If you had asked Father James (Jim) Curran as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, his aspirations would have changed based on the day or year you were asking.
“I wanted to be either a cop or a priest, and then it was an astronaut or a priest, and then a veterinarian or a priest,” said Father Curran, rector of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk.
While he consistently considered becoming a priest, he did not seriously discern until he was 28. Ordained 25 years ago, he said he loves his vocation.
Religion has been in his bones since he was just a tyke.
The third of eight children, he was born in Long Island, New York, on Dec. 2, 1964, in a family of strong Irish descent. His mother was from Ireland; his father, the son of Irish immigrants. As a child, before going to school, the family knelt in the kitchen “to pray their morning offering,” even if it meant missing the bus. When his mother was working nights, she drove them to school, and they would pray in the car.
“We never, ever missed that prayer,” Father Curran said.
The family also prayed the night offering in the evenings and the rosary during Lent and Advent.
He said theology classes in his Catholic high school “really made me think about the faith.”
“I really, really enjoyed that,” said Father Curran. “I think my vocation started there, even though I wasn’t talking in these terms.”
Upon graduating, he served four years in the Navy and then became a flight coordinator for a Learjet operator out of Patrick Henry Field, Newport News, now known as Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport.
Then came discernment.
Even though he still believed in God, he had stopped going to Mass in the Navy. He returned in about 1990 when he accepted his fiancée’s invitation to go to church with her at St. Jerome, Newport News, where “I claimed my faith,” he said.
“Sometimes you don’t know how hungry you are until you start eating,” he said.
He became active in young adult ministry, and after his fiancée broke up with him, he began going to daily Mass, which he found intimate, comforting and healing. He entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, to discern the priesthood when he was 28. He was ordained May 27, 2000, at the age of 35, and says he has “loved being a priest” ever since.
He said seminary was “one of the most exciting times of my life, not really knowing where it was going to lead but moving in that direction anyway.”
His summer seminary assignments were at St. Jude, Radford (1993); St. Patrick, Lexington (1994); St. Ann, Colonial Heights (1995); and Christ the King, Norfolk (1996). He then did a 15-month pastoral year at St. Mary’s, Blacksburg. He was a transitional deacon at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in 1999.
His first assignment after ordination was as parochial vicar at St. Bede, Williamsburg, and campus minister at William & Mary from 2000 to 2003. Subsequently, he was pastor at St. Joan of Arc, Yorktown (2003-2008), campus minister at James Madison University (2008-2012), and rector of the basilica (2012-present).
No matter the parish, he said, “My first priority is always my people, making sure they are nourished and fed and loved and making sure our vision is clear and [that] we are working toward that vision.”
His parishioners are thankful that he encourages the rich culture at the basilica, which has a congregation that is primarily Black.
Oretha Pretlow, parish liturgical coordinator and former pastoral assistant, said, “He always keeps in mind that this is an African American faith community. He honors and loves our traditions, music, the fellowship, the spirit and the history.”
Longtime parishioner Barbara Wright, retired director of religious education, said, “He understands the culture of the people and the struggles and the problems and the joys – really, the joys – and allows us to celebrate our culture.”
The Scripture that most inspires Father Curran, he said, is Philippians 4:4-5: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.”
His kindness is so apparent that he has been given a number of community awards, including the Distinguished Friend from Booker T. Washington High School, Norfolk, in 2016. In 2018, he earned the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Award from the Urban League of Hampton Roads.
His parishioners recognize how he rejoices.
“For Father Jim, this divine joy is the cornerstone of his strength, guiding him through his journey as a priest,” said longtime parishioner Sandra Bickham. “Each Sunday, Father Jim stands before us, radiating the love and grace that the Lord has bestowed upon him.”
“His sermons are not just words; they are reminders of God’s boundless love,” she continued. “We’re just blessed to have him as our priest.”