The year of Our Lord 2007 has seen significant changes at "Saint Blog's Parish," as several well-known authors have curtailed or ceased their activity in the Catholic blogosphere. This past Friday, it was announced that Father "Don Jim" Tucker, author of Dappled Things (not to be confused with an online journal of the same name) would be discontinuing.Father Tucker is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington. I had the privilege of serving a traditional Latin Mass for him a year ago, while he was a guest celebrant at St Lawrence in Franconia. This past summer, he was transferred to All Saints Parish in Manassas, the largest parish in the diocese, as their new parochial vicar. He has no doubt had his hands full since the day he arrived. And even though we in northern Virginia do not suffer from quite the vocations shortage as they do in other parts of the country, a priest in this locale can find himself kept pretty busy.
The good Father's blog was a source of "all things counter, original, spare, strange..." He was a true renaissance man, who kept his combox off, and his discourse civil. His was less the work of an apostolate, than it was the living out of the Catholic life as a pursual of the truth that could be found in all things of beauty -- art, music, history, literature, and the like. To wit, he was a fine example for other bloggers who would endeavor to do the same. His page will remain online for the foreseeable future, and his occasional bouts into the realm of the arcane will be sorely missed, by those who read his work, and those who are honored to call him a "fellow-parishioner" of Saint Blog's..
4 comments:
Very sorry to hear that. I'm so grateful to Fr Tucker for giving me posts and ideas to get my blog started, sending much good traffic my way, and I'm thankful he's keeping Dappled Reads, which I still use as a source.
God knows why, --the Net can be like a hypnotic labyrinth--but I found myself curious about Don Jim Tucker. I used to read and like his blog and had some correspondence with him.
Well, in 2009, according to the Arlington Diocese site, he went on leave for "vocational discernment" and his current address is through the Diocese's vicar for priests, so I guess he is still on leave.
I do not mean it to be uncharitable, but I was not entirely surprised. Can't put my finger on it, it was a matter of intuition, but there was something vaguely unsettled in his blog persona.
I feel bad for him and hope that things will turn out for the best.
USMaleSF, if you ever happen to tumble down this rabbit hole again, I can update you. It's not as tragic as you seem to think!
Jim Tucker left the priesthood to pursue a law career. He has been at the George Washington University Law School since 2009, and just got his JD this spring.
Thanks for that info. Even if he moves on and does well, choosing to leave the priesthood must have been a sad and painful decision not only for him but for others in his life. I know that from personal experience. They don't call ordination an "indelible character" for nothin.
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