From the Mercer County Chronicle, 17 Sep 2003, Page 2A:

February 1, 1925-August 3, 2003

Fr. James Grothjan, CPPS, died Sunday, August 31, 2003, at 1:45 p.m., in the infirmary at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio. Fr. Grothjan, 78, had been battling prostate cancer since 1995. He was born February 1, 1925 in Celina, Ohio to Jerome and Adelaide (Kenny) Grothjan. He entered the Missionaries of the Precious Blood on September 6, 1939, and was ordained on May 24, 1951, in Carthagena, Ohio.

Fr. Grothjan was first assigned to parish work, assisting at St. Mary's Church in Garden City, Kansas, St. Francis Church in St. Joseph, Missouri and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Ottawa, Ohio, among other parish work. In 1956, he joined the U.S. Air Force as a chaplain, work that he continued throughout the rest of his life as a priest. He completed his official military career in 1976, retiring while he was stationed at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida. However, that did not end his work as a chaplain. Fr. Grothjan continued to serve as an auxiliary chaplain at Elgin, where he ministered for over 30 years.

While at Elgin, Fr. Grothjan maintained a full schedule of weekend Masses for the servicemen and women, and also ministered to those in the federal prison that is located on the base, and to those in the base hospital, even as he was undergoing treatment for his own cancer. Throughout his years in the military, it was important to him to build unity among those he served. He stressed to servicemen and women that they were all part of the body of Christ, and tried to help them see that they were all children of God.

Fr. Grothjan was a very determined person and a self-learned, said Fr. Ken Schnipke, CPPS, who got to know him when both were ministering in Florida. His father died when he was only six, so he learned early that he could be his own best teacher. He taught himself many skills, such as photography and hunting, and later in life learned to sail. He built his own sailboat, and after his retirement from the military, spent many months on board, enjoying God's creation on the sea. He designed the home where he lived in Valparaiso, Florida, near Elgin.

Throughout his life, Fr. Grothjan was able to find and form a family wherever he went, Fr. Schnipke said, and he was always grateful to God for the gifts that had been bestowed upon him. He approached his prayer life too with a grateful heart, and tried to pass that attitude of gratitude along to the men and women of the military, preaching often on the great gift of the Eucharist.

Fr. Grothjan is survived by a sister and her husband, Margaret and Marc Smalley of Centerville, Ohio, a brother and his wife, Harry and Emily Grothjan of Lima, Ohio, and 12 nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 2 p.m. Thursday, September 4, at St. Charles Center, with Fr. Angelo Anthony, CPPS, presiding. Burial followed in the Community cemetery.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 6 p.m. today, Thursday, September 11, 2003, at Elgin Air Force Base, West Gate Chapel.

Submitted by K. Cathey.