Jubilarian – Fr. Jim Link, CR
- 50th Anniversary of Ordination: October 9, 2026
This year the Congregation of the Resurrection in Canada is blessed to be celebrating two Jubilarians! Today we would like to share a reflection by Fr. Jim Link, CR, who is celebrating 50 years of priestly ordination.
When I first thought about writing for my 50th anniversary of priesthood, I did not want to go through the 50-plus years like a time-stamped biography – that story is in my files in the Provincial Office. Instead, I thought I would let the memories pop up like corks in water, realizing that I would miss a lot of the in-between moments but letting my story be somewhat a highlight reel. So, here we go.
It was July 2nd, 1967, the day after Centennial Day, that my family drove me up from Kentucky to drop me off at our CR novitiate in Dundas, Ontario. We drove in my brother’s old Citroën, which, we found out later, was only running on two of four cylinders. Every time I drive into Hamilton, I remember the vista overlooking the city as we came down the mountain from Highway 5. The only other thing I remember is that the restaurant we stopped into for lunch did not serve chili, stating that was only a winter dish. It was then I knew I was in a foreign country.
After university in Waterloo, theology in London and my diaconate internship in Brantford at St. Pius X Parish, I decided to return to Kentucky to be ordained to honor the faith community that first nourished my spiritual beginnings. I returned to begin my newly minted priesthood in Brantford where I would be for the next four and a half years. I will be eternally grateful for the people of that parish because they are the ones who shaped and formed my ministry as a priest. The archbishop of Louisville had given me the sacrament of Holy Orders but it was the community of St. Pius that molded me.
The next cork that popped up was one that made me a high school chaplain at the old St Jerome’s High School in Kitchener. Frankly, it was an assignment that was not on my bucket list but one, however, that would lay the foundation for what was to come. I was on the job only a month when Fr. Mike Cundari, the principal who hired me, was tragically killed by a drunk driver coming home from North Bay. My co-chaplain, Mil Winter, helped the school through those dark days.
At this point, I was fifteen years into priesthood. I realized one day that just as I would not trust my doctor or my car mechanic if he or she stopped studying, nor did I trust myself. So, in the interim, I asked my community for a sabbatical. That request turned into a two-year break that took me to St. Louis University and Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. The road that led to my Masters of Theology in Homiletics, tapped into my nerdy side. I loved the reading, the vibrant conversations, and the exposure to other preachers. It helped me to realize that one of the gifts that God had given me was the charism of preaching. I was the steward of this gift given to me for the sake of the faith communities that I would continue to serve.
It was from there that I ended up at St. Jerome’s University and would remain there for the next seventeen years as Chaplain. Working with my colleague, Melinda Szilva, we led the University Catholic Community. Students, faculty and staff, all gathered to worship, celebrate life and their Catholic faith. With no hesitation, I can say that those years at St. Jerome’s were the best years of my priestly life. But, as all good things come to an end, so did those days. However, the seeds that were sewn during those years continue to bear fruit in the lives of the many SJU graduates and UCC members whose faith continues to be lived out in meaningful ways, as they look for ways to transform the world around us.
After my triple by-pass surgery, I was supposed to move on to another sabbatical, but that period lasted only several months. It was interrupted by an assignment as pastor to St. Joseph Parish in Hamilton – an interruption that lasted 12 years. I started out there with Fr. Toby Collins, Fr. Michal Kruszewski and finally, Fr. Chris Buda. In the end, I remained the sole CR. There are several corks that pop up in my mind from my years at St. Joseph’s, many of which involved our vibrant music ministry and the relationships I formed with our pastoral team. My ministry as pastor ended with the death of my kidneys and my introduction to dialysis. My retirement dream was always to be a retired priest in residence at St. Louis Parish, but the rectory did not prove compatible with my operated knees. Resurrection Manor was the only logical conclusion.
And now, here I am at the Manor with ten other Resurrectionists, living in a manner that most retirees could only hope for, that is to say, we are well taken care of. Food, shelter, a chapel, transportation, physical therapy, doctor and PSW visits, there is not much left unattended. This past year has been a challenging year for me. As Bob Dylan sang, I have been “knocking on heaven’s door” at least three times. My last stint in the hospital was blessed by walking two doors down the hall and sitting in prayer with my classmate, Fr. Murray McDermott, until he went home to God. Murray and I entered together in 1967; I was there as he died peacefully.
These days, life at the Manor is fairly predictable. Those of us here see each other at meals, at chapel and gathering to “snooze with the news” after supper. The in-between times are filled with the busyness of the motley crew of CRs who are here. Almost half of every day for me is caught up with my peritoneal dialysis which happens while I sleep. It’s not a burden but part of my daily routine and it is keeping me alive.
In the meantime, the journey continues for me. I try to be thankful for each day God gives me and to do the best with the energy and resources I have left. As a Resurrectionist, I have committed myself to let my life be a sign of the transforming power of God’s love, bringing God’s life and love to all and renewing the face of the earth. Finally, I thank all those thousands of people who have walked this journey with me in good times and in bad, especially my brother Don and sister Martha, who have supported me all my life. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
