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By Cian Keeney ’ 19
Many past and present Saint Francis High School students have marveled about Father Steve Kim ’ s ability to connect with the high school students through homilies , his example of the Saint Francis mission , and his engaging attitude while talking to the students about their lives . Father Steve ’ s outgoing and humble attitude serves as a reminder to the parishioners of Saint Lucy ’ s and the students of Saint Francis that being humble goes a long way in this world .
Father Steve was born in Korea and raised in Santa Clara County . His life as a priest consists of being the pastor for Spanish ministry at Saint Lucy ’ s , working at Saint Francis High School as a religious studies teacher , studying to attain his masters and PhD degrees in
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Father Steve Kim
education at USC , and working to build a new Catholic high school .
Father Steve ’ s passion to help the poor and needy had made him intrigued by the idea of the priesthood . He fostered his love for helping people throughout middle school and the first half of high school . At 17 , Father Steve was accepted as a seminarian for The Diocese of San Jose . Through prayer , Father Steve felt “ like God [ was ] calling [ him ] towards [ the priesthood ].” His open mindedness enabled him to take a leap of faith as he recalls saying , “ lemme try it out .” Soon , he became the youngest priest ever to be ordained in the San Jose Diocese .
A dual assignment keeps Father Steve on his toes because of his commitment to Saint Lucy and Saint Francis . Father Steve ’ s role at Saint Francis is to take care of the spiritual needs of the students , faculty , and alumni . As Chaplain
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at Saint Francis , he is in charge of Campus Ministry , school-wide masses , immersion trips , and retreats . This year , he attended an immersion trip to Uganda with several students as a faculty leader . His favorite retreat is the senior retreat because of the students growing in their faith through all four years and seeing those familiar faces . As Chaplain of the football team , Father Steve motivates the players to win , and of course , stay humble while doing so .
While teaching senior religious studies classes , Father Steve ’ s appreciates an inquisitive learner , because
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curiosity challenges both him as well as the student . Father Steve is rooted in the belief that by informing his students on the teachings of the church and informing their conscience , they will make the world a better place . When youth are in high school , their opinions and morals are not fully formed yet . Father Steve tries to show the morals and ethics of the Catholic Church so that future leaders of the world can leave a mark on society . Considering the poor and needy when making decisions is important for the world to move forward . Father Steve likes to see his success through others because he is more comfortable working in the background .
Father Steve embodies the Saint Francis mission of “ educating the hearts and minds ” by teaching students , living a humble life , and leaving a lasting mark on the communities he serves .
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The Diocese of San Jose ( DSJ ) under the guidance of the Director of Liturgy , Chris Wemp , successfully concluded its first Youth Liturgical Musicianship and Composing camp .
The purpose of the camp was to provide rigorous musicianship training , learn how to talk about music objectively and assess compositions constructively , and introduce the basics of composing ( e . g . elements of a well-crafted melodic line [ from a Western Harmonic perspective ] and harmonic rhythm , text selection / setting , etc ). The goal of the camp was to both empower musicians to be even more effective musical leaders in their
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parishes , as well as to support them in writing original music .
According to Wemp , since this was a first year launch , the scope was intentionally limited so I could test if there really was interest in a program of this type , before getting too big too fast with trying to offer broader liturgical formation .
Nearly all of the 17 students who participated in the 40 hour week agreed that they would like to continue their formation beyond this week ; we will have a series of followup workshops and coaching sessions , combined with opportunities for musical involvement at Diocesan liturgies
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, so that we can continue to support them . For those students whose compositions reach a final draft level , I will work with them in getting their pieces published . One student , who came in unable to read music , left the |
week with a composition of her own making that was so excellent , we used it at a parish Mass several weeks ago .
Almost everyone who participated said that they would recommend this camp to a friend and that they would want to return for more advanced training in a summer intensive ; I look forward to continuing this service .
Wemp encouraged others to be on the lookout for more details to come as future opportunities are planned , especially keeping in mind those young musicians with whom you work at the parish level .
For more information , contact Chris Wemp , at cwemp @ dsj . org .
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