Search
-
February 20, 2025
Parish Spotlight: Jim and Brenda Nelson, Saint John Nepomuk Catholic Church, Yukon
Editor’s Note: Sooner Catholic is seeking to shine a light on key figures throughout the archdiocese. Submit suggestions to [email protected].
On a regular evening RCIA gathering, a sponsor seems to glow with joy just to be there. In fact, he beams with the joy of the Gospel every week.
With a welcoming smile designed to put anyone at ease, Jim Nelson has long volunteered to be a sponsor for those looking to learn about the Catholic faith. His quick wit and bright humor draws frequent smiles, no matter the topic of the week, even something as serious as the final judgment: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
Jim is always “so glad to meet newcomers, so glad to welcome them to Saint John’s,” fellow parishioner Irene McAllister said. “Once you meet him, you won’t forget him.”
Jim has also stood as Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School’s Parent Teacher Association president for three years, and currently serves as lector, a member of the Knights of Columbus and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Originally from Kansas City, Jim and his wife, Brenda, moved to Oklahoma in 1977 and quickly became parishioners of Saint John Nepomuk. Jim and Brenda have been married 53 years and have four children and four grandchildren.
With gardening gloves on or a coach’s whistle in hand, Brenda enthusiastically gave of her time, energy, and talents, year after year, to support her children’s school.
If the school needed something done, Brenda was there – from weeding flower beds during a school-wide spring cleanup day to volunteering as a homeroom parent, girls’ basketball coach, and even by helping start the school’s soccer program.
On the parish side, Brenda continues to serve as a member of the Altar Society and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
When she first moved to Yukon, Brenda said she was welcomed into a “little family” of parishioners and parents who could be found doing whatever needed to support their parish and the parish’s school.
As she faced the inevitable challenges of discerning how best to raise little saints or even just getting through the day, the parish’s Tuesday morning rosary group members surrounded her with love, affection and encouragement.
In this group, parents offered each other consolation, prayers and a listening ear, as they shared weekly prayers for each other and special intentions. These prayerful parents are “about as special as it gets,” Brenda said. “Definitely what got me through” the toughest moments of raising three daughters and a son.
Jim and Brenda are described as “outgoing and so friendly, very giving of their time and attention,” McAllister said. “I can say only good about them.”
Jim and Brenda remember knowing nobody when they moved to Yukon.
“(The Saint John Nepomuk parishioners) were so friendly and open, sort of adopted us,” Jim said.
And the parish that made them feel right at home continues to be a place of welcome, thanks to the eager hospitality Jim and Brenda show to newcomers to Saint John Nepomuk.
Meg Ferguson is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
