St James Catholic Church

A Reflection of 50 Years

As some of you may recall, I was ordained a deacon in April 1969 and ordained a priest in May 1970.  Consequently, this is the 50th anniversary of my priestly ordination.  Of course, it is impossible to celebrate any anniversary this year in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Perhaps once things return to the “new normal” we may be able to mark the event sometime in the holiday season during November, December, or January.  In the meantime, Fr. Bob has asked me to share a few thoughts with you on the last 50 years.  So here I go.

I have some priest-friends who tell me that they knew they wanted to be a priest from the time they left the cradle.  It was not so with me.  In the 50’s in Catholic grade schools much was said about the call to priesthood and religious life and it was not unusual to think about life decisions earlier than we do today.  And so, after grade school I entered the seminary high school program.  It did not take long for me to realize how much I disliked it.  The regimentation, the  discipline, the seemingly endless hours of prayer, (and probably a bit of teenage hormones) was more than I could handle and I left and finished my High School years in Kenosha.  Like many of us, every day at noon I gravitated to the same table for lunch with my friends.  After several months one of them told me that he thought I had acted too quickly and that he thought I had some qualities that were well suited to priesthood.  He told me to give it some thought.  I did, and after I took my friend Barbara to the prom (our last dance was Twilight Time) I returned to the seminary.

It wasn’t so bad the second time around, but I still was uncertain about the future.  During the summers of my first  two college years, I took literature courses at UW-Parkside, just in case I decided to return to my first choice of teaching English.  But I grew and the seminary program grew on me, too.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed the study of   theology.  Sure, there were times when I was uncertain and doubtful, but also times when I felt confident and assured.

On May 23, 1970 I found myself kneeling on the floor of the Cathedral in front of the Archbishop.  He placed his hands on my head-there were no spoken words-and in this silent gesture dating back to the time of the Apostles, he shared his priesthood with me.  Immediately after, all the priests present filed past and repeated this gesture.  In those   few tear-filled moments I felt secure.  I felt the Lord Jesus had called me by name and I had responded. 

Of course that certainty did not last forever.  Sure, there were times of confidence and assurance, but there were also times of uncertainty and doubt, especially when something difficult was asked of me.  I was asked to teach theology at the seminary, but it meant a return to graduate school for three years to get an advanced degree.  I was asked to take  an ethnic parish, but it meant going to UWM nights to pick up another language since not all of my parishioners  spoke English.  I was sent to a wonderful ex-urban parish that I enjoyed, but the Archbishop asked me to merge it   with a neighboring parish.  It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.  The parishioners of both places were great and warm-hearted, but they didn’t want anyone (including me) changing their religious life.  I was sent to a suburban  parish with a huge school of over 450 kids.  40% of our two and a half million dollar budget supported the school,   but good and well-meaning school parents wanted even more for their children than we could afford.  There were   occasionally times of a lack of direction, depression, illness and loss, but somehow I kept moving forward.  I kept      recalling those few glorious moments kneeling on the floor of the Cathedral in 1970 and I knew that, no matter what happened, I was where I was supposed to be.

But my 50th Anniversary is not the only moment of note that I am recalling this year.  On Pentecost Sunday in 2012     I began my service to St. James Parish in Franklin.  So May 31st marks eight years of service here.  I sometimes think   of myself as the new guy, recently arrived, but the last eight years tell me it’s longer than it seems.  When I arrived here I was touched by the warmth of your welcome, by your friendship, and by your constant support of my priesthood.        I don’t know how many more years I have to journey toward the Kingdom, but the warmth and the love you have brought me during these last eight years will continue to carry me forward until I reach my goal.  Sometime in the winter when the pain of the present is past, we can raise a cup of coffee or a donut to wish each other well in our   continued service in Christ.  In the meantime, let our recognition of who we are as a family of faith cause us to move forward in hope.

Father George