James H. Plough

Fr. James Plough, retired Pastor Emeritus of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, died on June 6, 2020 at Hospice at the age of 87 after a brief illness. Fr. Jim was born on January 2, 1933 in Puyallup, Washington, but his family moved home to Thief River Falls, Minnesota, when he was 3 months old. His parents were humble people with the love for their children profound. This love for others became one of Fr. Jim’s shining attributes.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Esther and Samuel Plough; older brother, Robert; and sister, Christina. Along with Robert’s wife, Irene, Fr. Jim is survived by his nephew, Kevin (Martha), and niece, Laura, all in Seattle, Washington.

Fr. Jim expressed his desire to become a priest at an early age and his parish priest organized a scholarship for him to attend the seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus Ohio, where he studied for 12 years and was ordained as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church at age 25. Fr. Jim and some other newly ordained priests were asked to consider teaching at the college and in preparation Fr. Jim spent several years at the University of Notre Dame where he achieved a doctorate in American Religious History. His dissertation focused on Catholic Colleges and the National Catholic Education association (NCEA), which was a new organization at the time. These years at Notre Dame were a treasured time for him and with this superb preparation, Fr. Jim taught history and scripture at the seminary for 25 years.

In the 1960s and early 1970s our country experienced much turmoil, which the student body exhibited in their sometimes lack of dedication to learning. This made teaching more difficult, so in 1974 Fr. Jim began to feel burnout. A classmate, Fr. Erv Schmitt, who was serving in the Diocese of Pueblo, suggested taking a sabbatical in Colorado. This appealed to Fr. Jim and he served at a parish in Durango and as Chaplain at Fort Lewis College for one year. After teaching again at Josephinum for a few years he decided that institutional living had lost its appeal and he began serving on weekends at parishes in Columbus, where he was able to live in a parish rectory.

In 1978 Fr. Jim began his service as a parish priest in the Diocese of Pueblo under Bishop Buswell. There he served in a variety of parishes for six years until Josephinum asked him to return to the faculty. The student body was now more devoted to learning than earlier and he asked Bishop Tafoya, who succeeded the now retired Bishop Buswell, for permission to return to the seminary faculty. Bishop Tafoya granted him five years after which he had to return to the diocese. There were three seminaries and Ohio State University all in the same vicinity that were sharing students, and this made the teaching experience more exhilarating once again for Fr. Jim.

In 1989 Father returned to the Diocese of Pueblo and was made pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish (IHM), where he served for fourteen years. During this time he helped construct a new church building about a mile north of the old site that was across from St. Mary’s hospital. Fr. Jim was known for his memorable quality sermons that incorporated stories that were down to earth, and that people could remember better than if he spoke theology. He developed an organization of lay parish leadership that enabled the parish to flourish and he also mentored many young assistants.

Upon reaching the normal retirement age of 65 Fr. Jim asked for permission to remain as pastor for five more years and he retired in 2003 at age 70. Retirement brought with it a search for a new way to use his relational talents and discovered that St. Mary’s Hospital needed a chaplain, so he served in that position for 16 years. With more leisure time after retiring he decided to publish a collection of his homilies which he called “Plough Shares” with the sixth and last one published shortly before his death. Clearly his talent to teach and share his love through teaching, whether in a university, in a parish or as chaplain, truly enriched our community. When seeking his advice or counsel he had a reputation for perceptive listening and questioning to reach the depths of what one was seeking.

With more time on his hands to enjoy reading he had a continuing desire to buy and read quality books mostly on spirituality and theology, so he could translate what he read into lovely stories for his homilies. Many of these books found their way into the IHM library. During all of his time serving our community he had been in many roles: priest, pastor, confessor, friend (cherished friend), listener, teacher, leader, brother, and comedian (he had a great sense of humor). A small group of his many friends knew him in other ways, as well, through his participation in a weekly book club and in a monthly poetry group, both of which enjoyed his intelligence, his wit, and especially his love.

Still another important role that he played was as a member of the board of Grand Valley Catholic Outreach where he influenced that wonderful organization with his love, as well as his management skills, for many years. The many people who interacted with him over the years through his many roles will remember him in their own way and will always cherish that loving memory.

All the above being said, who really was this beautiful person who loved everyone and whom everyone loved? This man was the one who personified what Jesus told his disciples “Love one another as I have loved you”. His ability to relate to everyone he met and to make them feel that they were especially important, that they had value, that they were lovable, and that he loved them, was a rare talent that so many were able to experience. When he looked back on his life, he always said that he was blessed, but it was his people who were blessed by his love for them.

Special thanks to the Visiting Angels Homecare and HopeWest Hospice. Visitation 3-8 p.m. June 19, 2020, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. His funeral service will be announced later.