Last Updated on November 1, 2024 by Editor
By FRAN PERRITANO
Father Jim Cesta celebrated his 50th anniversary of his priesthood earlier this year. He has spent the last 15 years as pastor of our parish. Most parishioners only know Father Jim as the priest who celebrates Sunday Mass, has a sense of humor and preaches great homilies. So, we decided to learn more about the man behind the collar. We sat down last month in the sunroom of the rectory to learn more.
What was your family life like growing up?
It wasn’t awfully Catholic, except for Sundays. You know we never missed church on Sundays, even in the summer when we lived in our summer home. We dress up, go to Mass in Cazenovia on Sundays, but no extra prayers. We never even said grace at meals. We were busy. My father was busy with education. My mother was a real estate broker.
What did you do when you hung out with friends?
Movies. Hiking trips.
Your father was in sports, right?
Well, yeah, He always refereed basketball, and he was a football coach on the side, and assistant superintendent of schools for Syracuse. He was a big athlete in his earlier life.
And your mother got you into music, right?
No, no. I was the only one that liked music. Classical music.
How did you get into classical music?
I have no idea how. The other young kids were listening to The Beatles, and I was listening to Beethoven.
You went to public school and attended religious education classes and Mass on Sundays.
Well, we call the church school on Sunday for an hour. We had great priests in our parish growing up — famous legendary priests who were a great influence.
That brings me to the next question. As a kid, were you ever thinking of becoming a priest?
Always. From 9 years old.
Why?
Because I like the rituals and everything about it.
When did you finally know that this was it? It doesn’t sound like it was the bolt of lightning.
No, no. It was always there. And actually, my grandparents were an influence, too. They always said you should be a priest — you’ll never starve! And I like people. And events and gatherings.
And so, you’re biggest influencers were some priests and your grandparents?
And the example of the family very devoted to weekend Mass worship.
I’ve been told by a good friend of yours that you weren’t very outgoing in the seminary, and that you were kind of laid back a little bit. We know you as the outgoing joke-telling priest.
Well, it was the time to study. I mean, you know, you can’t play around for nine years in the seminary. You have to study and write. But I was in with fun groups. Seminaries are not fun.
So, no going to bars after lessons?
Oh yeah, sure — later in the graduate school era, when you’re 23, 24.
That’s where you got your taste for …
Wine!
From whom did you get your sense of humor?
My father. He was known in the whole Syracuse school district.
When did you realize, as a priest, that you can draw people in using your sense of humor?
From the beginning, even as a deacon. When you would give a talk or run a meeting or something, if you start by humor, you can get their attention. Humor is a great hook.
You’re also known for your homilies. How did you hone that skill?
I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone three times in Ireland! I don’t know. It’s just that some have it and some don’t. And one thing the Catholic priests are not known for is preaching or homilies. The one mistake they make is they talk about all the readings at Sunday Mass — first, second, the gospel. From the very beginning, my priests who taught me said you’re ordained to preach the gospel. The other two are for your background. Your homework. Don’t feel like you have to treat all three. People get bored, and it takes too long.
And you always seem to talk about, when you’re reflecting on the gospel, what does it mean to us now.
For today. That’s right. They don’t want a history lesson.
Is that from the generation you grew up with, because I guess we would consider you guys the young radical priests at the time (1970s and ’80s)?
Well, the younger priests today are a little more theological and historical. But they finally get around to applying it to people’s daily living, but that’s what people want to hear.
And where did you learn to keep it short? You’re about eight minutes every Sunday.
Well, Pope Francis recently said that sermons should be eight minutes, but I knew that 40 years ago. A good sermon has a good beginning, a good end and about eight minutes in between.
Do you have a highlight of your priesthood?
Well, let’s see. One would be about 30 years ago when I arranged for the big Holy Saturday Easter service in the Penn-Can shopping mall in North Syracuse because our church then was too small. I turned the whole place into a cathedral, setting the candles, banners, all kinds of things. And we had about 4,500 people filling the mall. It made the New York state news. Another highlight would be living in Rome, Italy, for a while and having Mass with St. Pope John Paul II in his private chapel — just eight people. A couple of times I was there for that. And, well, weddings, funerals, baptisms. I enjoy them all. They’re all very special.
Obviously, in everybody’s life not everything is a highlight. How do you cope with disappointments?
Just move on, move on. You’re not going to bat, what is it, 300? What is it? You’re not going to bowl 300 all the time.
Why do you think people stop coming to Mass?
Well, there’s too many diversions and distractions. Now, you can’t get people to sign up for a bowling league or a card club because there’s 600 channels, Netflix, so on and so forth. People are very busy, both parents working. Sunday is a day not to get dressed up and go to Mass, but to just do your own thing.
What’s going to get people back?
What gets people back is the people that are showing up to do their part of the task, which is to share the good word, encourage and even entice. Their relatives and friends to come to weekend Mass. The people that are showing up should be the fishermen to bring in the ones who are away. That would be very helpful. Some do, but most don’t. They’re timid. They’re shy. They’ve been taught not to talk about religion or politics.
Why is it hard for Catholics to talk about religion?
Because, well, because we are a sacramental church — baptism, marriage, confession, communion, priesthood, confirmation — and they don’t know how to talk about the thread running through it, which is a personal relationship with Jesus, with God. Where the churches that aren’t sacramental, that’s all they have is the relationship with the Lord, so that’s all they have to talk about, and they talk about it. Because we’re set up as a sacramental system, they talk about, well, they made their First Communion at such and such a church, but they don’t talk about who they met in communion.
Do you ever question God?
Not really. Maybe someday if I have a great tragedy I will. It hasn’t happened yet.
After 50 years of priesthood, what still motivates you?
The people. I enjoy people and the points in their life with baptism, marriage, death. Things like that I’d like to be there when they face those things. I’m motivated by people who are fun and have humor and don’t sweat the small stuff.
How would you like people to remember you?
By the street that they named after me! I don’t know. I don’t. I have no idea how they feel we’re remembered.
Is there anything else about Father Cesta that we need to know?
No intention of retiring. Until death do us part.
The Rev. James Cesta
- Birthplace: Syracuse. “My birthday is the same date every year — Dec. 18, the week before Christmas.” And you’re not going to give the year? “Well, these things aren’t important.”
- Family: Father Carmen and mother MaryAnn, both deceased. Sister Ann and her husband, Mark, in Old Lyme, CT; and younger brother Michael and his wife, Angela, in Cicero.
- Education: Grant Junior High School, Syracuse; Henniger High School, Syracuse; St. Lawrence University; seminary college in Ogdensburg; major seminary at St. Bernard’s in Rochester; Leuven in Belgium with the Jesuits; courses in Rome, Italy, at the Ancient School of San Anselmo.
- Parishes served: St. John’s in Rome (first assignment), Holy Family in Fairmont, St. Agatha in Canastota, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Oswego, Mount Carmel / Blessed Sacrament since July 2009.
- Favorite activities: Painting, music, piano, reading, landscaping, sailing.
- Favorite TV show: “Chicago PD.”
- Favorite movie: “Key Largo.”
- Favorite quote: “There is a little bit of bad in the best of us, and there’s a little bit of good in the worst of us, so no one should talk about any of us.”