(Published by Matt Drzik)

“People often asked me, ‘What has happened since you changed from meteorology to thinking about being a priest?’ And I say, ‘Well, my head’s still in the clouds.'”

Those words, spoken by parochial vicar Father Mark Carter from Our Lady Of The Valley Parish in Beaver County, encapsulates his strange path from learning about the weather to teaching about the story of Christ. He joined Matt Drzik on the December 22 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about the recent string of bizarre weather that has adorned the holiday season; a holiday season that he and his parishioners will be celebrating with several masses this weekend.

Fr. Carter studied meteorology before entering the seminary, and he spoke in detail about the bizarre phenomenon of days where the timing has caused the early morning temperatures to be warmer than the rest of the 24-hour day. Carter says that such patterns are directly related to a steady rise in global temperature; one that he says may lead to Floridian temperatures during Christmas in Beaver County by 2050–but one that will not last as the global temperatures start cooling into the next century.

Carter then turned to theology, a path that has taken him from Canton to Cleveland to the Beaver Valley, and he is currently in his third stint in the County (originally having participated with St. Cecelia parish in Rochester beginning in 1988). He expressed his love for the area, and spoke about the upcoming Christmas celebrations that Our Lady Of The Valley will be holding throughout Christmas weekend and into the new year.

To hear the full interview with Matt and Father Carter, click on the player below!