Rev. James Searby

I was born and raised in Queens, NY, till I was 8 years old. Our growing family then moved to Vienna, VA, when my father began to work for President Reagan. I’ve attended The Heights, Our Lady of Good Council (for junior high), and Bishop O’Connell for my first three years of high school. I finished high school at Northridge Preparatory School in Chicago, IL, and went on to attend my beloved University of Dallas, where I earned a BA in History in 1995.

After university, I worked in a variety of jobs in the tech world in marketing and sales in the DC area. Eventually, I ran away with the circus (literally) and worked for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (and Disney on Ice) in NYC. It was during that time I began to discern a call to the priesthood, and I returned to the Arlington Diocese to work, pray and continue to discern.

I entered Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia for the Diocese of Arlington in 1999 and was ordained a priest in 2005. In these incredible 19 years of priestly ministry, I have served at Holy Spirit in Annandale; Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Lake Ridge; Saint Charles Borromeo in Clarendon; George Mason University (as chaplain); and Saint Timothy in Chantilly.

I honestly have more interests than I can count. I have a passion for the arts (fine and performing), travel, and all things cultural. I oil paint as a regular hobby. I also have a podcast called “Holiness for the Working Day” (available on all podcast platforms; click here to listen), where I broadcast homilies, talks and classes, as well as conversations on a variety of topics.