Personal Spiritual Journey

Dion “The Wanderer” DiMucci, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and creator of such classic hits as “The Wanderer”, and “Runaround Sue,” delivered his testimony of faith at Franciscan University of Steubenville’s 2011 Defending the Faith Conference.  He talks about the long road from early, immense success as a singer/songwriter to his descent into a hell of drug addiction.  Then his wife went for help.  Now, after over 40 years of sobriety, Dion knows and loves the Catholic faith of his childhood, thanking Jesus for his miraculous recovery.  “Millions of people hate the Catholic Church, but they don’t really know what it teaches,” said DiMucci, author of Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth. “I didn’t know. I had no idea how beautiful it was. It’s so different standing in the center of it, looking out than being on the outside cursing it and kicking at it and yelling at it. I thought I was so smart! I was in this meeting once, and I said, ‘I was anti-Catholic,’ and this one guy says, ‘Ooh! I was never that smart!’…I walked right into the confessional,” DiMucci continued, “and Father Joe was there, and I’m so used to the 12-step way of looking people in the eye that I just walked in. I said, ‘Father, do you know, I thought I loved the Lord—I do love the Lord. I’ve been anti-Catholic and really in rebellion with the Body of Christ,’ and he’s like, ‘Ah, thank God. Stand up kid.’ He gives me a hug and says, ‘Welcome home!'”  He shares his journey (and a little taste of his music) with his brothers and sisters in Christ.