Father Jim's desire to become a priest derived at an early age. When asked at kindergarten graduation what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said, "A priest."

 

Father Jim graduated from Quigley South Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. He continued on to Saint Stephen Seminary and graduated from Chaminade University in 1973 with degrees in both psychology, philosophy, and a minor in theology.

 

After graduation, he went to work for General Mills, working as a general supervisor and then as a manager of both the production and packing departments until 1995. In the middle of 1991, he was hired by Uni-Leveler as a Union worker and worked both jobs simultaneously until 1995 when he retired from General Mills and became a supervisor at Uni-Leveler until 2006.

 

He re-entered the seminary in 2015 and was ordained a deacon later that same year. In April 2016, he became a priest in the Old Catholic Church. His first assignment was at Christ the King parish. Later that year, he was re-assigned to Saint Barnabas as the Assistant Pastor, where he continues to serve today.