by Gordon Nary
Gordon: When and where were you born an tell us something about your family.
Father Joe: I was born in the summer of 1963, the 7th child of Joe and Bobbie (Roberta) in Worth, Illinois. As a youth moved to Frankfort, Illinois a small, rural town on the outskirts of Chicagoland. Parents were practicing Catholic and raised us in the Catholic faith.
Gordon: What universities did you attend, what degree did you earn, what was your favorite course, and why was it your favorite?
Father Joe: I graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in Accounting. Outside of the accounting courses, I enjoyed courses in science, marketing, literature and psychology.
Gordon: What was your first job and what were you primary responsibilities?
Father Joe: My first job after college was with the CPA firm Ernst and Whinney, later Ernst and Young. I worked as an auditor and with accounting systems.
Gordon: When did you work as Financial Controller at Bobbie Noonan Child Care, Inc. and what as their mission?
Father Joe: My parents hired me to work with my dad to help with accounting and property management in our family business. I helped computerize and streamline the manual accounting system, oversee maintenance and upkeep of the centers and audit center financial operations.
Gordon: When you received your vocation, with whom did you first discuss it, and what was their response?
Father Joe: I spoke first with a priest that was on a Medjugorje pilgrimage in March, 1990. They were very supportive and acted as a spiritual director until I applied and entered the seminary.
Gordon: Where did you attend seminary, what was your favorite course, and why was it your favorite?
Father Joe: Learning about Jesus was my favorite pursuit including scripture, Christology and Early Church history courses.
Gordon: When did you serve as Assistant Pastor of St Francis Borgia Parish and tell us about the parish.
Father Joe: I served immediately after ordination for six years. This is a parish in Chicagoland with over 1500 families in one might describe as middle America.
Gordon: When did you serve as Resident priest at Holy Name Cathedral and St. Alphonsus parish, Chicago and what is one of your favorite memories of each parish?
Father Joe: I lived at these parishes as a resident when I served as the Vocation Director. I was not involved in these parishes other than celebrating Mass on weekends. Both parishes have tremendous architecture and are each beautiful in their own way. I was living at the Cathedral while two historical events occurred. First the walls of Holy Name began to spread out loosening the pieces of the wooden ceiling. A 20+ pound piece of wood fell causing an immediate closure and significant work on the restoration of the building structure and repairing the ceiling. Secondly, there was shortly there after the infamous Holy Name fire which nearly destroyed the Cathedral.
Gordon: When were you Vocation Director, Archdiocese of Chicago, what were some of the challenges of Vocation Director, and how did you address them?
Father Joe: The biggest challenge is the loss of faith among baptized Catholics. Echoing the late Cardinal Bernadine, our biggest challenge as a Church is evangelizing the baptized and unconverted Catholics who no longer practice their faith or have left the Church as non-believers or for non-Catholics Churches. Our biggest needs are presence and messaging on social media, outreach on college campuses, to fallen away Catholics choosing not to baptize their children. Catholic efforts like FOCUS and Newman Centers have made inroads and should be supported and expanded. Catholics grade school and high schools need to strongly increase their Catholic identity and discipleship forming of students and families.
Gordon: Between 1970 and 2023, the number of priests declined from 419,728 to 407,872 despite a large increase in the number of Catholics. What are some of the causes of this decline, and what can the Church do to address these challenges?
Father Joe: In the USA, at this same time, the number of practicing Catholics dramatically. Men called to priesthood who are not raised in the practice of their faith by non-practicing parents are losing their vocational calling. Helping young adults to pursue lay missionary work such as NET, FOCUS, Totus Tuus can help men to discover their call to the priesthood. Catholic Schools need to be unabashedly Catholic and support vocational awareness as part of their academic curriculum,
Gordon: You then served as Pastor at St. Damian Parish. Oak Forest Illinois. What is one of your favorite memories when you were there?
Father Joe: The strong and lived faith of the parishioners. The wonderful staff and host of volunteers who loved Jesus and served him with energy, zeal and pride.
Gordon: You are currently Pastor of Mary, Mother of Divine Grace, Westchester, Illinois. Tell us something about your parish.
Father Joe: It is a small parish with deep roots in the local community. Our parishioners have strong faith and are open to growing our community and growing in their discipleship.
Gordon: Who is your favorite Saint, and why is that Saint your favorite?
Father Joe: Our Blessed Mother, Mary is my favorite saint. She is clearly the model of discipleship for all baptized Christians and remained loyal throughout her life. Her motherly love for all of us as an extension of the love for her Son is an amazing gift that Jesus continues to give to us. Everyone should pursue a healthy devotion to our Blessed Mother, She will lead you to her Son.
Gordon: Thank you for an insightful and exceptional interview.