Oblate Father James Sanford returns to Utah

Intermountain Catholic

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Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father James Robert Sanford had led a life filled with challenges. Certainly his sense of humor has helped. He said he used to use his full name, James Robert Sanford, until the television show ?The Waltons,? came on. ?Then everybody started calling be Jim Bob.? So now, he says, ?I'm Father Jim.? IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

by Jessica Blake

intern, Intermountain Catholic

SALT LAKE CITY — The dream of being ordained a priest, often takes root in childhood. For young Jim Sanford, choosing to work for God was a decision that came a little later in life.

Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father James Robert Sanford was born in 1956 and entered the seminary for the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Fathers and Brothers at the age of 22. He grew up in an Irish family of four.

At just 16, having gained the independence to drive, young Sanford had a tragic collision with a child riding a bicycle. The child was in a coma while young Sanford was grieving. He promised God that if the child lived, he would become a priest. Soon after, the child woke up and young Sanford seriously thought about his promise.

Fr. Sanford "learned at an early age," through the saying, "life doesn’t give you more than you can handle," that "God doesn’t work that way." Fr. Sanford works these teachings into his homilies; "It just happens; not everything happens to you for a reason."

As a young boy in camp, Fr. Sanford had found, "the seminarians loved their life, prayed together, and still had fun without getting paid."

Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father James McHugh, who teaches Chemistry at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, noticed Fr. Sanford’s dedication and willingness to learn. Fr. McHugh asked if Fr. Sanford wanted to be an Oblate, and that was the beginning of Fr. Sanford’s vocation as a priest.

While he contemplated the priesthood, his parents challenged him to look at his long-term commitment. At age 25, Fr. Sanford took a year off to make sure his dedication was solid. He was an associate through college, and in 1979 he became a novice. Ordained in 1986, He has taught in high schools and served in parishes for 19 years in Toledo, Ohio, Utah, and Denver, Colo.

During his work as a priest, Fr. Sanford had opportunities to accompany students on athletic and mission trips. Once, while on the way to Apalachia, the boys tried to coax Fr. Sanford to wrestle with them, and after a couple of futile attempts, Fr. Sanford refused. Soon after, one boy lightheartedly pinned Fr. Sanford and the teacher passed out.

The hairline spinal fracture paralyzed his left side. An operation didn’t improve his numbness. After six months of frustrating rehabilitation, Fr. Sanford had a more successful second operation, but phantom pain on his left side along with chronic fatigue prevented him from having a full-time pastoral career.

"I was working in a parish at the time," said Fr. Sanford, "and I just didn’t think I could give the parish and the people everything they deserved.

Fr. Sanford has taught English, Science, and Introduction to Catholicism, and he also taught at Judge Memorial Catholic High school from 1988 to 1990. Today, he teaches one to two periods a day at the. He tells all of the students he teaches about the accident, "they understood, the kids are really kind."

A pronounced limp is a small part of this soft-spoken, complex man’s life. The "toughest thing to deal with was my own personal conflict," said Fr. Sanford about the notorious question, "Why are you doing this to me God?" Although he lives with constant pain, Fr. Sanford believes, "God will hurt with you."

Blake is a senior at Brighton High School and a member of St. John the Baptist Parish.