Rev. Robert D. Zancan is a Roman Catholic priest from the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. He was born and raised in New England. He has been ordained for thirty-three years. His ministry includes work with inner city gangs in Los Angeles, California, to ministry in correctional institutes in California and Colorado, and work with the homeless in New Mexico. He was caught in the chaos of the riots in Los Angeles in 1992 and assisted in the healing after the riots. He has worked with the homeless in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, his ministry with wounded priests includes work in Missouri and New Mexico. He has also worked extensively with inmates in various correctional institutes. These include Desert View Correctional Institute in California and Sterling Correctional Institute in Colorado. At Desert View Correctional Institute, he was program coordinator and acting assistant warden of programs. His ministry at Desert View Correctional Institute included working with gang members and developing the curriculum for a transition program for inmates adjusting to society. This curriculum included anger management, addiction studies, group work, human development, and transition skills. He also taught the dynamics of his book Letting Go: The Spiritual Step Technique to addicts in a transitional program in Colorado. In addition to his work with inmates and the homeless, he has taught at schools in New York and Colorado. He was also a principal of an elementary school in Texas. Other educational experiences include work in Colorado in the field of special education with English-speaking students and students whose first language is Spanish. His parish work includes ministry in Massachusetts, New York, New Mexico, Texas, and California. He has also worked extensively with parishioners whose first language is Spanish. Reverend Zancan's educational degrees include a master of divinity in theology, postgraduate certificate in education, permanent certification in New York, completion of the academic work for a master's degree in special education, and doctoral work in education. Presently, he is pursuing a doctorate degree in education. His current ministry includes working with patients who have dementia. This is Reverend Zancan's first book. He is working on a second book for families experiencing the effects of dementia in their loved ones.
