Fr. James V. Matthews

By Father James V. Matthews
Pastor, St. Benedict Parish, Oakland

As far back as I can remember, I have cherished all things religious. As a little tyke I was captivated by the stained glass windows of our home parish, St. Ambrose in Berkeley. The artwork depicted scenes of our salvation history and I felt good about being a part of that history.

In the mid-1950s, we moved into St. Ber-nard Parish in Oak-land. By the time I reached the age of reason, I put aside imagining I was the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid (two of my childhood heroes) and believed I could be like Father Denis Kelly and Father Ernie Brainard. Here were priests who dedicated their lives to God and to His people and seemed very happy in serving the parish and school.

This is the third in a series of reflections written by priests in the Oakland Diocese as part of the observance of the Year for Priests, designated by Pope Benedict XVI.

But it was three beautiful women who moved me along towards priesthood.

My maternal grandmother, who is Catholic, wisely encouraged me to listen to the whisper of God. She even went so far as to help me when I was 8 and 9 in making vestments so that I can “practice saying Mass.” My poor sister and childhood friends would have to suffer through this as the congregation (though I would persuade them to participate with Necco wafer candies).

My Methodist paternal grandmother gave me my first Bible as a First Communion gift that prepared me along the way to do very well in my Scripture courses in the seminary.

And then there was Holy Cross Sister Bernard Joseph who esteemed my piety and prayed my way to the seminary.

In 1960 my family moved into St. Benedict Parish and the great influences there were Father Dan Finnegan and Holy Family Sisters Margaret Mary and Josita.

It was on my Confirmation day in 1962 that Bishop Floyd Begin invited me to become a priest. Excited by the invitation, I wanted to enter St Joseph’s Seminary. My parents felt that I was too young to make such a life-altering decision, and the compromise was to wait until after high school.

In the meantime, Bishop Begin stayed in touch with my parents, and in the fall of 1966, I was seminary bound.

As a Vatican II seminarian, the Church and the world were rapidly changing and I wanted very much to be a part of that change. During this time there was a renewed hope and vitality for embracing diversity within the Church and society.

Bishop Begin supported this change and knowing he would ordain the first African American priest in Northern California expected me to be a full participant in this movement.

During those years I grew to appreciate the uniqueness of my heritage coupled with Catholicism. My Catholic roots come from southern Louisiana and I can trace them back to the 18th century. I realized that if I persevered through the seminary I would become the third priest in my family.

At the turn of the 20th century my great-grandmother’s first cousin Father Pierre Oscar Le Beau, SSJ, was the first Josephite missionary in Louisiana. (A town is named after him).

My cousin, Father John Rodney, SVD, is a retired seminary professor of the Society of the Divine Word.

My greatest mentor, though, was Divine Word Father Clarence Howard, the venerable pastor of St. Patrick Parish in West Oakland. He preached my First Mass and shared quite eloquently the reason why I became a priest: “It is all about sacrifice and service that is pleasing to God, and His love reflected in what you say and do.”

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