Priests, nun ‘drove’ his vocation

He is: Father James Barrett, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish on the North Side, former pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Evanston. Ordained at Mundelein Seminary in 1982 by Bishop Nevin Hayes during the interim after Cardinal Cody’s death.

Youth: “Grew up with seven siblings.

Spent most of his early years in St. Leo Parish. Then family moved to St. John Fisher. Was one of the 1,200 freshmen Baby Boomers at Brother Rice High School. “Our class doubled the size of the school in 1960.

“My dad was a steel worker. When the stockyards closed he went to work at Wieboldt’s at 63rd and Halsted as a janitor/night foreman.

“My mother went back to work when I was 3. Her claim to fame was she cleaned Jimmy Hoffa’s offices at 29 E. Madison St., and he gave her a $20 tip every Christmas. Mother is a Higgins from Swinford in Mayo; my father, from Belmullet, County Mayo. I’ve visited both places.”

The call: He graduated from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minn., in 1968. Taught at St. Gerald’s in Oak Lawn and Mater Christi in North Riverside and was principal there for three years. “I was 30 when I went to the seminary and 34 at ordination.

“It was Father Bob McLaughlin, an associate at Mater Christi; Father Jerry Listecki, a resident there; and Dubuque Franciscan Sister Marilyn Meisner, my eighth grade teacher, who drove me to the priesthood. They’re the ones who told me I should be a priest and I told them to leave me alone.”

Finally he went up to Mundelein for the ministry weekend. Not long afterward, “I said I’d give it a try, and 28 years later, ‘here I are.’”

Life’s lessons: While serving in five diverse parishes, “I’ve met marvelous people — deep faith-filled people — that was one of the sustaining things. At first you take it for granted and then you’re amazed. Another lesson is, if you’re not a person of prayer, ‘forget about it.’ On the other side, you have to have a good sense of humor.” And his present parish? “They’re salt of the earth people.”

Leisure: He enjoys the theater, opera, Shakespeare. “I love touring the city. We took the sixth- to eighth-graders on the boat trip to see downtown Chicago. I’ve been fortunate to go Russia, China, Europe, Ireland and other parts of our country.” He reads, “just about anything, especially good Irish fiction and literature, not that I’m biased or anything! I like historical fiction, too — Doris Kearns Goodwin — and airplane books for excitement.” And he has a pooch, Monty, a 6-year-old bichon frise.

Favorite Scripture: “The prodigal son. First I read the book by Nouwen, ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son,’ and then I had the opportunity to view the original portrait in the Hermitage Museum — that whole thing about redemption and forgiveness. The Emmaus story is one of my favorites, too, because we’re supposed to feed people and proclaim.” It brings back a memory, “My mother was always a great host. Both my parents enjoyed having people over and around them.”