COURTESY PHOTOS

Father Jim Shappelle is pictured here with many of the people he has baptized during his 60 years as a priest.

Faith, duty contribute to priests’ vocations

By Eileen Connelly, OSU

ARCHDIOCESE — For 60 years and counting, Father Jim Shappelle and his classmates marking jubilees in 2008 and 2009, have served the people of the archdiocese with faith and dedication.

Father Shappelle’s vocation to the priesthood is rooted in his experience growing up at Holy Family Parish in Price Hill. "We lived about a block away from Holy Family and our bedroom was level with the bell tower," recalls Father Shappelle, the second oldest of five children. "Someone in our family was always at the church for one reason or another. The church and the school were part of our life."

Following in the footsteps of the clergy members who inspired him, Father Shappelle left home for the seminary in 1938. He spent seven years at St. Gregory’s Seminary and three at Mount St. Mary’s before being ordained on Aug. 24, 1948, with five of his classmates. He was then sent to Rome for two additional years of study. Father Shappelle’s other classmates completed their studies locally and were ordained in 1949. Among the men ordained with Father Shappelle was the late Father Ray Favret, whom he describes as "the smartest guy in our class, a real genius. He was a mentor to the younger seminarians, helping them with their Latin."

Father Larry Mick, left, poses with Father Chris Armstrong, pastor of St. Antoninus Parish. Father Armstrong met Father Mick as a student at then-St. Gregory’s Seminary.

While preparing for the priesthood was the most challenging aspect of his vocation, serving his parishioners has been the most rewarding for Father Shappelle. "It’s just been a remarkable experience for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way," he said. "I’ve been so inspired by the eagerness of people when they’re getting married, and it’s been a privilege to be with people at a funeral, being present to them during a difficult time and sharing their burden. I feel very much at home at St. Bernard’s and Mother of Christ. The people really care about each other. I’ve been blessed."

Some 850 parishioners, family members and friends gathered at St. Vivian Parish last Aug. 17 to celebrate Father Shappelle’s jubilee. It was an occasion for him to reflect on his vocation and the decades of service he and his classmates have dedicated to God and the church. "There was sense of duty instilled in us at the seminary and some of us are still doing the work of the Lord. That’s what make us old guys tick — faith and duty."

It is also what continues to drive Father Larry Mick, one of Father Shappelle’s seminary classmates now in residence at St. Antoninus Parish in Green Township. One of five children, Father Mick hails from St. Joseph Parish in Hamilton. As with his classmate, he was inspired by experiences at the parish. "My brother (Robert) and I went to Mass with Dad nearly every day, even during the school year," Father Mick said. "There was just something about the idea of being a priest, of saying Mass."

So strong was his vocation that Father Mick went to St. Gregory’s Seminary right after grade school, spending eight years there before continuing for another four at Mount St. Mary’s. His brother, Robert, joined him at the seminary after attending Hamilton Catholic High School (now Badin). "Our parents enjoyed the idea that both of their sons would be priests. They supported us all the way," said Father Mick, who along with his brother (Father Robert Mick passed away in 2003), was ordained on March 12, 1949.

After continuing his studies in Rome, Father Mick returned to the archdiocese where much of his ministry was devoted to seminary work. He taught music, mathematics and Latin during his tenure from 1954 to 1980. In addition, Father Mick served as seminary principal and disciplinarian. It was at St. Gregory’s Seminary that Father Mick met a student who now serves as pastor of St. Antoninus — Father Christopher Armstrong. After the seminary closed, Father Mick served as pastor of St. John Parish in Deer Park from 1984 to 1997. He came to St. Antoninus following his retirement.

Plans for Father Mick’s jubilee are underway. Father Armstrong, who has lived with Father Mick for five years, has created a burse to celebrate his friend and mentor’s 60th anniversary. A permanently restricted endowment, the interest from a burse is used to help offset the cost of training local seminarians for the priesthood.

Looking back on his years as a priest, Father Mick said, "I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. While I enjoyed teaching very much, parish work is really the work of a priest. I consider parish life the full life of a priest, ministering to all types of people, from going into the classroom to preparing people for marriage and presiding at funerals."

His advice for young people considering discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life is, "Lead a Christian life at home, participate in the Mass and be faithful to receiving Communion. Go to your parish priest if you feel called. At least talk to somebody."