Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire. If you give credence to this quote by poet William Butler Yeats, then Franciscan Father Jim Bok is a praiseworthy fire starter.
Before the Cincinnati, Ohio native spent 16 years in the Jamaica mission connecting impoverished residents to life-changing care and education, he worked as an administrator at Cincinnati’s Roger Bacon High School, an all-boys Franciscan school and part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s parochial school system. At the Province’s direction, he took part in what some might deem a combustible evolution.
“When I was the school’s principal, word came from the Superintendent of Schools that the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg were going to withdraw from the neighboring Our Lady of the Angels girls’ high school, due to financial reasons. We were asked if we wanted to accept the girls.
So, we took what was a Catholic all-boys school for 60 years, and it became a co-educational institution. We had two toilets for women in the whole school. And we had a very small 1928 gymnasium that had to accommodate two new basketball and volleyball teams. So, we had one humongous task on our hand. That’s where I got my start in raising money. We had to build a new athletic center and do massive renovations!”
Next, the Provincial of the Cincinnati province asked Fr. Jim to take over the Province’s Development Office as its official ‘beggar.’ Toward the end of his seventeenth year at the helm, he had an epiphany.
“It’s the only time in my life as a friar that it felt like the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder,” recalls Fr. Jim. “I never ended up doing anything in my ministry that I intended to do. I never intended to be a teacher, principal, or Development Director. That all just came by happenstance. It’s all been a blessing. I’ve had a great Franciscan life. And when I visited the mission in Jamaica and saw we needed friars there… There was something that sort of, BOOM!”
After settling beside the turquoise beaches of Negril, Jamaica, Fr. Jim began making important connections. After one Sunday mass the Women’s Club asked about opening a soup kitchen.
“Negril is a small town, but a big tourist destination,” explains Fr. Jim. “And in the midst of all of that, there’s a lot of poverty. So, we opened St. Anthony’s Kitchen and started feeding some of the local hungry people. As time went on, the crowds grew and included homeless people, people with mental health issues, drug addictions, and people who were unemployed or underemployed.
“It’s still operative today, coming up on 15 years,” continues Fr. Jim. “The friars serve about 130 meals a day at lunchtime and 60 breakfasts to kids on their way to school, and we have a hired staff to do that. So, in addition to feeding the hungry, we’re also providing full-time employment to five people.”
By opening St. Anthony’s Kitchen, Fr. Jim connected the people of Negril to much more than nourishment.
“One Monday at The Kitchen, we observed that there were hardly any children at lunch. It was the same on Tuesday, but then Wednesday through Friday there were heaps of kids in the yard for lunch—when they should be in school. We asked some of the parents, ‘What’s going on here?’ One mom replied, ‘Father, education is free, except there are fees. We have to buy uniforms, books, and lunch. And there’s no bus service. So, if you need transportation to get to school, you have to pay for a taxi. And the mom said, ‘Monday and Tuesday, I can handle the lunch money and taxi fare. But on Wednesday through Friday, I can’t, so my kids don’t go to school.’”
At that moment, the fires of education again lit under Fr. Jim. “That’s when we started the Get Kids to School (GKTS) program. If mom could pay for two days, we’d pay for three. If mom can pay for three days, we’ll pay two. We’ll even pay Monday through Friday if we have to! Many of the primary school children go to the Mount Airy Primary and Infant school, which is about six miles away. So, we worked with the Rotary Club of Negril and Grapevine, Texas and acquired a 15-passenger bus. We outgrew that bus very quickly and, with the help of Food for the Poor, obtained a 29-passenger bus. The bus does a couple of runs a day. It picks up kids at The Kitchen and carries them to school. At the end of the day, it picks them up and brings them back.” GKTS assists 170 children with transportation, lunch money, school supplies, books, uniforms and more.
After the Get Kids to School program was up and running, we saw a need to help some students continue their education after high school.
So, we started the Get Kids to School Plus (GKTS+) program, which has helped kids from Negril go to The University of the West Indies, The University of Technology, Shortwood Teachers’ College, St. Norbert’s Veterinary College, and various other programs for skills training, nursing, and so on.”
Recently, after leaving a legacy of learning in Jamaica, Fr. Jim returned to the U.S. and is looking forward to semi-retirement, staying involved with the Jamaican mission, and looking to enrich the lives of others. Back in Negril, the Friars continue St. Anthony’s Kitchen, GKTS, GKTS+, and providing its people with food, clothing, house repairs, cooking gas, medical needs, and more.
“There is also the regular parochial ministry that takes place in our various churches,” adds Fr. Jim. “I often take this for granted but it is a fundamental part of our ministry. To be successful in the missions you have to be among the people. Go into their neighborhoods. Enter into their lives. Be present! The Friars in Negril have done that very effectively. None of what we do there can be done without benefactors. They’re the backbone. And I believe the gospel cannot be preached without money. I say that all the time. In Luke 8:1, Jesus had benefactors. He went from village to village and town to town, proclaiming the Good News. In his company were the twelve and some women who sustained them from their means. Jesus himself had benefactors. You need support to do these things, and you need to go with a good heart. Jamacia is an incredibly wonderful place for Franciscan friars to be. It’s a great mission.”
Welcome back, Fr. Jim. We can’t wait for you to start your next fire!
To see Fr. Jim in action and meet two “Brothers Walking Together” in Jamaica, visit www.TheFranciscanChallenge.org.
