Local Religious life

Young priest grows closer to God in rural Kansas

Father Jaime Zarse is the pastor of of Sacred Heart in Sabetha, St. Augustine Parish in Fidelity and St. James Parish in Wetmore, is pictured just outside of Sabetha. After high shool in Overland Park and his first assignment in Topeka, he said rural Kansas is a significant change. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN BONAR

by Karen Bonar
Special to The Leaven

SABETHA — During his first few years as a priest, Father Jaime Zarse was immersed in ministering to the youth of the archdiocese.

Six years into his priesthood, he’s taking a different approach.

“In my last assignment, I spent 75 percent of my time with our young people. What that experience showed me is if Mom and Dad are checked out and don’t care about their faith, it doesn’t matter how strong your youth programs are,” he said. “I have made it my mission in this assignment to spend 75 percent of my time pursuing my adults. I want to get to know them and share my heart with them, share my story.”

Father Zarse’s story is this: He moved to nine different cities before entering high school. He settled in Overland Park and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in  2005 before embarking on a collegiate soccer career at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

“I was thinking I would become like my dad: Get married, have a good Catholic family,” he said.

But — naturally — God had other plans.

“I lost my college girlfriend and the game of soccer within seven days of each other,” he said.

This allowed him time to pause and reflect.

“It was the greatest blessing of my life,” Father Zarse said. “I feel like sometimes the Lord takes everything from you. It was like God was saying, ‘Son, I’ve tried to be subtle, but I love you too much to leave you where you are.’

“I couldn’t begin to tell you why he called me to the priesthood. He saved me from myself, from the man I surely would have become, and he did it through love,” he said. “Once you experience the tender, merciful love of God, you can’t go back to counterfeit love.”

Father Jaime Zarse stands in front of stained glass windows inside Sacred Heart Church in Sabetha. The transition from city life to serving in rural communities has been a blessing for the young priest. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN BONAR

Sometimes, however, seeing God’s wisdom and love in a situation is difficult.

A prime example was when Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann appointed him to be pastor of a triad of parishes near the Kansas-Nebraska border. In 2018, he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart in Sabetha, St. Augustine in Fidelity and St. James in Wetmore. An Overland Park native who also lived in Topeka, a seemingly remote assignment was a significant change.

The landscape of rural Kansas is far different from that of St. Louis, Milwaukee and Houston, where he lived as a child.

“Unlike those places where nobody knows who you are or cares who you are, up here, everybody knows your name,” Father Zarse said. “Whether it’s the grocery store or wellness center or country club, everybody looks at you and acknowledges you and asks how you are.”

But it isn’t the only difference.

“If something happens and you need help, people drop everything to be there,” he said. “I suspect many small towns share a strong work ethic and an integrity.

“In this part of the world, parish members see the need and they fill it. If they see something that needs to be addressed in the church or hall, they just take care of it — they don’t even ask you to fix it for them. It’s incredible.”

For Father Zarse, serving as a priest in small, rural communities has opened his eyes to the unique beauty they offer. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN BONAR

Living in a more rural environment provides an opportunity to reflect upon the life of Christ.

“I think there’s a reason Jesus was born in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth, not Jerusalem or Rome,” Father Zarse said. “When I think about Sabetha, I think of it as my Nazareth. I drew closer to Our Lady and to Jesus because there was silence and quiet. I was alone with ‘The Alone.’”

The process of settling into the region took roughly 18 months, he said. With about 2,500 residents and no stoplight, Sabetha has a significantly different culture than his first assignment in Topeka.

Being immersed in a large parish and high school at his first assignment, however, allowed him to gain a perspective and focus on his current assignment. The three parishes have a dozen Bible studies between them, all aimed at adults.

 “I want my little footprint in the history of these parishes to be that I took the time to know the parents,” Father Zarse said. “The focus has always been, ‘If we don’t invest in our kids, we don’t have a future of the church.’

“It’s true. But if you can light fires in the parents and the homes, great things can follow.”

About the author

The Leaven

The Leaven is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Leave a Comment

2 Comments

  • Not many would be strong enough to get up and talk about their calling..he said his parents said it was ok to talk about it. He almost wasn’t born..he is a living message of why abortion must be made illegal..such a precious gift he is to any parish..full of the holy spirit

  • Father zarse as I told him in topeka is so very powerful in bringing the love and presence of christ to the parish..his story of his parents wanting to abort him brought tears to many eyes..he is a miracle..christ the king misses him and father zimmerman