The Contemporary Catholics

Father Jim is the best! Don't hesitate a second to contact him. We had so many guests tell us how much they enjoyed the ceremony. Father Jim is kind, professional and easy to work with. Like many others mentioned, you get a feeling like you've known him forever. His message was very powerful, yet delivered with a humorous touch to it. Everyone loved it! Father Jim truly made our wedding special. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Father Jim got rave reviews from all of our guests - of many different denomination and some pretty dogmatic. His sermon was like 20 enlightening & funny marital therapy sessions in 20 minutes. Beautiful, meaningful and enjoyable ceremony!!

We were looking to have a catholic ceremony outside, and we're so glad we found Father Jim! We had people asking us where we found him, and telling us how great he was all night (and still weeks later!). He kept our ceremony interesting, and funny. We couldn't be happier to have had him.

From the moment we met father Jim we knew we wanted to be married by him, he was amazing! He helped with everything even choosing a plan for the ceremony. He has wonderful advice and makes little funny jokes too, everyone had wonderful things to say about his ceremony! It was the perfect way to start the most important day of our lives! Thank you!

“Awesome!” “Amazing!” “Fantastic!” just some of the words our guests used to describe Father Jim. When my husband and I were looking for a priest, it was important to us to find someone who would perform a Catholic ceremony outside. I found Father Jim online and his reviews were great, so we reached out to him to schedule a meeting. When we met with him, we found him incredibly engaging. He touched on everything that was important to us, made us laugh and we felt comfortable right away. By the end of our meeting, we couldn’t imagine anyone else presiding over our ceremony. During the year of planning, we communicated via email and Father Jim was always responsive and helpful. He guided us through the process with no problem. On the day of our ceremony, Father Jim set the upbeat pace for the rest of the night. His words were genuine, touching, full of love, and he had everyone laughing. He let us incorporate family and friends into the ceremony which made it extra special to us. Father Jim brought something special to our wedding day. His words have stayed with us and many of our guests. Three weeks later, we are still receiving compliments on the ceremony. We couldn’t be happier that Father Jim presided over our ceremony. He was wonderful! We would recommend without hesitation. Thank you, Father Jim!!

I know I might be biased because it was my own wedding, but Father Jim was absolutely the best officiant I have ever met! His homily was wonderful and was perfect for newlyweds as well as those that have been married for 40 years! I can't believe how many people are still telling me (3 months later) how much they enjoyed our ceremony!

My husband and I were raised Catholic but did not have much of an interest in getting married in the actual church. Between exorbitant fees, scheduling issues, and transportation, we thought it would work best for us to be married at our reception venue. The Catholic church does not allow marriages outside of an actual church, so we knew we would need to find an officiant. We selected Fr. Jim because we felt that he would be the most like what our families were used to (same prayers, readings, title, and even robes/collar). We "met" Fr. Jim via skype and he talked to us about our relationship and gave some endearing advice about relationships and love in general. Throughout the planning process, he was receptive to different ideas and suggestions. He really lets you build the ceremony you want. On the day of the wedding he was running late from traffic, but let us know so we would be calm and not panic. His service was lovely and exactly what we were used to. His homily was sweet and EVERYONE mentioned it to us at cocktail hour, even the skeptics in the family! Overall, we had a great experience with Fr. Jim and would recommend him to anyone looking for the Catholic experience where it would otherwise be difficult to achieve.

Working with Father Jim was great. My husband and I are Roman Catholics with traditional Italian families and a diverse group of friends. We wanted to get married outside in a garden and our priest would not marry us outside of the church. Father Jim stepped in to help. He spent time meeting with us prior. He was kind, caring, and offered great advice. His website and reminders were very helpful in planning the perfect ceremony as well as being sure we had the legalities in place. Father Jim is a true pro the day of. He was early and organized. Everything went seamlessly thanks to his lead. In addition to his honest and thoughtful advice to a successful marriage, he is funny and entertaining. He combined tradition with a new fresh twist. Old, young, serious, silly, everyone is talking about our ceremony and the wonderful Priest Father Jim!

I found Father Jim on The Knot because I wanted to celebrate my wedding day in my Catholic upbringing even though I haven't been to church in some time. Father Jim arranged for an initial meeting and I immediately loved him! He took over two hours to meet with us and get to know us. During our initial meeting he was thoughtful and engaging and he did not rush us at all. I look back at my wedding memories and everyone was laughing and smiling during the ceremony. He was playful at times & serious at times. I think to other wedding ceremonies I've been to afterwards and they have been a little dry. If you want the perfect balance of smiles and (happy) tears, I highly recommend Father Jim. He made my wedding spectacular! Thank you Father Jim!

Once we met with Father Jim, my husband and I felt very comfortable and knew that we made the right choice for our officiant. We both wanted a spiritual ceremony but non-traditional. Father Jim was so open and really wanted to get to know the both of us. We got to choose from many readings and did choose to write our own vows. The ceremony was amazing and Father Jim was perfect – during the reception all of our guests were asking how we knew Father Jim, he was a perfect fit for the two of you and had such great words/thoughts on marriage and love. Thank you Father Jim for making our day so special, helping us relax and laugh.

My husband and I were very happy with the way our ceremony was officiated by Father Jim. Prior to the ceremony, we met with him twice - for about 1 hour each, and talked in between via email - picking out ceremony readings, scriptures, etc. So many people complimented the ceremony and Father Jim. He did a great job and we would recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding officiant!

When we started our search for an officiant we had no idea where to look, so we took to the internet. We found Father Jim and met up with him to get a feel for his style and to tell him a little about us. We were immediately enamored with his advice for a loving marriage and felt like he was the perfect fit for our wedding. The entire process was smooth and Father Jim made everything very stress free. "No need to rehearse" he told us, "If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, then we can go over everything the day of the wedding in 20 minutes" and that's exactly what we did. The day of the wedding, everything went very well. After the ceremony our guests could not stop talking about how wonderful our officiant was! Some guests even approached us to say they wanted a video copy of our ceremony because it was the most beautiful they had ever attended! Even a few weeks after our wedding, family and friends who have been married for years were talking about Father Jim's insights for a healthy marriage and were even putting his advice into practice. We would just like to say that overall, Father Jim is a great person to work with and will truly keep the attention of your guests throughout the ceremony. Finding an officiant that will appeal to everyone is very intimidating, but I can assure you Father Jim is the man for the job. We had a mix of people, some much more religious than others and they were all impressed with Father Jim. Don't hesitate to give him a call; you definitely will not regret it!

Father Jim did a wonderful job officiating our wedding ceremony. His advice and words really spoke to us and we had many guests compliment the ceremony. Thank you!

father Jim is the best. all of the guests loved him. he is very sweet, kept everyone's interest, and even had the crowd laughing. i highly recommend contemporary catholics. I had several friends and family ask me where we hired him. I hope to see him marrying some of my closest friends soon :)

Fr Jim made our wedding ceremony so special and memorable. He is an absolute pleasure to work with and his words are so meaningful and relevant. We had so many compliments on the ceremony and how well he got his message across. I could not have pictured a more perfect ceremony and as soon as he had everyone laughing and enjoying themselves, my nerves were put at ease and I could just enjoy the process. After the ceremony, everyone was looking to meet him and compliment him on the wonderful ceremony. I don't think that happens often, which speaks volumes about what an amazing job Fr Jim does!

Fr. Jim was amazing to work with through out the process from our first meeting leading right up to my wedding day. He not only put us at ease from our time speaking, but he always responded in a timely manner to my emails, questions and phonecalls. He helped us plan the perfect ceremony for us. My friends and family loved him, and the ceremony went beautifully. His words spoke so true to everyone, and he was so funny. I am still hearing so many positives about my ceremony, and I even have recently engaged friends who would like to use him in the future. Thank you Fr. Jim!! My husband and I are so grateful you were part of our special day!

Father Jim was amazing! Catholics for the modern world. Gave a great ceremony and had all the guests laughing! Which meant that they really listened to the ceremony. We loved our experience with Father Jim!

Father Jim performed our ceremony on 4/26/13 in LBI. My husband and I were very happy with the ceremony in terms of the duration as well as the content. Father Jim delivered a homily that corresponded well to our values as a couple. In addition, my father (a strict Catholic) was very pleased with the ceremony despite some initial skepticism. Therefore, we would highly recommend Father Jim to future brides.

Father Jim is the best. My ceremony was beautiful! I would recommend him to everyone.

Father Jim was a joy from the day we met him. He reassured us that we could have the ceremony we wanted. His helpful advice went a long way and he was always available for questions and concerns while we planning our ceremony. The day of our wedding he put us at ease and we received many compliments about him and our service. We were blessed to have had him officiate our wedding and we sincerely appreciated his kind words. I would recommend Father Jim to people of all faiths, he is a real gem!

When my husband and I went to meet with Fr. Jim we both liked his easy smile and his first words of wisdom. Hug each day and take time for each other. Our ceremony was as inspiring and everyone of our family and friends commented on how much they liked his wit and humor and how his words of wisdom inspired them. I had wanted my marriage to be blessed by our faith and a priest that would inspire at our ceremony and that is exactly what Fr. Jim did. We found a new spiritual guide as well as a friend. Thank you Fr. Jim with much affection from Javier and Patricia.

Fr. Jim Balija officiated our ceremony and he was fantastic! We met with him for about 2 hours, months prior to our wedding and he was so kind and knowledgeable and offered great advice. Our ceremony was perfect- everything he said was relevant and relatable, and he threw in some humor. Everyone was raving about how great he was, and at least one guest with a child getting married asked for his info. Many people went up to him to tell him how much they enjoyed the ceremony. He even performed our ceremony on his birthday! Fr. Jim is fantastic and I would HIGHLY recommend him!!!

Sorry this review is so late, but please don't think any less of it. Father Jim was the officiant/priest at our "nontraditional" Roman Catholic wedding on October 15, 2011 and we couldn't have asked for anyone more charming, funny, reliable, realistic and full of personality! Traditional RC churches turned us away because although I am RC and so is my hubby, he wasn't able to obtain his sacramental records due to estranged parents, among other extenuating circumstances. I thought that I would have to give up my dream of getting married in the traditional "Catholic" style, but Father Jim made it work! We were married in a Protestant church with Father Jim officiating the ceremony. He met with us beforehand and made us feel so comfortable. Father Jim and the Contemporary Catholics won't turn you away, as other churches might. He was always a phone call or email away and made sure that everything was exactly how you wanted it...no pressure. I adore Father Jim and am so happy that we found him. I absolutely recommend him to anyone who wishes to be married outside of the "traditional" church. I promise...he won't let you down. Thanks for making our wedding day phenomenal Father Jim!

Father Jim did such a wonderful job at our wedding... truly a sweet and caring man! He had our guests laughing and made our ceremony all the more memorable.

When my husband and I first met Father Jim we had nothing but smiles on our faces, and these smiles continued all the way to our ceremony. I am not a person who enjoys the spotlight, so I was very nervous to walk, talk and stand during the ceremony. Father Jim takes over and eased those nerves away. It has only been a little over a week since our wedding, and all we hear from our guests is how wonderful our ceremony was. Our guests felt as if Father Jim was speaking to them with his wonderful words of how to keep love strong. I have nothing but amazing things to say about Father Jim, and I am so happy that he was a part of our special day!

Father Jim performed an outdoor ceremony for us and he did an amazing job. His words were meaningful and kept everyone engaged and laughing with his sense of humor. He was even a big help before the ceremony letting us know how to line up and what to do. On top of that, you can tell that Father Jim is truly a good person and I strongly respect the marriage advice he has to offer. I think he might have been a bigger hit at the wedding than we were!

I can't say enough about Father Jim, he truly made our wedding day special. Our ceremony was amazing, guests are still talking about his service. We love him and would highly recommend him to all couples who are seeking to get married at the venue. Five star all the way!!!!

What a wonderful person to work with. Fr. Jim is so easy to talk to, and provides a beautiful ceremony. He made our wedding truly special by helping us to incorporate our religious beliefs at an outdoor venue. Highly recommend!

We could not have been more blessed then to have Father Jim be part of our wedding. From the moment we met Fr. Jim, he treated us feel like family. He made us feel comfortable right from the start. He didnt mind the repeated calls once the ceremony drew closer. His wonderful words and sense of humor had people raving throughout the night. We will never forget Father Jim for all he has done for us. We were honored to have him share the special moment with us. God Bless Fr. Jim always. - Leemary and Joe

Father Jim performed an outdoor ceremony for us and was absolutely fantastic. We were married outside on a very, very hot day, and he kept the ceremony short and sweet. He kept everyone laughing and engaged. We had so many compliments on our officiant that I've even handed out his information to several of my friends. I highly recommend Father Jim to anyone looking to get married outside of a church- he was so warm and friendly. We couldn't be happier with our wedding ceremony and have Father Jim to thank for that.

I asked Fr. Jim to officiate my wedding and he was absolutely wonderful. He was a genuinely inspiring person to talk to and offered a lot of real world advice to us as newlyweds. I can't tell you how many compliments we received about him...many people told us how usually, they can't wait for a ceremony to end to get to the party. But at our ceremony, people enjoyed listening to Fr. Jim and he even got a few chuckles from everyone. We even had a few people ask who he was and wanted to know more (possibly to contact him for future needs). Overall, everything was perfect. 5 stars to Fr. Jim and the Contemporary Catholics!