When Father Jim Sabak’s grandmother learned he was discerning to become a Franciscan priest, she did not love the idea. Franciscans were ‘the ones who wore sandals in the city,’ which, in her mind, was both unsanitary and unsafe.
“She wanted me to become a newscaster,” Father Jim explains with a laugh.
With his incredible storytelling skills and joyful personality, no doubt he could have excelled in that profession but, luckily for those of us who are blessed to know him, Father Jim followed the winding path that God created for his discernment.
On the December broadcast of Meet the Priest, Father Jim shares his story. Raised in a very involved Catholic family, Father Jim says that the idea of the priesthood was always kind of on the table. However, it wasn’t until a detour through a legal library and a dare to take a pay cut to become a youth minister, that the idea stopped being pushed aside.
Smiling, he says that his journey is a tale of, “God never letting go of me and me never letting go of being guided in that direction.”
Now the director of divine worship for the Diocese of Raleigh, Father Jim acts as a resource for priests and parishes for guiding liturgical celebrations. He explains that while every parish is unique and has its own, “identity, charism and flavor,” there are standards and commonalities that should be maintained to ensure that our liturgies represent the best of ourselves and the best praise we can give to God.
The fact that Father Jim’s current assignment revolves around how we celebrate our faith seems like the ultimate perfect fit, as it was ultimately the joyful relationships and bright light of faith that called him to be a Franciscan.
Speaking of joy, in this special broadcast, listeners also learn about Father Jim’s incredible collection of Nativity sets. After years of collecting, Father Jim owns 123 Nativities. One of those sets is composed of nearly 100 figures.
For Father Jim, the Nativity set is the ultimate representation of just how extraordinary our God is, in that the creator of all things chose the vulnerability of a baby to come to us, to save us.
Hear his thoughts, learn his story and find out the hilarious moment that finally turned his grandmother’s thoughts on the Franciscans around. All that and more on December’s Meet the Priest on Divine Mercy Radio airing Saturday, December 12, at noon.
