The idea of being the leader of Saints Peter & Paul Parish could easily strike urbanites as the equivalent of being the classic country priest, whose time is spent leisurely ministering to a small flock of the faithful in a beautiful rural setting. But it didn’t take long for Father James Nash to dispel that myth very quickly from his modest office on Route 50 in Easton when the Spy caught up with him a few weeks ago.
In fact, Father Nash oversees an enterprise that is counted as one of the largest employers in Talbot County and includes an elementary school, high school, and three churches with membership in the thousands. And each week, he not only faces the normal challenges that come with any man of the cloth, but must manage over one hundred employees, fundraise for substantial building projects, and administer a $6 million annual budget during his spare time.
And yet none of this seems to weigh too heavily on the priest who left a successful accounting practice to find his real vocation within the Catholic Church. In our Spy interview, Father Nash talks about the business of St. Peter and Paul, but also about the timeless beauty of his faith, the teachings of Pope Francis, and his humble philosophy of leadership in caring for his parish.
This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Saints Peter and Paul Church and School, please go here.
Dr. Fran White says
Father Nash is truly the most dedicated and personable paster who has blessed our parish with his “up close” manner of connecting with his parishioners. His video interview brought tears to my eyes due to the genuinely compassionate response to the issue of those who are in emotional pain and are in need of the attention and support of others. As a community psychologist and family therapist, I so admire his acknowledgement of those who are in need of mental health support and psychotropic medication. Father Nash emphasized that there is no shame in suffering with this disease as with medical dysfunctions. Father Nash just recently presided over the renewal of our Golden vows of fifty years of marriage and demonstrated his outstanding ability to touch the hearts of all of those who have the privilege of knowing him. Besides my role as a clinician, I am also a local author and this generous cleric did endorse my three books and encouraged parishioners to attend my book signings. Perhaps, someday he will be canonized, St. James Nash!
James nash says
Fran you are too kind but canonization? Naaaaaaa!
Frank Carollo says
From my experience in talking to Father Nash when I needed some perspective on our faith, he is — in addition to being a dedicated priest and an effective pastor — a truly insightful spiritual counselor and just a plain good guy. He really helped me get through a rough stretch, and we are fortunate to have him here.
Stacey Radcliffe Leffingwell says
Father Nash is just a wonderful man. Our family is not Catholic but we find him to be an inspirational religious leader in our community! Thank you! It was a nice interview.