Category Archives: Fr. Jim Golka

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to India with Fr. Antony Thekkekara, Fr. Mathew Thekkekara and Fr. Joe Hannapple. Both Fr. Antony and Fr. Mathew have spent time here at my parish, St. Patrick’s in North Platte, Neb., as associate pastors. We had a very aggressive itinerary as we went to eight cities in 10 days. We saw some wonderful sites like the Taj Mahal, the tomb of Mahatma Ghandi, the church built over the mortal remains of the Apostle Thomas, and some Hindu and Baha’i temples. We were able to ride elephants up a mountain to the Amber Fort in Jaipur. Fr. Mathew was not very fond of the elephant!

I’ve determined that India is mystical, magical and just plum crazy (at least the drivers on the streets are crazy). One of the mystical places that I experienced is the south-western state of Kerala. Kerala is tropical paradise. It is also home to many of the Catholics in India and is the home state of Fr. Antony and Fr. Mathew. Kerala was distinctive for its exceptional friendliness and courtesy of the people.

Here in Nebraska, we call our state “the Good Life.” Kerala has a wonderful self-understanding as they refer to their state as, “God’s Own Country.” I mentioned that the drivers are crazy as the roads are congested. As we passed throughout Kerala, I kept seeing vans and buses with signs located above the windshield which read, “God’s gift.”  What a great way to appreciate your land and your possessions! (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today we welcome a new contributor to The Catholic Steward, Fr. Jim Golka. Fr. Jim is the pastor of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in North Platte, Neb., and has been committed to developing stewardship there since 2006. Ordained for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994, Fr. Jim has served as an associate pastor and pastor, becoming pastor of St. Patrick’s in 2006. A highlighted speaker at the Msgr. McGread Stewardship Conference in Wichita, Kan., multiple times, Fr. Jim has a wealth of practical experience and insight in deepening the spirituality of parishioners through stewardship.

A few years ago at my parish, St. Patrick’s in North Platte, Neb., we dedicated a new stained glass window in our church. To find the window, you need to go to the staircase leading up to our choir loft. The window depicts a legend from the life of St. Patrick. When Patrick was a new bishop, he went to Armagh, Ireland, to lay out the design for a new church. When he approached the site, he encountered a doe with her fawn. Patrick’s companions wanted to kill the animals for food. Patrick carried the animals to a neighboring hillside and let them go free. Patrick proclaimed that future glory to God would be given on that site. In 1904, the present Cathedral of Armagh was constructed upon that very site thus bearing forth Patrick’s prediction. Our stained glass window depicts a doe sitting in a church to remember this story.

The window came to us because of a simple act by one of our parishioners. A woman approached me and told me that there was a need in the church that she could help with. She informed me that one of our windows was lacking a stained glass image. She told me that her family would pay for the window if we found a suitable image. I joked back to her that she would be spending her family’s inheritance. She told me that the church was part of her family. (more…)