Hello, Everyone!
My name is Father James Prumos. I will be serving you as Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.
I was born on March 30, 1995, at JFK Hospital (where Fr. Dawid works!) in Edison, NJ. I also grew up in Edison as the youngest of four, having three older sisters. I went to Catholic school pretty much my whole life; I went to grade school at Our Lady of Peace School in Fords, NJ (now closed), high school at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, and Seton Hall University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
As a kid, my family and I belonged to Our Lady of Peace Parish in Fords, NJ. All four of my siblings and I served as altar servers when we were kids. My mom was, and still is, a Eucharistic minister. As a child, I took my faith seriously, and I loved going to Mass, partly because we had a very good organist and choir. However, once I got into my teenage years, I started taking my faith less seriously because I had begun encountering anti-religious people on the internet for the first time. I still considered myself Catholic, but by the time I got to high school, I wasn't as on fire for the faith as I once was.
The same continued through college until I went on a trip to World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland, in 2016. I had a profound moment in Eucharistic Adoration and realized that I had committed many sins in my life, but at the same time, God was calling me back to Him like the Prodigal Son. I immediately went to confession afterward, and throughout my senior year of college, I started to take my faith more seriously and began to read through the Bible.
After I graduated from college, I went on another trip with my campus ministry to a retreat house in Colorado. There, I had another profound moment in Eucharistic Adoration. One day, I was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and I heard God call me to be a priest. I didn't accept it at first, but it stayed with me.
I ended up staying in Colorado for two more years, working in a homeless ministry called Christ in the City. I made a lot of great friends there and continued to grow in my faith and formation. After those two years, I returned to New Jersey, but the priesthood was still on my heart. I would often have random people ask me if I had considered becoming a priest or tell me that I should become a priest.
Eventually, I got the hint and started applying to the seminary around the time the COVID-19 pandemic began. The first year of seminary was difficult, but by the grace of God I persevered, and now I am here to serve God and all of you in Metuchen, NJ.
Please pray for me that I may be a holy priest!
God Bless,
Fr. James Prumos