Bro. Jim Zabransky, SVD
Bro. Jim Zabransky, SVD, graduated from Divine Word College in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He completed two years of graduate studies at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines, receiving his Master of Arts in Religious Education in 1981. Bro. Jim professed his final vows on April 17, 1982, at Techny, Illinois. After years of serving throughout the world in varied ministries as an SVD Brother, he is currently engaged in parish ministry at St. Anne Catholic Church in Webster Springs, West Virginia.
As a boy growing up in Elmhurst, Illinois, my family and I were very involved in our local church. We went to mass together every Sunday. My father, who had his own business as a butcher, belonged to the Holy Name Society. A homemaker, my mother helped wash the church linens and was also involved in Bible study. Each day before school, she took my younger sister and me to daily mass.
I graduated from Visitation Grade School in Elmhurst. While I was a student there, I joined the Future Priests’ Club of the SVD. Back then, they held 8th grade weekend retreats at Techny. My friend and I attended one. All the priests and Brothers we met were friendly, and we had a great time! I decided to study for the priesthood for the diocese of Joliet. So off I went to St. Charles Borromeo diocesan high school seminary in Lockport. As a student there, I had several Christian Brothers as teachers. They were some of the best teachers that I ever had.
After graduation, I completed two years of seminary studies at Lewis College, but then decided to leave the diocesan seminary system. I switched to pre-engineering studies at Lewis College for two more years. But I still felt a call to give my life to God in a special way. The vocation of a religious Brother seemed right for me. So I contacted the SVD and was accepted into the college program at Epworth. I graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree. That same year I professed my first vows at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. For the next two years, I taught at the SVD high school seminary in Bordentown, New Jersey.
After that, I headed to the Philippines for three years of overseas training. During the first year, I taught high school in the province of Abra. Then I completed two years of graduate studies at the University of San CarIos, graduating in 1981 with a Master of Arts in Religious Education. On April 17, 1982, I professed my perpetual vows as a Brother.
Living in the Philippines, the forces of nature are all around you – including earthquakes, typhoons and even volcanic activity. One night I awoke after having a dream that my bed was moving, only to find out later that we’d had an earthquake – and I wasn’t dreaming after all! In Laoag City, where I lived at the time, earthquakes and aftershocks would cause me to run outside my building for safety. But each time I returned, my bookcase had fallen over, with my books spread across the floor. After one earthquake, its aftershock and two rounds of picking everything up – I decided to remain in my room for any more aftershocks – holding my bookcase upright! I guess you can get used to anything over time!
Typhoons usually struck in the Philippines once or twice each year. In the U.S., we call them hurricanes. One such typhoon left us with a 20 ft. high landslide of rock and dirt, making our road impassable. We had to walk around it and take a bus on the other side. Typhoons would shut everything down, including the college where I taught. Priests and Brothers would get together and play cards all day until classes resumed! On one occasion, our electricity was out for over a week, and I did my class preparations with only two candles for light. We all cheered when the electricity finally came back on!
Altogether, I spent more than a decade in the Philippines, serving in campus ministry and teaching. From 1987-91, I worked in vocation ministry at Divine Word Seminary in East Troy, Wisconsin. After a three-year assignment back in the Philippines, I went on to spend three more years as Director of Religious Education in St. Kitts, in the SVD Caribbean District. In 1998, I returned to the U.S. for a new assignment: formation ministry and teaching at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa. I was there until 2004.
My present ministry is at St. Anne Catholic Church in Webster Springs, West Virginia. What is the life of a pastoral minister like? Here, I’m responsible for just about everything except sacramental ministry. I pay the bills, keep accounts and do purchasing for the parish. I schedule and attend regular Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council meetings. I bring communion to the elderly, select songs for mass and prepare prayers. In addition, I attend scheduled diocesan meetings for pastoral ministers and prepare reports for the diocese. I lead a local centering prayer group. I am the District Superior for Pittsburgh-West Virginia and schedule our monthly meetings. I’m also a board member of our local Catholic Charities office.
As an SVD Brother, knowing that I have made a difference in the lives of others is most rewarding – whether it was leading young people closer to Jesus Christ through youth retreats in the Philippines, writing grants for scholarships for college students there, bringing children to the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation in the Caribbean or visiting the elderly here in West Virginia and bringing some brightness into their lives.
And what is true for me, can also be true for you! As an SVD Brother, you, too, can make a difference!