Huber explained how he was helped by Sister Julia Suba and teacher Jim Nagle.
He worded it this way: “Sister Julia and Jim Nagle recognized my creative side. Mr. Nagle had the authority to create a high school where all sorts of gifts and talents, and personalities were recognized as gifts of God.”
Huber continued in the sermon: “These teachers freed me from becoming overcome by prejudices or shackled by self-hatred. And that was huge for a struggling gay 17-year-old in 1969.
Sister Julia passed away some years ago. But I was able to quote Huber in the story saying that he wondered what happened to Jim Nagle, and that he prayed he might see him again one day, to thank him for his strong support during challenging times.
Rev. Steve’s prayer has been answered.
A life dedicated to others
It turns out that Nagle now lives in Cleveland, is retired and dedicates his life to helping those down and out, poor and undereducated.
He also spreads the word of God as a public speaker, a storyteller, and by sharing little plays he has written. He has few possessions, has never owned an auto, does not have a computer or a telephone.
“He lives a life of Christian poverty,” said Tim Musser, a friend in Cleveland who has known Nagle four years.
“I met Jim when he attended a workshop I presented on ‘Gospel Nonviolence.’ My wife and I often join Jim for special events and sometimes for dinner.”
Making the connections
Musser said that one evening, as the two talked, Nagle pulled out a wrinkled copy of the news clipping I had written concerning his time at Alter, and how he had helped Steve Huber. He explained that a friend in Dayton had mailed it to him.
“Since Jim is not online, I asked him if I could contact Rev. Huber in Washington. I was able to give Huber Jim’s address, and the two began to correspond.”
Then, with the help of friends in both Cleveland and Washington, on Jan. 31, Jim Nagle was driven to Washington by a friend. As a result, the teacher and his former student, now a church vicar, were reunited for the first time in 41 years.
Marty Walsh, who was the director of the 1976 grand Bicentennial parade in Washington, the largest parade ever in the city, first met Jim Nagle when he marched in that parade performing as a clown named Kimo.
“My wife and I invited him into our home back in those days,” Walsh said. “And with his cheery disposition and his ever present smile, he has become a life-long friend. We were pleased to help arrange for Jim, now in his early ’60s, to come to Washington to see his successful student.
“Jim is such a joyful person, a walking wonder in this often uptight, self-conscious world.”
‘What a wonderful evening it was’
After the reunion of the two messengers of love, Nagle was able to perform an original one-act play in the Perry Auditorium of the National Cathedral.
After word spread in the congregation about the reunion of the priest with his teacher after four decades, a large number of people were packed in the audience for the event.
“What a wonderful evening it was,” Walsh said. “Rev. Steve is so happy to be back in touch with his teacher, and Jim Nagle made many new friends. He is a wonderful, inspiring man who is filled with more than a million smiles.”
Now Jim Nagle has a wish: He hopes to get a ride to Dayton in the spring to meet me, and to take a look around the University of Dayton campus he attended, and to visit Alter High School again.
Tim Musser said he just might be able to help arrange for Nagle to take a nostalgic trip home.
“When Jim is involved, I have found that often things of a miraculous nature seem to happen. His wish just might come true.”
Dale Huffman wants your story ideas.
Send e-mail to dhuffman@DaytonDailyNews.com or write to Dale at 1611 S. Main St. Dayton, OH 45409. Phone: (937) 225-2272.
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