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November 19, 2021
THE U.P. CATHOLIC GIFT GUIDE
www.upcatholic.org
Bishop Emeritus James Garland, We wish you a very happy and blessed 90th Birthday! We are blessed that so many of those birthdays have been celebrated right here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
- From Bishop John Doerfler, Priests, Women Religious, Deacons & Curia of the Diocese of Marquette
Great-nephew of Bishop Emeritus Garland shares uncle's impact on his vocation
CAROL HOLLENBECK
THE U.P. CATHOLIC
During his ministry as a bishop and priest, Bishop James Garland has touched many lives. One powerful influence he had was on the life of his great nephew, Rev. Brett Garland, Delaware, Ohio. Father Garland recalls the impact his great-uncle had on his life from his earliest days. About a week before I was ordained, I was going through some old family videos. I found one of my baptism that I dont think Id ever seen before, he said. Uncle Jim had recently been made a bishop, and he baptized me and my twin brother, Ryan. As I watched, I heard one uncle say, Oh, wouldnt it be great if these two became bishops, too! Then I heard Uncle Jim say, If one becomes a priest, that would be great.' That was his first spiritual in- luence on me, in 1990. It was almost like a prophecy. Father Garland said he didnt have much contact with Bishop Garland in his early years. I knew hed baptized me and that hed given his life to the church. I knew that was important, he said. Then, when he was about 9 years old, he and his family made his first trip to the U.P. We stayed in a cot- tage owned by the diocese, just out- side of Marquette. Uncle Jim came to visit with us there. It was the first time Id seen him without his priestly attire. It impressed me that he was there as a family member, not as a bishop, he said. I got to know him a lot better during that visit. The two kept in touch via e-mail during the next several years. Then, when he was a junior in high school, Bishop Garland asked him to go with him on a pilgrimage to Lourdes and Fatima. He knew I was discerning to be- come a priest, Father Garland said. It was a wonderful time. We prayed together, I served for him at Mass. You really get to know someone well when you travel together. What struck me was not only his dedication to the Church and his role as a bishop, but he is such a man of prayer. Hes a humble man. As he knelt at Fatima and at Lourdes, he was just another one of the pilgrims, he continued. Each evening, wed eat with different people. He said I should, too, so wed get to know the other pilgrims. Father Garland was considering entering the seminary right after high school graduation. But hed never been to a Catholic school, and said he felt a bit intimidated about jumping straight into a seminary. Uncle Jim mentioned that he went to college irst, and that advice helped influence my choice, too, he said. Father Garland attended the Catho- lic University of America in Washing- ton, D.C., where he earned a bache- lor of arts in theology and religious studies. While I was in college, Uncle Jim told me, Study hard, but pray as well. We checked in with each other during those years. That regular con- tact reinforced the connection, along with his sound advice to study hard and keep praying, Father Garland said. By the end of my senior year at Catholic University, I was pretty sure God was calling me. Father Garland considered being ordained in the Diocese of Mar- quette, but the Garland family roots are in Ohio, he said, so he chose to attend seminary for five years at the Pontifical College Josephinum of Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor of philosophy degree. Seminarians apply to the Church for candidacy half way through their
PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHER BRETT GARLAND
Father Brett Garland poses for a photo with his great-uncle, Bishop Emeritus James Garland, before his ordination to the priesthood.
CONT. ON P15
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