James Blazsik

About me:

I grew up in a Hungarian home. I don't know what that means, but what I do know is that you eat a lot and argue about everything. My wife is a German. I know, but hey, I love the girl. We have been married for over 30 years and we have 3 great kids.

My parents escaped from Hungary after the Hungarian Revolution in '56. My Dad and Mom (who was 3 months pregnant with me), left their home only wearing the clothes on their backs. She would always tell the story: that after they had escaped to Austria, they were asked where they would want to go from there. She replied, that as a child she learned about a country that was free.

Raised as a Roman Catholic, I wasn't serious about my faith until Jr High when I picked up a copy of "Good News for Modern Man", a modern translation of the New Testament. I started reading it. I began reading it everyday, over and over again.

During this time I came to faith in Christ. I can't give you a day, time or hour - it just happened. I began to pray. I confessed my sins. I purposed to live for Him however imperfectly, but yet I knew He had my life.

Then came the moment that I surrendered everything to Christ as my Lord. During the summer before 9th grade, my younger brother was drowning when our family spent the day at the lake. It was a surreal moment. My parents were on shore totally unaware of what was going on. He was calling out to me to save him. I was not the best swimmer in the world, I was not a good swimmer at all. As I made my way to him I prayed, “Lord, if you let me save my brother I will give you everything!” I got to him just after he gave up and went under. I found out that he had accidentally went into deeper water while looking for his lost face mask. As I walked to shore with my brother clinging to me I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if my foot would hit that mask and both would be saved?” The lake was murky that day and you couldn’t see bottom, but you guessed it: my foot hit the mask.

I made good on my promise and dedicated myself to the study of Scripture and being active in sharing the Gospel with others. But instead of staying within the Catholic Church, I had Christian friends in school that attended a non-denominational church. Thus begun my spiritual journey. I attended a Pentecostal college, became a United Methodist youth pastor, got into Reformed theology and I even became a member of a Baptist church. After reading a biography about Martin Luther, I was drawn to the Church and it's historical beginnings. This journey led me to become an Anglican priest.

But I hungered for more. I wanted to avoid at all costs my starting point. But it wasn't to be: God wouldn't let it go. Over and over again He brought me back to full circle, back to the Catholic church.

So now I see myself as a Catholic advocate: to love, care for and defend the Catholic faith, but also care for the whole Body of Christ. I am committed in fostering love and understanding between Catholics, Protestants and other non-Catholic Christians. Knowing that we are one in Body in Christ, we also know that we can learn from each other, and work together to glorify our Lord in building a Culture of Life.

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