Father Alberto Cutie of Miami has been in the news a lot lately.  First, a Spanish language tabloid caught the handsome celebrity priest canoodling with a woman on the beach.  Last week he made the mainstream news again when he announced in a press conference that he was changing his affiliation from the Catholic Church, with its rules on celibacy, to the Episcopal Church, where priests are allowed to marry.

Forget for a second that this scene has anything to do with religion.  It’s not really what the scene is about, anyway.  The scene is about is faith and  faithlessness.  It is about reputation and disrepute.  It is about a tug of war between one’s own personal brand and values, and the brand and values of an organization.

In other words, it is a scene that is completely familiar to anyone who’s ever had to make a career decision that involves profound personal choices.  Which means it’s about all of us. (more…)