the catholic community of st. francis of assisi
The Friar of St. Francis
It’s hard to have been at St. Francis Parish, or the schools here, for any length of time, and not know Father Jim Sabak. A “larger-than-life presence” doesn’t describe Father Jim adequately, but there may actually be no proper way to describe his presence here accurately. Since 2017, he has been a force at the parish and the Diocese of Raleigh, helping many traditional Catholics reconnect with the Church through his fresh perspective and inspiring everyone with his joyful presence.
Father Jim, though, was apprehensive when he was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi back in 2017. When asked if he was excited about going to a parish, Jim said, “No, not at all. I saw it kind of as just trying to fill a gap; trying to find a place for me and putting the square peg in a round hole.” He had not been at a parish and had been in college settings during his time as a friar. “My thing was,” he says, “I wanted to be able to get another teaching position at a college.” However, sometimes God has other plans, and our St. Francis parish schools played into that plan.
Volunteer Spotlight: Vicki Carrillo
Vicki Carrillo came by her volunteer spirit naturally. “As a child,” she remembers, “I grew up in a very religious family, and we were always participating in the community church. My mother continued that tradition of supporting the church with volunteer service in Mexico. Later, she moved to Oklahoma City and continued her volunteer work.” That inspiration and experience were all Vicki needed. “I started doing the same with my children about 18 years ago because we have faith that if we help others, they will help someone else,” she says, putting the ‘pay it forward’ concept into action!
“At St. Francis of Assisi parish,” Vicki says, “there are always opportunities to volunteer, and I started looking for the opportunities available for our children. They participated for a long time and learned a lot. Even during college, they would come home just to volunteer, preparing food for farmworkers. I really appreciate that our church is always looking for ways to support the community, especially immigrants; it’s truly inspiring.” She adds, “At St. Francis, modeling our faith is done by creating volunteer opportunities for members, as well as being inclusive and creating opportunities for fellowship by supporting community members in celebrating Catholic traditions from our many cultures, traditions such as the Mexican Nativity play and the Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
