Father Joseph Jackson of St. Ignatius Parish, 6559 N. Glenwood Ave., poses with his hole-in-one golf ball and club. His first hole-in-one was recorded at Mount Prospect Golf Club in June of this year. (Julie Jaidinger / Catholic New World)
He is: Father Joseph M. Jackson, pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, former pastor of St. Leo Parish (1981-1990). Ordained at Mundelein in 1974. Youth: “My dad took the name Jackson from his stepfather, James Jackson. My dad’s real father, James Edwin Finnegan, died when he was a baby. I’m half-Irish. “I grew up at Grand and Harlem, St. William Parish, until I was almost 12. I went on to St. Vincent Ferrer in River Forest, and St. Cyprian in River Grove, then Quigley North and Niles. I have an older brother and sister. “For many years dad owned Stanke’s Meat Market, 7173 W. Grand Ave. After my mother’s dad, Joe Stanke, died, he bought out a brother. Dad would bring food to people in need and donated food to St. William Rectory and St. Vincent Ferrer Convent. “At one time there were 16 people working there. The last non-family member employee was Emil Baumhart. His son became Jesuit Father Ray Baumhart. So that little store produced two priests. “When I was nine my mother got breast cancer. She was courageous and never let anything stop her. She lived another 27 years, but it was a big factor in my life. Two years after her diagnosis dad sold the store. He worked for the county for many years and also held elective office in Leyden Township for eight years. Vocation: “My parents were a big influence in my becoming a priest. Father Ted Stone, who is still going, was a big influence as well. We were also blessed with our pastor Father Art Douaire, and Father Tom Seitz.” Schools: Has a master’s degree from Loyola in counseling and after ordination earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. “I studied ‘stress and the priesthood.’ I taught at the college seminary for years and still teach one course a semester in psychology at Loyola.” ‘Stress and priesthood’: “One thing I found, if a priest is actively engaged in life it helps. I found it didn’t make any difference how old a priest you were when you became a pastor — the important factor was how many years you’d been a priest. I looked at second career guys, for instance. They were aged 30 or 50, but if you were only a priest for four or five years and became pastor that was difficult. “I was pastor at St. Leo’s at age 33. I learned a lot there. At the time, part of young Barack Obama’s community organization included St. Leo’s. While at the University of Chicago, I met a priest who’d been in the same research program I was in, Father Ignacio Martin-Baro. He became one of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador with Oscar Romero. It’s possible some day in the future I can say I met a president of the United States in a parish, and a saint at the University of Chicago.” Highs and lows of a historic church: “They’re pretty connected. St. Ignatius is a diverse parish. That can be wonderful and challenging. We have many ethnic varieties. There’s a long history of parishioners here involved in sports, politics, entertainment, law, and primarily education with Loyola nearby. There are great grandchildren of founding families still here today. The church itself is beautiful. I’ve been spoiled in that sense. I go over there and kneel and it’s very prayerful for me.” Leisure: “I still golf, and was able to go out once a week this summer with former classmates and another friend. I had two holes-in-one for the first time. I don’t play basketball any more, but I still really enjoy it. I’ve been blessed to have a lot of friends who coach. I see their games and follow Loyola pretty closely. My line about when I played is: ‘I never really had a career, I just had all the right injuries.’ Reading is my third love. I’m a big history buff. So I’m reading a new biography of Ulysses S. Grant, by H.W. Brands. The other one, and it’s slow reading but a helpful nonfiction book, is “The Power of Habit,” by Charles Duhigg. About getting into habits of doing things, good or bad, and how to change them.” Favorite Scripture verse: “The one that sticks with me is St. John’s Gospel, 15:11: ‘I have told you this so my joy can be in you and your joy might be complete.’ It isn’t always easy to be joyful, but it’s so important.”