Meet: Father Jerome Herff, CM

To serve the poorest of the poor, as inspired by St. Vincent de Paul, members of the Congregation of the Mission sometimes must go out to find them. Father Jerome Herff, CM, however, doesn’t have to travel anywhere: he lives in the poorest diocese in the United States.

Kayenta, Arizona, in the northeast corner of the state, is home base for a Vincentian parish that covers more than 3,500 square miles. With typical humor, Fr. Herff says, “It’s not in the middle of nowhere, but it’s close.”

In fact, Kayenta has a reputation for being remote. “In the days when mail was carried by railroad, Kayenta was known for its post office being the furthest from any railroad station in the country – 160 miles. It’s a distinction the townspeople still identify with,” says Fr. Herff.

Kayenta sits on state highway 163, 22 miles south of famed Monument Valley in Arizona and 135 miles east of the Grand Canyon. The land is stunningly desolate, populated by the famous red rock of the southwest. Tourism is a major economic engine: The year-around population of 5,000 sees 1.5 million tourists travel through its town each year. But Kayenta is on the way to somewhere else, not a destination of its own. Steady jobs are hard to find.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, where Fr. Herff is pastor, dates back to 1967 when it was established by the Franciscans. It is a unique parish in several ways: its geography and scope; its parishioners, most of whom are Navajo Indians; and its extreme poverty.

“There is very little sacramental ministry here. I have conducted four weddings in the last 12 years, two infant Baptisms in the last 11, and there hasn’t been a single teen-age Confirmation,” says Fr. Herff.

“When I first came here, I offered Mass at 7 a.m. each weekday and sat in the confessional for one hour weekly. No one came. It took me six months to learn I couldn’t treat this like an ordinary parish. At first I was frustrated, then I realized – that’s the point. I’m here to make something happen,” Fr. Herff says.

“From that day forward, I became active in the community. I’m not going to influence people by preaching at them, but by caring about them and helping them.”

Fr. Herff began a soup kitchen and food pantry, which involves not only parishioners but also other members of the community. He has enlisted the volunteer support of the Baptists, Mormons and a non-denominational church, students from the local National Honor Society, the Girl Scouts, the school district, the Tribal Utility Authority and local businesses. He also runs a thrift shop, and solicits donations of personal care items.

“What St. Vincent did was to get people who had something, to give to people who had nothing. This is a powerful idea. People will give, if they know their donation will be well used. I’m an organizer, a leader, a motivator. I connect people,” he says.

Fr. Herff also serves on the board of the local women’s shelter, offers marriage counseling and hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. When he learned the nearest federal probation office was 75 miles away, unreachable by many, he arranged for officers to come to the church once a week so parolees could keep in compliance with their court orders.

His prior experience as a pastor, teacher and counselor prepared Fr. Herff for the challenges he encounters in Kayenta. After his ordination in 1967, he held various pastoral posts in Arizona, Texas, Illinois, and California. Along the way, he earned his master’s degree in Divinity from DeAndreis Seminary, a master’s in History from DePaul University, and a master’s in Family Counseling from the U.S. International University in San Diego. From 1987 to 1996, he was Visitor of the Province of the West.

In fact, it was while he was the Visitor that the Province of the West began a presence in the Gallup Diocese that includes Kayenta. He had a small inkling then that he might make his own home there in the future.

Now a priest for 42 years, Fr. Herff embraces humor, the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul and the wisdom of the Bible to put life’s challenges in perspective. “One of my favorite passages is, ‘He has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the wise’ [1 Cor 1:27]. This reminds me I don’t have to do all the work myself. God works through me.”