Rev. John Bok, O.F.M.
It was suggested that I write something about the priests and deacons who serve Holy Family Parish. Since I obviously know myself best, I will begin with a little autobiography.
I was born in Reading, Ohio, a small suburb of Cincinnati, on October 27, 1935 (go ahead and figure it out – I will soon be 75). My father, John, was an attorney and had his own business with an office in downtown Cincinnati and one in our home where he would see clients in the evening. My mother, Margaret, was an RN, but became a homemaker for most of her life. She often acted as the nurse for our neighborhood and took care of all of our little medical needs. I had great parents. At times I thought I might become an attorney and even worked for my Dad at his downtown office after my freshman and sophomore years of high school. A call to become a Franciscan friar and priest, however, was a stronger call.
I am the oldest of four children. Next is my sister, Mary, the mother of seven children, and one my big heroes. I have a married brother, Jerry, who tells everyone he is the only real father when asked if he is related to Fr. John and Fr. Jim Bok. He has three daughters. My youngest brother, Jim, is twelve years younger than I and is also a Franciscan priest. He has been the pastor of our mission church in Jamaica for two years. Jim and I have vacationed in Florida for the past 35 years. We are in a great rut. I have ten nieces and nephews and a slew of great nieces and nephews. Most of my family still lives in Cincinnati.
I attended our parish grade school and Roger Bacon High School, a Franciscan high school, where I graduated in 1953. In August of 1953, I entered the Franciscan novitiate in Cincinnati for one year. After the novitiate, I attended our college seminary in Detroit for four years (1954-58) and then studied theology for four years in Dayton, Ohio, at our Franciscan school of theology. I was ordained on June 14, 1962. My first year as a priest was spent in Dayton in a year of internship that was required of priests of religious communities at the time.
My first assignment was to Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati, my alma mater, where I ministered from 1963-81. Roger Bacon was an all-boys high school with over 1100 students. I was a science teacher, Assistant Principal in charge of discipline for six years, and Principal for nine years. My brother, Jim, succeeded me as Principal. We were principals bok-to-bok. My second assignment was as Director of St. Rita School for the Deaf, a school owned by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It was a great assignment. I only left St. Rita’s because the friars of our province elected me their leader, or Provincial, in May of 1991. I served in leadership of the province between 1991-99. During those nine years I continued to say the Sunday Masses for the deaf Catholics of the Cincinnati area. After finishing as Provincial I had a one year sabbatical and spent the first semester in the Israel Study Program of Catholic Theological Union. We studied the Sacred Scriptures while living in the Holy Land. Unfortunately, I needed to cancel my plans for the second semester in order to have neck surgery to remove calcified discs and vertebrae that were cutting into my spinal cord in the neck area and were causing me to have difficulty with my ability to balance. Some have said that I continue to be unbalanced to this day.
On June 1, 2000, I became Pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Galveston, Texas. It was my first assignment outside of Cincinnati. Life here on the island has been good to me and I have enjoyed it very much. However, as you may have heard, I have requested from my Franciscan superiors permission to retire as Pastor of Holy Family Parish effective June 30, 2011. My age and diminishing energy level are the primary reasons for my decision. I hope to return to Cincinnati and help out with priestly duties as needed. Galveston will remain my second home and I hope to return here for vacations. I thank all of you for making my ten years here very happy and fulfilling. I will leave with many fond memories.