A long road to priesthood in later life for South Jersey father

It has been a long journey to the priesthood for the Rev. James J. Grogan.

He comes from a family that has produced about 15 priests in Ireland and the United States over the last century.

But becoming a priest seemed unlikely for Grogan until fate and a call from God changed his direction. He was married and has three adult sons.

A permanent deacon for nine years, he was ordained last month as a priest along with four others by Trenton Diocese Bishop David M. O'Connell.

Grogan, 58, officially assumed his duties on July 1 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorestown, the parish that has been his family's spiritual home for three decades and where his children attended parochial school.

"It was not part of the journey I imagined back then," he said in a recent interview. "It was definitely a calling."

Grogan was drawn to the priesthood after his beloved wife of 25 years, Ellie, died of ovarian cancer in 2007. He was left to raise their children and figure out the next steps for his life.

A year after her death, he began seriously contemplating whether he was being called to become a priest, as had happened in three generations of family members. He eventually came to a "prayerful decision" to forgo a long career as a crisis management expert at Sunguard Availability Services in Wayne, Pa., where he had been employed for 25 years, and study for the priesthood.

The Catholic church allows widowers to become priests. However, Grogan cannot marry again. He believes that Ellie continues to guide his life.

Such a life-changing move warranted the support and blessing of his children and his family - who overwhelmingly embraced his decision.

"I really don't think this changes much in terms of our relationship, except now Dad works weekends," said his eldest son, Will, 25. "We're all just happy to see him happy."

Will, associate director of alumni relations at Arcadia University in Philadelphia, said the change in their lives is bittersweet.

"We will never forget our amazing mom. This wouldn't be happening if Mom was still here," he said.

While his sons completed school, Grogan obtained a degree in pastoral theology at La Salle University, beginning a path to the seminary. He then enrolled in a one-year program to complete a second master's, in systematic theology.

To help with his spiritual growth, Grogan spent time at several parishes, most recently St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Freehold. In 2013, he entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.

The Trenton Diocese, which serves 800,000 Catholics in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties, has 158 active priests. Few have taken the path of Father Grogan, although no official statistics are available, diocesan spokeswoman Rayanne Bennett said.

"He is an older vocation, he was married with children, and he had been an ordained deacon. I don't think that we have had anyone who fit that exact profile," she said.

With a declining pool of priests in recent years, the Catholic church has a critical need for priests. There are nearly 3,500 parishes across the country without a resident priest, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Grogan's first priority throughout the priesthood process remained his sons and seeing them through high school and college. James, 24, works in the technology sales field, and Tom, 22, the youngest, graduated from La Salle in May.He sold the family home in Mount Laurel and now lives in the parish rectory in Moorestown. The family has a home in Sea Isle where they plan to continue to have gatherings.

Grogan grew up in a devout Catholic family in Baltimore with two brothers and three sisters. He attended parochial schools and earned a bachelor's in biology from St. Joseph's University and a master's in computer science from Villanova.

Grogan comes from a long line of priests. His eldest brother, Father William E. Grogan Jr., is a priest at Holy Cross Parish in Philadelphia.

For the ordination attended by about 900 people, Grogan selected his big brother - whom he always admired and looked up to - as the vesting priest.

"The tears were flowing pretty good," recalled Grogan. "That was an incredibly special moment."

The family also traces among its ranks two cousins and 13 others who are priests, spanning three generations here and abroad.

Father Jim Grogan has performed weddings and baptismals and celebrated his first Mass, and provided pastoral counseling. He uses a chalice passed down from an uncle, also Father Jim.

He believes that his experience as a husband and father will help in his new role as a parish vicar. The parish has about 5,300 families.

"It's a very nice homecoming. It simply is where I think God wants me to do my best work for him right here at this point in my life," Grogan said.