Fr Steve Kim
Episode 274
29 APR 2024
He has been the Catholic chaplain for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers for the last eight years, which have included two trips to the Super Bowl. He was a competitive golfer, to the point of having considered going pro at one point, AND he did a 53-mile walk from East San Jose to East San Francisco as part of a fundraiser. He is the founder and president of several non-profits, was ordained to the priesthood at age 25 back in 2011, and just celebrated one year of serving as the principal at St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, near Oakland. He not only earned a BA in philosophy and religious studies from Santa Clara University (SCU), but, earned three degrees at Saint Patrick’s Seminary and University, PLUS, he went back to SCU for his master’s degree and then got his doctorate from the University of Southern California.
Notable guest quotes:
“In Korea there’s about ten percent Catholics and – there’s not too many, but, yeah – I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Catholic family… I remember, ya’ know, memories of going to church as a kid in Korea.”
“My mom… she said, ‘Well Steven, you know, your mom’s not an athlete, your dad’s not an athlete, our whole family, we don’t have a history of great athletes. I mean not that you can’t be a great athlete,’ but so she said, ‘Well, the only sport you might have a chance for, like a scholarship, that might be golf’.”
“Golf is like a lifelong sport, you know, and you really get to meet people and, you know, it’s really taught me a lot of life lessons as well.”
“When I was a junior in high school, I was kind of really thinking, praying – there wasn’t like this one like light bulb kind of epiphany moment – but it was kind of like this idea, ‘Hey, like, maybe I want to do something that helps people, that serves people, going beyond just my own selfish desires’.”
“When I considered the priesthood, that’s really kind of being self-led, right, and to really lay down your life for God, and to serve others, and to be somebody that not just heals people physically, but, a doctor of souls, you know, just to help people, you know, in the end, bringing people closer to God and ultimately to heaven.”
“If you look at the history of the church, in the darkest times we have people that step up, whether it was during Jesus’s time or, I think the 20th, 21st century – 20th century – had the most number of martyrs who gave up their faith for Jesus, in the history of the Catholic Church.”
“There’s a difference between happiness and joy, right, a lot of things bring us happiness, right, where, you know, money gives you happiness, maybe being in a relationship gives you happiness, but being in a relationship with God, that’s true joy, sustained joy.”
“I would use the analogy of kind of like the body of Christ, right? So, we have different parts of the body but they all function and work together as a team, as the body of Christ. And in a sports team there’s so many moving parts, it’s not just the players.”
“Whether you’re the MVP, whether you’re the general manager, whether you’re the grounds crew, whether you’re the logistics, equipment manager, whatever you’re doing, it’s a great opportunity to evangelize in whatever capacity you’re serving, it’s an opportunity to glorify God.”
“First and foremost, I’m a priest because of my mission to serve God and to serve people… I don’t have to go around and tell people, hey it’s my mission, like, I wear a collar, you know, I think it’s pretty obvious, right? It’s through my actions.”
“The busiest people have the highest need to pray even more, so… give God the first hour.”
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