Father James Misko, my brother priest

By Fr. Doug Jeffers, Diocese of Austin

When I was ordained to the priesthood in 2017, Fr. James Misko was the pastor of St. Louis parish in Austin, which was my first parish assignment. It was a blessing, as a new priest, to have a pastor who took seriously his role as a mentor for a newly ordained priest, and I had the opportunity to learn many things from him over the two years that we served together in that parish assignment. 

As I think back on those years, the first of my priesthood, I am especially grateful for the way that Fr. Misko modeled pastoral charity. At the heart of the priestly ministry is love for the flock and everything that that entails: teaching and preaching, administering the sacraments, being available to those who were alone or suffering or confused, welcoming people to the church when they came for Mass, and the list goes on. 

Fr. Misko taught me how to bring that pastoral charity even into the more mundane details of parish ministry: working on the budget, taking care of the landscaping, and making sure that all the lights are working in the church are acts of pastoral charity too, because all those things shape a person’s experience, and invite a person into an encounter with God. Diocese of Austin
I remember some of our conversations where Fr. Misko would reflect on a person coming to Mass, perhaps for the first time in a long time, perhaps suffering or in the midst of the chaos that life throws at us, and he would encourage us to think about how to give that person an experience of order, harmony, beauty, and welcome when he came through the parish doors. The lesson stuck with me. 

As we have continued to work together over the years in different roles, I have always been encouraged by Fr. Misko’s tireless example of pastoral charity, and it has encouraged me to be more generous in my own priesthood. Tucson is receiving a Bishop who will be generous in love and service to his flock, and, though we are sad to see him leave us, we know that he will serve the people of Tucson with the same zeal and charity that he served the people of Austin.