fatherjamey

Name: Fr. James Ruarke, OSA

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Type: Wakings - Tides

Appearance:

Jamey is 6' 2" and in fairly good shape: he plays pickup games of football and soccer on weekends, which keeps him fit (his own laughable cooking keeps him thin). He likes to look neat and clean and so his sandy hair is cropped short and he's almost always clean-shaven. He has blue eyes and an easy smile; in fact, most can read his every thought as he has an expressive face and little guile (he still hasn't learned to hide his feelings). As a priest, he wears a clerical collar with trousers and his only nod to personal preference is the color of his scarf in winter.

Despite his height, Jamey doesn't have an imposing presence; in fact, he looks fairly cuddly and sweet. He managed to keep out of trouble as a kid by taking up boxing, but as an adult, he's no match for the thugs and criminals in the city. Being a priest offers him some protection, but he's been known to stick his nose in to situations he shouldn't and has suffered a few beatings as a result.

Personality:

Jamey can't stand to see unhappiness and his whole life he struggled to please people or make them happy. An affable, easy going boy, Jamey did well enough in school to make his teachers and parents happy, and played sports well enough to always have a circle of friends. He tries to find the good in everyone, a trait which serves him well considering how vile some of his parishioners are.

As the community priest, Jamey's counsel is often called on, ranging from the mundane to the truly frightening. Jamey has a soft spot for babies and children: he loves the families of his parish and he works hard to maintain a connection with as many families as possible. Lately, he's taken to indulging in a daydream in which he's married with children -- but he tries not to focus on it lest he abandon his calling. He walks the neighborhood when he's not doing church duties, and he often dines with his parishioners.

In terms of creature comforts, Jamey loves nothing more than being warm. Likely a throwback from his childhood -- when it seemed he could never get warm -- Jamey relishes his wool socks, his down comforter, hot coffee, soft pillows, furry animals, fireplaces, felted mittens, and when he wasn't a priest, cuddly women. (He *really* misses the cuddly women, especially at night.)

He always has a pot of strong black coffee at the ready, for socializing or sobering someone up; he likes to joke that he has a coffee pot ministry. He tries to maintain an air of open understanding in hopes of keeping his flock close -- being talkative and friendly helps.

Jamey 'has' a cat: he routinely feeds a tabby tomcat that skulks around the cathedral. He's named the cat John Bosco after his favorite saint. Needless to say, he's got a soft spot for strays.

Sexuality:

Heterosexual (technically celibate but has fallen in love with a woman)

City History:

Born to Jimmy and Eleanor Ruarke, Jamey was the oldest of seven children. With his sister Mary Helen, just eighteen months younger than him, he virtually raised his siblings. His childhood could be considered hard, but the Ruarkes were like everyone else in their neighborhood: a big family in a too-small house, a father in-and-out of work, a mother harried and aggravated. As a child, Jamey looked up to and adored their parish priest, Father Seamus O'Riordan, who took an interest in the young boy. Fr O'Riordan tutored Jamey in the subjects he struggled with, helped Jamey find his first paid job (at 13), and introduced Jamey to nice Catholic girls from nice Catholic families.

A born romantic, at 15 Jamey fell wildly in love with Siobhan Mannion, Mary Helen's best friend. The two dated exclusively and Jamey lost his virginity to Siobhan. He assumed they would eventually marry and raise a family together; he was stunned when, at 19, Siobhan eloped with one of the O'Malley boys.

That, combined with his father's sudden death, made him question his life and his choices so far, and he took a new interest in the church. He began regularly attending Mass and at Fr O'Riordan's urging, decided to enter seminary. The cloistered peace of seminary was the salve his bruised soul needed. Jamey found he was able to forgive himself and Siobhan, his father and mother, his childhood enemies. He was inspired by his studies, renewed by his new understanding of his faith, and he decided to commit himself to parish ministry. Joining the Order of St Augustine, he was ordained at 22 and was pleased to have Fr O'Riordan attend his ordination. A month later, the older man died, and Jamey was shocked to find himself assigned priest for Eidolon City's parish.

While intimidated by the Bishop, Jamey loves working at St Peter's, although he's grown a little harder over the years. When he first arrived at St Peter's, he was filled with zeal to transform their city but nine years has tempered that enthusiasm.

World History:

In the 'real world' Jamey was a corporate tax attorney with a wife and two kids, a gorgeous house in the suburbs, a girlfriend in the city, a fabulous car and swank office. But he hated his life. He spent most of his day fighting with his coworkers, his clients, his wife, his kids, his girlfriend, his boss, his neighbors, the guy driving in front of him...the list goes on. He felt deeply disconnected from the wider world; when he fell in to the coma, his family and his girlfriend easily moved on with their lives, barely noticing his absence.

Special Skills and Abilities:

By the nature of his work, Jamey is privy to some of the city's darkest secrets. Many of his congregants go through the motions, including confession, and Jamey's heard enough horror stories to last him a lifetime. What saves him, of course, is the Seal of the Confessional, and Jamey's refusal to divulge anything heard in confession.

As required in seminary, Jamey reads some Hebrew, Latin, and New Testament Greek. It's nothing he's used since leaving seminary, but on rare occasions, he might try his hand at translation, just to keep his mind sharp. Recently, however (see weaknesses), this exercise has happened less and less.

Weaknesses:

Despite his experience with the dark underbelly of life, Jamey is optimistic to a fault; or, gullible. Naive, maybe. Overly hopeful. The point is, he'll give one of his congregants the benefit of the doubt, even when his gut tells him things will turn out badly. He's all-or-nothing when it comes to his congregation, and for the last ten years, it's been 'all'. He assumes the best about people, even the repeat offenders, and he's sentimental about his parishioners, especially those who seem as if they've seen darker days.

For someone so young (he's been a parish priest for less than ten years), Jamey is starting to become burned out. He's exhausted by the violence in the city, the real darkness that plagues all families, the myriad of ways his parishioners are tortured (be it physical, mental, spiritual, etc). Jamey is devoted to his congregation (see his strengths), but as a result, is often embroiled in situations that he shouldn't be in. He's known in the neighborhood for offering a safe haven, good for a handout or a few bucks when needed. He also has a tendency to step in to situations he shouldn't, and he more than once has gotten a broken nose and a black eye. (It's only his years boxing in high school that keeps him from being completely killed in fights.) But anymore, Jamey struggles to get out of bed and he feels as if he's just making the motions.

To his great unhappiness, Jamey believes he's going blind. He's been reluctant to take steps to address it, afraid of hearing that he might have something irreversible. For now, this manifests as poor night vision, some difficulty reading, headaches if he stares at something too long. The great irony is that after being pushed around and urged by the city's criminal element to look away, soon he won't be able to witness anything. He wants to keep this secret for as long as possible.

And finally, Jamey is lonely. While he hasn't outright violated his vow of celibacy, Jamey is finding it harder and harder to ignore his base urges. Having been with women before entering seminary, Jamey knows what he's missing, and more and more he's wondering if his sacrifices are worth it, given how grim he feels his life is becoming. Recently, he's contemplated going to Babylon but is afraid of being found out but he's afraid if he doesn't find a companion soon, he'll fall in love with a congregant.

Strengths:

Jamey is reliable and dependable, especially when it comes to one of his parishioners. He follows up on all of his promises, as best as he can, and he rarely says no. This, combined with his generous nature, means he offers money, time, or a sympathetic ear to anyone. (The Bishop has started to complain, especially since Jamey has no sense of politics when it comes to his offers.)

Despite himself, Jamey can't hold a grudge and he's a forgiving person. Regardless of the sin or crime, Jamey is willing to try again with anyone. This has given him some currency when it comes to dealing with the city's gangs: he's allowed some leniency when he pushes too hard or gets too nosy.

Family or Connections:

The Ruarke siblings (Mary Helen, 32; Grace, 28; Michael, 25; Bethea, 21; Colin, 19; and Rosanna, 17)
Has many connections with the police, either as their parish priest (in the case of the McKinnon family) or a counselor after crisis.
Danny McKinnon and especially Janey McKinnon (he has a soft spot for her)
Helena Kinney (he has been trying to offer some grievance counseling)
Kessler-Ann Phizackerley (a regular attendee of Mass)
Bishop of St Peter's

Residence:

lives in the parish house of St Peter's Cathedral

Career:

Parish priest

PB: Rupert Penry-Jones