Off the Top of My Head

18 May 2008

This week we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. James Bates, and we welcome Fr. Jim and all those from outside the parish who have come to celebrate with him.

Fr. Jim was ordained in 1963, less than a year after the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, convoked by Blessed Pope John XXIII. The path of his priesthood and the path of the Church in the years since the council have been thoroughly intertwined; Fr. Jim is a Vatican II priest.
Fr. Jim spent 20 years in Muncie, first as Associate Pastor at St. Mary’s, then as chaplain to the Ball State Newman Apostolate, and finally as founding pastor of St. Francis of Assisi campus parish at Ball State. Those twenty years saw great change in the Church, and Fr. Jim was one of those who helped to make the new vision of Vatican II a lived reality.

During his 17 years here at OLG, of course, the parish moved from 10th Street to our current location. The planning process for this move included five years of weekly meetings and great attention to all the details. Every time the process hit a snag, Fr. Jim would repeat his refrain: “We will have faith and we will get this done.”

Fr. Jim was also instrumental in the establishment of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the twinning relationship with St. Louis du Sud parish in Haiti. It’s hard to imagine our parish without these two ministries.

Of course, Our Lady of Grace School was opened during Fr. Jim’s pastorate as well. Again, great effort went into that process and it bore fruit in the year 2000, when OLGS opened its doors.

He had a great devotion to Cardinal John Henry Newman, the English priest and scholar who converted from the Anglican Church to Catholicism in 1845. It’s no coincidence that Fr. Jim spent so many good years in “Newman work,” on a college campus. And it’s significant that the words honoring Fr. Jim inside OLG’s Education Center consist of Cardinal Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur (“heart speaking to heart”). Fr. Jim will no doubt experience the beatification of Cardinal Newman with great joy and satisfaction, as he has been intimately involved in Cardinal Newman’s canonization process.

Many parishioners remember Fr. Jim and do so fondly. He has a personal touch and strives to give each person the time and attention needed – which is not always easy, especially in a large parish. He lived a “preferential option for the poor,” often giving everything he had to ensure that others were taken care of.

If Fr. Jim reads this column, it will probably be with a certain amount of discomfort, but because he doesn’t really like to toot his own horn. But folks here at OLG need to know and acknowledge the gift that he has been to us.
As for me, I knew when I was coming to OLG that I could not fill his shoes even though my feet are much bigger. I knew I couldn’t replace him, so I didn’t try. I just succeeded him. Now it’s my privilege to welcome him back to the parish where he did so much good ministry and to simply say, “Congratulations, Jim. And thank you.”

Fr. Tom Metzger
tmetzger@ologn.org