Rev. Mr. James DeViese, Jr.
I am from Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in Oak Hill, WV. I'm the
oldest of three boys. I am a graduate of Charleston Catholic High
School, and I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts
(concentrations in Music and Theatre) from Hampden-Sydney College in
Virginia prior to entering seminary. After graduating from
Hampden-Sydney, I worked at my Alma Mater as a Media Technologist,
overseeing the day-to-day operations of the library's Media Center. I
finally entered seminary in the Fall of 2003, matriculating from the
2-year Pre-Theology program at the Pontifical College Josephinum
in Columbus, Ohio.
In 2005, I completed a Bachelor of Philosophy degree at the Josephinum,
and began my formation in major seminary that fall at the Pontifical
North American College in Rome. I am currently completing my third year
of priestly formation at the NAC (as it is commonly known), as well as
my Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) at the Pontifical Gregorian
University. Next year I will begin a License in Canon Law (JCL) from
the same university, though currently it is expected that I will return
to the diocese to serve as a parish priest for a few years before
finishing the JCL.
I was ordained a deacon on May 17, 2008, at Sacred
Heart Co-Cathedral in Charleston, and (as far as I'm aware) I expect to
be ordained a priest at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling in June
2009. Life as a seminarian has proven far different from what I
envisioned when I first made application to the Diocese of
Wheeling-Charleston in 2002. Most people on the "outside" have strange
perceptions of what seminary must be like - young men in long robes
spending hour upon hour in the chapel looking very solemn and pious. I
think that stereotype is what even keeps some men from pursuing a
vocation. The reality of seminary life is a bit different. In many
ways, it reminded me of my time in college. Aside from the expectations
of prayers, chapel attendance, not showing up to class in one's
pajamas, etc., the modern seminary environment is a lot like a college
environment, at least as I have experienced it. There is time for
socialization with peers, going to movies, etc. The classes are
structured very much like typical college courses, although they are
geared towards philosophical and theological topics. Although, being in
Rome adds a certain flavor to all of that which is rather difficult to
explain. To save time and ink, imagine everything that I've said, but
put the seminarians in Roman collars, watching movies that have
subtitles, hearing lectures in Italian, and walking a few miles
round-trip to get from the North American College to their respective
universities.
Having had two very different seminary experiences (one
on either side of the Atlantic), there are many aspects of seminary
life that I have enjoyed. Of course living in Rome has its challenges,
but that, in and of itself, is what I have enjoyed most. It's all very
hard to describe, but there is something so profoundly unique about
being formed as a priest in Rome that I really cannot put my finger on
it. It could be the fact that right now, as I'm writing this, I'm also
looking out my window at the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Or the fact
that just this morning I was walking through the Scavi of St. Peter's
(the ancient necropolis under the basilica, and the tomb of St. Peter)
with a reporter from Vatican Radio. It could be that I can go to see
the Pope every Sunday as he prays the Angelus with the people in St.
Peter's Square. Or maybe it's the fact that every day on my way to
school I pass by more historical sites than I could even list here. In
a nutshell, being in Rome, being so close to the Holy Father, the
Apostles and martyrs, and having access to so many of Christendom's
holiest sites as I prepare for priestly ordination is what I have liked
most about seminary.
Now I know that not everyone has the opportunity to study in Rome. I've
been very blessed to have been given that opportunity. And people
expect that life as a Roman seminarian is all fun and games. But the
downside to all that I've mentioned above is that when it's time to
work, we work very hard - for our formation, but also for the
thousands of pilgrims from the US who come to Rome. Being in Rome,
we're not just seminarians...we're also ambassadors, hosts,
guest-masters, tour-guides, waiters, etc. The biggest challenge is
being able to smile every day, to keep going even in the face of utter
exhaustion, and to keep each experience of Rome as new for each new
pilgrim as it was for us the first day we set foot in Italy. But in the
face of those challenges, there's always that renewed sense of service
to which we are called. And we do it not for paychecks, not for public
recognition, nor for any other sort of accolade. We work out of a
sincere love for Christ, for His Church, and out of a profound desire
to lead others to Christ and His Church through all that Rome has to
offer.
Seminary life poses other challenges as well. In many ways, it's
a bit of a pressure-cooker. In a short period of time, men are formed
and turned out into the parishes of the United States and the world.
And when your time comes, you've got to be ready. It isn't a place to
waste time or dwell on issues. In a fast-paced world, and in a
forward-moving Church, seminarians run the gauntlet to make certain
that they can face the day-to-day difficulties of parish life, and of
life as a priest - a life that is so counter-cultural and so in the face
of all that society elevates as acceptable and right that it really is
no wonder that more men don't answer the call. I know that sounds
pessimistic, but the men who make it are on fire with a love for Christ
and His Church that is not easily extinguished, and they're capable of
rising to the challenges of life in the real world.
When I'm not doing
any of the above activities, I try to sleep! Not really! Seriously,
though, I enjoy traveling. Being in Europe has provided me with some
excellent opportunities to make friends in various countries and to
visit with them. My travels have taken me from Ireland to Norway to the
Czech Republic and many places in between. I love to read (I especially
love studying about the Liturgy); I enjoy cooking and watching movies;
I love the theatre, opera and ballet. So, really, what little "spare"
time I get is pretty well-filled with various activities in and around
the city.
I first realized I had a vocation to priestly life when I was about 8
years old. Though it took me another 14 to answer the call! I first
became aware of my vocation serving on the altar. Through college, I
didn't think much about the priesthood. College had far too many other
distractions for me to think about priestly life! But as I neared the
end of my time in college, I began to feel a call to do more than what
I had planned for my life. I was getting a degree in Fine Arts and was
planning on continuing studies with a degree in Arts Administration.
But that fell through, and I was consigned to returning to my parents'
home in Oak Hill, waiting tables (I realize how ironic that is for a
trained musician and actor!), when I got a call from the library at
Hampden-Sydney, asking me to come and work for them. So, I went. During
the next few months, though, I began thinking more and more about where
my life was heading. It was also during this period that one of the
great spiritual influences in my life, Fr. Harold Moore, my pastor of
12 years, passed away, having lost his battle with cancer. I won't say
that his death was instrumental in my applying to seminary, but it
certainly made me more mindful of his life and his influence on my own
life. And somewhere in the midst of processing all of that, I found the
vocation that I thought I had left behind with the little cassock and
surplice I wore on the altar. I contacted the diocesan Office of
Vocations, they sent me an application, and the rest, as they say, is
history! Now, of course, it wasn't as easy as what I've just described,
but hopefully that gives and idea of how I came to find my vocation.
The influences on my vocation are many. I keep meeting more and more
people who tell me how they always knew I'd be a priest someday. My
fellow parishioners still talk about seeing me serve on the altar and
saying how they just knew! But there's something to that...because true
vocations are sometimes very easy to spot. I remember very clearly--and
I love telling this story--how at the celebrations for Fr. Moore's 50th
anniversary of priestly ordination, his classmate, Fr. Leo Lydon,
walked up to me, introduced himself, saying, "Jamie, I'm Fr. Leo, and
one day you're going to be a priest!" I was dumbfounded (and so was my
girlfriend standing beside me!). But sometimes people just know these
things! Obviously Fr. Moore and Fr. Lydon were influential in my
vocation. I also owe a great deal to Fr. Leo Werner and Fr. Jeremiah
McSweeney, both wonderfully holy priests who either explicitly or
implicitly affirmed my vocation and set for me very concrete examples
of what a priest should be like. Of course, these aren't the only
priests to have influenced my vocation. And priests aren't the only
people to have influenced my vocation. But I think it bears mentioning
just how crucial good priests are to vocations. We're very blessed in
our diocese to have some excellent priests who have inspired a good
many men to follow the call of Christ to care for the souls of the
People of God in our diocese. It's very apparent that we need more. And
we need more people to pray for vocations. As I said to someone just
the other day, there are plenty of vocations out there...we just have
to see to it that the seeds are properly cultivated...and that is how
we will bear much fruit!