MICHIGAN CITY – Father David Kime was confident to say “yes” to a call to the priesthood early on. What helps him remain a happy, energetic person is a relationship in which he feeds the faithful and is fed by his fellow believers.
“‘Yes’ is beautiful,” Father Kime said, recalling the strength he got from God to respond in the affirmative. “I was not afraid of the sacrifice.”
He added, “I love being a priest and it’s a great mystery as to why God’s been so gracious to me.”
The pastor of Queen of All Saints in Michigan City, chaplain of Marquette Catholic High School, and dean of the LaPorte/Starke Deanery counts more than a quarter century of ministry and 54 years of life. There’s plenty he’s observed and could point out, but it comes back to gratitude. “God is so good; every single day I say this to Him,” Father Kime said.
David Kime entered this world in Gary, born to the late Donald and Joan Kime, who immigrated from the United Kingdom. He is the youngest of nine children.
“My parents were very faithful to their vocations from God. They were faithful to Sunday Mass and family devotions,” said Father Kime. “They did not have a lot of money when we were growing up ... but they were always joyfully trusting in God.”
A young Kime attended St. Mary. He counts the late Monsignor Richard Zollinger, then-pastor of the Griffith church, as a key encourager of his religious discernment. Two future clergymen, Father Kime eventually joined Father James Wozniak as the first two Gary seminarians to attend Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minn.
After studying theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Father Kime was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Dale J. Melczek at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on June 7, 1997.
Father Kime’s priestly ministry began in East Chicago, where he was assigned as associate pastor of St. Mary. There he refined his Spanish skills and continues to use them to this day.
Father Kime taught for three years at Andrean High School starting in 2003, followed by a four-year term in a combined assignment as a religion teacher, chairman of the religion department and campus minister at Marquette. Pastorates included St. Joseph in LaPorte (2009-12) and St. Francis Xavier in Lake Station (2012-21).
At each stop in his faith journey, Father Kime said he has felt loved. Acting in persona Christi, hearing confessions and offering general support to the faithful garners profuse gratitude expressed in the “thank-yous” and other thoughtful actions of parishioners and guests.
Yet saying Eucharistic Prayers, presiding at the moments when bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, are awesome spiritual encounters that Father Kime often ponders about.
“I think when you hold the bread in your hand and you say the words of consecration and the next moment, you’re looking at the Eucharistic Lord, you almost think, is this possible? Has God really given me the ability to bring him here to Earth?” Father Kime asked. “You know it’s so much bigger than (the priest); it’s very humbling … It’s so intense that He uses an instrument like any one of us priests to make His love known to the world.”
A ministry highlight reel would not necessarily include “Eureka moments,” but rather contain scenes when people slowly build to “Yeah, that makes sense.
“By your very simple words people can put things together in their lives in a way that is helpful for them to believe more deeply in God,” Father Kime explained.
Amidst all the matters of great gravity, the Michigan City spiritual father believes he has the authority to tell “dad jokes,” and bring silliness to situations.
“One of the most fun things about being a priest is telling jokes; I love to tell dumb jokes and people always laugh,” he said, adding it was surely not out of obligation that they react that way, but rather because they “want to share joy.
Through joys and difficulties, Father Kime said there is a true brotherhood among area priests, particularly “with 10 or 12 strongest friends without whom I would not be half the priest I am.”
Describing his brother priest Father Wozniak in the highest regard, he said he reflects the presence of Christ.
“We have shared every struggle through 27 years of priesthood and in the midst of those struggles he still loves me and I love him,” Father Kime said of the St. Matthias pastor. “In that experience of real brotherly love, I believe that I discovered the face of Jesus.”
A former diocesan director of vocations, it’s safe to say (or write) that Father Kime is a walking advertisement for career satisfaction. Nourished by those in his life, he stands in appreciation of the Creator’s care.
“There’s nothing that could make me happier than being a priest,” Father Kime said. “I experience God’s love in the interactions I have with the people in my parish.”
To better show appreciation to a parish priest, Father Kime recommends keeping two ideas in mind: “pray” and “understand that a priest is totally human; remember, he’s trying to do his best to serve Christ.”
Caption: Father David Kime shares a laugh with Queen of All Saints parishioners Catherine Garrabrant and Kathy Brill following his Tapped In talk on Oct. 9 at Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria in Michigan City. The seasoned priest said as much as he nourishes the spirituality of his parishioners, he feels fed by their support and love. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)