Retired teacher wants second career as priest

After a 27-year career in education serving as a math teacher and assistant principal at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich., Bill Jacobs knew it was time for a change.

The golf course or a favorite fishing spot were not in the retirement plans for this Green Bay native.

Jacobs, who settled in the Kalamazoo area after completing his masters in education at Western Michigan University, wanted to serve the church, so he asked for guidance from Bp. James Murray.

"I went to the bishop and said 'Use me however you want to,'" said Jacobs. "He said 'Bill, you are ready for the priesthood.'"

After consulting Bp. Murray, Jacobs, who grew up as a member of Holy Cross Parish, Bay Settlement, made plans to enter the seminary. He gave away items to family and friends, and a liquidator assisted him with his other possessions. Jacobs sold his home to live in an eight-by-12-foot room.

"It is certainly a big step when you rid yourself of your belongings," said Jacobs. "But the essentials are taken care of, and I have never been more at peace."

Jacobs, 58, entered Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass., last fall. The seminary is for men ages 30 to 60 who join the priesthood after a previous career. Jacobs is pleased with his decision.

"It's the right place for me," he said. "It's very intense with a tremendous amount of work, but we are treated as adults. At another seminary, I would be concerned that I would be looked at as a father figure. Here I am among my peers."

His peers include doctors, lawyers, teachers, military officers and insurance professionals, to name a few. Jacobs will be ordained in 2003 after completing the four-year program. Last year, the seminary had 71 candidates representing 26 states and 36 dioceses.

Jacobs has spent the summer assisting Fr. Mike Osborn, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Augusta, Mich. He has concentrated on visiting the sick and learning all aspects of parish life to prepare for the priesthood.

"It's been an absolute joy to see what was always inside him blossom in his vocation," said Fr. Osborn. "The wealth of experience he brings as a teacher and administrator is a gift to the Diocese of Kalamazoo. One of the functions of priesthood is teaching. He is an exceptional individual who is very insightful and always very thoughtful. His quest for holiness is inspiring."

Jacobs found time to visit Green Bay in July. His family and friends have supported his decision to join the priesthood.

"They are very proud of me, but it was culture shock to many of them the first time I came home from the seminary," he said. "They thought I had changed. 'It's just Bill,' I told them. My former students are very comfortable with it and think it's great. I had my 40th class reunion, and people were supportive. It reinforces my decision."

While he is happy to be pursuing the priesthood, Jacobs has no regrets that he didn't attend the seminary sooner.

"I get asked that all the time," he said. "I wouldn't have been ready. If I had gone sooner, I would have gone for the wrong reason. I am happy that I was a teacher. It's what I wanted to do."

As a priest, Jacobs would like to continue working with young people in the role of vocations director or some form of ministry to teens.

"They will shape the future," he said in reference to teenagers. "I feel very much at home working with that age group."

Although he is no longer in the front of the classroom, Jacobs believes people can learn a lesson from his life-changing decision.

"It's never too late to respond to God's call," he said. "It's all right to try. We (Pope John XXIII seminarians) don't know our age. We will work as long as we can."