From St. Patrick to Saint Priscilla, Good Fortune Abounds

Monsignor Ritchie let us videotape every square inch of the most stunning Gothic Cathedral in the U.S. - St. Patrick's Cathedral. That included the great rose window, all the altars, hundreds of colorful stained-glass windows, the famous Pietà sculpture and the baptismal font. Three crews videotaped in between scores of tourists and services capturing enough footage to produce 2 episodes for a new Catholic travel show called "The Faithful Traveler."

Tommy took reign of the windows, David sprayed wides of the nave, transepts and columns and Diana von Glahn and me raced through dozens of stand-ups - that's television talk for when the host walks and talks in front of the camera.

It took roughly 2 months to prepare for this visit and Diana worked tirelessly to coordinate every detail. In the morning, she handed out small laminated shot sheets attached to lanyards and markers so we could keep track of our shots. At noon time she directed us to Rockefeller Plaza for eats. And then, finally, when all of us were exhausted and tired, she did me the greatest favor of all - she introduced me to her friend Priscilla.

If it not were for Priscilla and her Girl Scout mentality I'd still be sitting in my new blue Mazda. Idiot me left the lights on in my car and yes, once again, a friendly New Yorker came to my rescue.

I thought my days of carrying jumper cables were over when I retired my lemon on Friday. I tossed them away in my garage thinking I'd never need them again. But Priscilla, a Harlem native who doesn't even own a car, has a membership with Triple A (go figure) and called on my behalf.

How happy (and blessed) am I to always be bumping into renaissance women like Priscilla? This marks the 8th or 9th time I've received free jumps from NYC strangers and I'm sure it won't be the last. Thanks girls.