New pastor is in at Holy Family

Father Jim Bevacqua, a task-oriented priest who is known for his drive to get things done, has landed at Holy Family Catholic Church.

Bevacqua started at Holy Family on July 1 after a one-year stint as an associate pastor at St. Philip the Apostle church in Pasadena. Before that, he worked as an associated pastor at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Pedro for four years.

He will replace Father Joseph Shea who left Glendale at the end of June for a new assignment at a church in Simi Valley.

Bevacqua, 49, entered the seminary when he was 38 years old after previous careers outside the church, including working as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City and in the entertainment business in the Los Angeles area.

As a priest who entered the church after previous careers, Bevacqua said he is considered a “late vocation,” something that is becoming increasingly common in the United States.

“For Los Angeles, my path is not really untraditional,” he said.

Having worked outside the church has provided Bevacqua with different perspectives on the lives and daily struggles of parishioners, Bevacqua said.

“I think it has advantages,” he said. “I think my life experiences have made me who I am.”

Bevacqua began to feel called to the priesthood several years before he joined the seminary, Bevacqua said.

“I just felt that something was moving me in that direction,” he said.

Bevacqua said he loves being a priest and opening others’ hearts to God.

He described himself as a hard worker who enjoys getting things done.

“I’m known to be pretty driven,” Bevacqua said.

At Holy Trinity, he helped build a youth ministry program called LIFE TEEN and led an effort to renovate church classrooms to host the program.

At St. Philip the Apostle, Bevacqua designed a sacristy wish list to raise money for needed items in the church, and helped lead an effort to renovate the vestibule and confessional at the church, said Casey Jurecki, the parish business manager at St. Philip.

“He’s always on the go,” Jurecki said. “He’s a doer.”

Bevacqua plans to listen to parishioners needs and then come up with a master plan for the church that will capitalize on the momentum gained during Shea’s leadership.

He has found the Holy Family parishioners to be very active, enthusiastic and welcoming, he said.

“The people in this church really sing their hearts out which is amazing,” Bevacqua said.

Bevacqua’s work ethic has been evident during his first few weeks, said Brad Thomas, who was Shea’s assistant and is assisting Bevacqua as he gets settled.

“He’s got his nose to the grindstone,” Thomas said. “He’s really working hard.”