EVERETT — Sometimes, parents smile big and let tearful eyes speak for their hearts. Words don’t help much, they know, when their hearts are filled with pride for their child.
The Rev. Jack Shrum gave his first Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Everett on Sunday with his parents, Arlyn and Donelle Shrum, in the front pew. The family has attended the Catholic church since 2000, but Sunday marked Jack Shrum’s return as a priest.
“I bless my mother, without whom I wouldn’t be here,” Shrum said to a congregation of about 400 people. “Then, my parents whose love brought me to this world.”
People in the crowd applauded. They’ve seen Shrum, the 1995 Kamiak High School graduate, grow up at the church.
“I thank so many familiar faces in this church today who have supported me through many years,” Shrum, 31, said.
Shrum was ordained Saturday as a priest along with two others in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Shrum is set to start serving a parish in Chehalis and Centralia this summer.
“I know you will continue to support and pray for me,” Shrum said. “Thank you all.”
Shrum was born and raised in Billings, Mont., before his family moved to Snohomish County. He grew up attending Catholic churches, but he drifted away from church when he was a teenager, Shrum said. He wasn’t sure what he would do in his life. He was lost.
A moment of truth came in summer 1999, Shrum said. On his way home from Mount Rainier, he was involved in a car wreck. A semi struck the Honda Accord he was in and pushed the Accord down the road for a half-mile. Shrum wasn’t seriously injured, but he knew he could’ve been dead.
He realized how precious his life was and how much time he’d wasted. Shrum returned to church. Then the Edmonds Community College student grabbed an opportunity to study in Italy, where he visited Rome and met Pope John Paul II. When he came back to the states, Shrum said he was ready to devote his life to God and become a priest.
Donelle Shrum said that she is blessed and humbled her son chose to be a priest. Her son, who was into history and excelled at sports, made the best choice among many other options.
“It’s very emotional to me,” she said.
Her son will not marry or father a child, but he will reach out to many others, Donelle Shrum said.
“He will have so many children in his parish,” she said. “That’s where the term, father, comes from.”
Toward the end of the Mass, the Rev. Bryan Hersey of Perpetual Help said that Shrum’s dedication to the Lord has inspired many people.
“As priests get old, it’s always great to know young people are willing to join us,” Hersey said.
Jack Shrum stayed calm during the service. He gave a Communion wafer to each person one by one, while a choir sang “Here I am, Lord.”
The church’s sanctuary with tall stained-glass windows has remained the same since Shrum started attending the church, he said. But he felt different on Sunday.
“My perspective is different now,” he said. “My perspective is to look out for people.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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