. I was then assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony in Hamilton, NJ for 2 ½ years. The Bishop then asked me to go to St. Theresa in Tuckerton, NJ where I served for 15 months. I was then informed there was a greater need for me at St. Mary’s in Barnegat, NJ which covered Southern Ocean Medical Center and one of the largest parishes in the Dioceses. I served the parish for 3 ½ years and was then requested by the Bishop again in 2013 to be the chaplain at Rider University, Notre Dame High School and McCorristin High School where I served for 2 years. In 2015, the Bishop asked me to be the pastor of Resurrection Parish in Delran. It had been created by merging Holy Name Parish in Delran, NJ and St. Casimir Parish in Riverside, NJ. I served at Resurrection Parish for 7 ½ years until I got sick with pneumonia, endocarditis and kidney failure. During my sickness, I met with my Bishop who determined that I was too weak to perform my duties as a priest. Based upon his recommendations, I retired and went on disability in January 2023.

Hobbies

When I was at St. Mary’s, I learned how to ride a motorcycle. I presently own a Can-Am Spyder F3. I used to ride with the Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ministry, but now I mostly ride with 2 priest friends that also have their own motorcycle. I also enjoy watching sports and reading Sci-Fi and spy novels.

The Beginning

I initially learned of my kidney failure in December 2022 while I was on medical leave. I was evaluated at Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) University Medical Center in New Brunswick, NJ and was told that I had endocarditis and was started on IV antibiotics. Further tests revealed that an infection caused by a catheter that was left in my right kidney for too long to prepare for a procedure to break up kidney stones had shut down my kidneys and I was toxic. The catheter was removed and I began dialysis at the hospital on 12/23/22. Before leaving the hospital, arrangements were made for me to start dialysis at a dialysis center in Hamilton, NJ. I was soon evaluated to be a candidate for a Kidney Transplant List and was accepted by the Transplant Committee at RWJ University Hospital in April 2023. Acceptance onto the Kidney Transplant List means waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor to become available with an average waiting list time of 3-7 years or finding a living kidney donor on your own. I was advised by my Transplant Team that finding a living kidney donor is the better and healthier option for a variety of reasons.

Direct Match Living Donor Testimonials

Paired Exchange Testimonials

Paired Exchange is when an incompatible donor-recipient pair "exchanges or swaps" their kidneys with another incompatible donor-recipient pair resulting in both recipients receiving a compatible living kidney donor transplant. This process increases the potential and probability of the recipient receiving a living kidney donor transplant sooner than later rather than solely depending and waiting upon a kidney transplant from finding their own direct match living kidney donor.   

My Current Situation

I am currently doing dialysis 3 times per week for 4 hours per session at a local dialysis center. Dialysis is not a cure for kidney failure and has many short-term and long-term side effects with physical limitations and restrictions. After dialysis, I often have a headache, feel weak, lethargic and lightheaded. My dialysis schedule is late in the afternoon (3-7pm) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so I typically come home, eat dinner, say evening and night prayers and go to bed. The biggest limitation that dialysis has had on my life is that I am no longer in active ministry as a full-time priest. I am fortunate now to be able to say Mass again on a limited basis at a few churches but it is not the same as being in full-time ministry.

On the plus side, being retired on disability allows me to be my Mother’s caregiver. My mother is in the early stages of dementia and has short term memory loss and often gets confused. She no longer drives so I take her to all her appointments and do her grocery shopping. I try to see her every day and cook several meals each week so she can just heat them up in a microwave. She is not ready to move into Assisted Living and enjoys her home. Two of my sisters live out-of-state, and while Jennifer is close, she works full-time and cares for her disabled husband so I am fully responsible for her daily care and needs.

Various family members and friends were all evaluated as potential living kidney donors and were found to be medically ineligible as donors which is why I need help in finding a living kidney donor outside of my immediate family and close friends. 

Hospital transplant centers DO NOT help patients find living kidney donors and the responsibility solely relies on the individual in need of a kidney transplant to find a living donor on their own.

What Would I Do With The Gift Of Life

If I were to receive The Gift of Life of a new kidney from a Living Donor, it would dramatically improve the longevity and quality of my life and enable me to return to full-time ministry. Being a priest is not what I do…. it’s who I am. I want to come out of retirement and be able to return to serving a parish community as their spiritual leader and make a significant impact and difference in their lives and the community. Throughout my battle with kidney failure and doing dialysis, my faith in God has grown stronger and our Lord has given me the strength, courage, and determination to find my inner strength to continue to keep pushing forward…to keep fighting.

A very deep personal reason why I need a kidney from a living donor is my mother. If I received a call from the Kidney Transplant Team that a kidney from a deceased donor was available, I would need to arrive at the hospital at any time of the day or night within a few hours to have the surgery. What would I do with my mother since my siblings either do not live in the area or is caring for another person. I do not have an emergency backup emergency plan to care for my mother on a moment’s notice should I receive a call from the hospital that a deceased kidney donor is available and to come there as soon as possible and then recover at home after my surgery. With a kidney from a living donor, there is no immediate rush to get to the hospital for transplant surgery as everything is planned and coordinated in advance which would allow me adequate time to make plans for others to care for my mother. This would be a big relief to me.

A kidney from a living donor would be such an amazing blessing that would enrich my life in so many ways. First and foremost, I have been blessed to be ordained as a priest. I can make bread and wine become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. I can forgive sins in His name. I preach the gospel and can baptize others and anoint the sick. While the numbers of priests have been in decline, the need for the sacraments has not been declining. The People of God still need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and receive the graces of the sacraments. I am blessed to provide these services as a priest to others and to serve the Lord. I also want to continue my active involvement with the Knights of Columbus and become a Living Kidney Donor Advocate and Educator to bring awareness about kidney disease through various speaking engagements and fundraisers to inspire others to consider others to give The Gift of Life.

With your prayers, help and support in sharing my story with others to help me find a living kidney donor, I am hoping that I will be blessed with The Gift of Life and be able to serve the Lord and fulfill my destiny in life to serve the needs of others. This is an incredible gift and it is an incredible, yet difficult ask. I know what I am asking for and my prayer is if anyone reads this and is considering getting tested for me that they feel called to it.

Share My Story & Consider Getting Tested As A Donor At No Cost To You... It Can Potentially Save Your Own Life

I appreciate your time in reading my website. Please SHARE MY WEBSITE TO HELP ME FIND A LIVING DONOR with your friends, co-workers, family, colleagues, religious affiliations, organizations, etc. via word-of-mouth, e-mail and social media to spread the word that I need a kidney transplant and to possibly consider getting tested yourself. Through everyone’s effort and kindness to help me, I am hopeful that I will find someone who is willing to give me THE GIFT OF LIFE. 

Benefits Of Getting Tested As A Potential Donor

• Health Evaluation & Medical Testing is covered by MY INSURANCE…. NO COST TO YOU.
• Testing evaluates your own health & underlying unknown issues such as Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes & Autoimmune Diseases, etc.
• Getting tested is NOT A COMMITMENT to donate…. You can change your mind any time.
• If you are eligible to donate but not a direct match, you can still be my donor through a Paired Swap Exchange where incompatible donor and recipient pairs are matched with another duo.