Rev James E. HOLL

I cant believe it has been so many years since Fr. Holl has been gone. Our family still misses you! We have such fond memories. RIP.

Father James was was an excellent role model for all Christians and Catholics in particular. Father James was always quick to smile, and had the very best memory for names. Still loved and missed.

Father James was one of the greatest human beings that I've had to privilege to know. He was my great uncle through my grandmother, Rita. Many knew him better, but I remember him well and it's an honor to be his namesake. He was there when I was born and always pushed me to seek God through the Catholic church. He was a deep well of philosophy and a heck of a cribbage player. People should count themselves lucky to be even half the human he was. To this day, Rev. James is both fondly...

Father Holl was my first grade school principal he will be missed.

'Reflections' from Fr. Holl's funeral.

Good afternoon everyone.

I would like to begin the reflections on the life of Father Holl with a poem, by Rumi.


THE GUEST HOUSE

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently...

Oh Father Jim, how we will miss you! He was a wonderful Uncle to me and my siblings and later to our spouses and children as well. How many special blessings (thumps of the forehead) we received as children! For many years growing up we lived in Florida but every year he came to visit. He visited Disney World and went with us to the Kennedy Space Center. He said Mass in our home and he played basketball and baseball with us. Our neighborhood friends liked to be over when he came for his...

My uncle liked to drive. Most of my rememberances of him involved him driving me and my brothers and sisters somewhere. I remember a trip to Hafners restaurant on St. Pauls east side. I always sat in the back seat so I could get away with my continual misdeeds. My uncle had this habit of smacking his lips for what reason I don't know. I used to make the same sound in mockery. Kids can be cruel. Fr. James pretended not to notice. Everyone in the car was laughing including Fr. James.

My first year of ordination was an unchartered territory of new experiences, relationships and levels of exhaustion. Naively, I believed it was unique to me. It was not. It is a common experience for most new priests. The parish had downsized from three to two priests with no commensurate reduction in activity requiring a priest and creating new stress on us. My pastor, Fr. Reiser, saw the handwriting on the wall and called on a soon retiring pastor to come and live with us and “help out a...

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, Fr. Tom Wilson of All Saints in Lakeville wrote a wonderful tribute to Fr. Holl in our Sunday bulletin. I will try to post the link. Otherwise, you may find it at at the website of All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville, MN.
http://www.allsaintschurch.com/file/cms/2013/1/3/203974020226261Jan6%2013.pdf