Grateful for the priesthood
CHARLOTTE — The mission of the Society of Jesus, popularly known as the Jesuits, was captivating to the teenaged Jim Shea. More than 50 years onward, Father Shea is celebrating his 45th anniversary of priestly ministry, where he now serves as pastor of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.
Father Shea grew up in Waterbury, Conn., to Irish Catholic parents. “It was pretty natural at that time of thinking about being a priest,” he said. “I thought I might be a lawyer like my father, or a doctor like my uncle, or a priest.”
He attended public schools growing up but was attracted to the Jesuits when he began eyeing Catholic colleges in the early 1960s. He joined the Jesuits right out of high school.
“I thought to give it a try, and they let me give it a try, and I stayed,” he recalls with a smile.
His period of formation was 11 years, culminating in his ordination by Worcester Bishop Bernard Joseph Flanagan on June 2, 1975, at the College of the Holy Cross.
Over those 11 years, Father Shea had varied experiences that affected his vocation.
“During the two-year novitiate, you learn how to pray. It tests you, to make you trust in God and push you out of your comfort zone,” he explains.
Father Shea studied at Boston College, then taught for two years.
After his ordination on June 7, 1975, he was assigned to a parish in Texas, during which time he earned his doctorate in pastoral counseling at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
“I enjoyed working in medical centers, serving as a chaplain but also as an educator. I ran programs to train seminarians, sisters and priests,” he says.
He taught in the field of clinical pastoral education for 25 years, including 15 years at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he also served at the medical center.
“A lot of seminaries sent their students to me for summer assignments,” he says. “You can learn so much in the hospital. It’s holy ground. People learn how to minister, how to be with people when they are suffering. They learn not to be afraid, not to run away.”
He also served as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish adjacent to Georgetown University, then went on to serve as the head, or provincial, of the Jesuits’ Maryland Province. Over the next six years he traveled throughout the province visiting the Jesuit-run parishes in the South, including St. Therese Church in Mooresville and St. Peter Church.
“That is how I met Bishop Peter Jugis,” he explains.
Five years ago, the new provincial approached Father Shea about serving at St. Peter Church.
His return to parish ministry has been rewarding after years in leadership, he notes – even with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These are tough days,” he acknowledges, but adds, “I am especially grateful (for my vocation) and I feel it is a great privilege these days. With all the division in the world, in a special way people need the consolation of the Gospel.”
He says that “it is a great privilege to preach. I am grateful for that as we try to figure out how to stay close to people in isolation.”
“As a priest, you only get better with time. If you keep growing, you only get better because you are freer, you are wiser. You are more available to people. The longer you live, the more you can talk about how faithful God is. The older you are, the more you look back on your life and see that as in Romans 8:28: ‘in all things God works for the good of all those who love Him.’ As you get older you can speak authentically about that.”
People are in great need of God during these times, he notes. “They are hungry for a relationship with Christ. There is so much interest in spirituality.”
The spirituality of the Jesuits is perfectly suited to times such as these, he says. “St. Ignatius talks about finding God in your experiences.”
As he reflects on his five decades as a Jesuit, Father Shea says, “I have been a Jesuit most of my life, and I am honestly grateful. I would do it again.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
