How does one go from working on a railroad at the age of 15 in a town with a population of less than 100 in Iowa to representing the United States as ambassador to the Vatican?

According to Jim Nicholson, secretary of the Veteran Affairs Administration (VA), former ambassador to the Vatican and member of St. Luke Parish in McLean — through intent prayer.

About 75 people attended a Brent Society program last Tuesday at St. Agnes Church in Arlington, featuring Nicholson, as he shared stories of his life, his work within the Vatican walls, and how he has "tried to be a faithful servant." Throughout his many careers and in all stages of his life prayer has played a dominant role in all he has done.

Nicholson was one of seven children, born in Iowa in 1938. His father, following in the footsteps of Nicholson’s grandfather, tried his hand at farming but after two years of bad crops, he lost everything. Because of this, the family of nine lived in tenant housing. Their house didn’t have windows and it lacked plumbing and electricity. After losing everything, Nicholson’s father became an alcoholic.

Nicholson clearly remembers being hungry as a child. But he also fondly remembers his mother reading to the seven children by the light of a kerosene lantern. He said she told the children, "This is a wonderful country we’re in, and if you work hard, study hard (and she always said) pray hard — then you’ll be ok."

When he was 15, Nicholson’s father was admitted to an asylum to be treated for his alcoholism. Nicholson recalls praying fervently that something would happen to help his family. On Memorial Day weekend, eight inches of rain fell and washed out the Great Northern Railroad, which ran through town. He went to the train depot and asked for work, but was told they were hiring men for the job, not 15-year-olds who only weighed 120 pounds like Nicholson.

That night he prayed harder and returned to the depot the following morning. When he asked again for work, he was given the job and worked 20 hours on that first day.

"That was the answer to intense prayer," Nicholson said. He worked on the railroad all summer and that job "put our household back on track."

After high school, Nicholson continued to follow his mother’s advice and was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he continued to work, study and pray hard. He got into the habit while in college of attending Mass every morning.

When he was selected as one of two officers in the Army to command a Davy Crockett platoon — a tactical nuclear weapons unit — he said that was "another reason for me to very intently pray."

His prayer life remained strong when he volunteered to serve in Vietnam. He said he prayed mainly for two things — that he would live and that when he returned home he would find a woman he would want to marry. Six weeks after he returned, he met the woman who would become his wife. He and Suzanne have been married for 38 years.

After earning his master’s degree from Columbia University, he decided to continue his education at the University of Denver, earning a law degree. Specializing in real estate and land use, he became the general counsel for the Colorado Home Builders Association at a time when law makers were trying to control growth in Colorado.

Nicholson eventually left his law career to focus on business and became more active in politics.

Beginning as a member of the Republican National Committee in Colorado in the 1980s, Nicholson worked his way up the ladder and was elected chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) in 1996.

His activities in politics "became a very prayerful experience," he said. "I did not realize how low the morale was in the Republican Party. It was, as they say in Iowa, lower than a snake in a truck track."

He said the party was criticized for being "hung up" on social issues, but it stuck to its issues and reorganized, and in the late 1990s things began to look up.

"My mission was to get (the RNC) back into power, and we did that," Nicholson said.

When Nicholson was offered a position as an ambassador and President George W. Bush asked where he would like to go, he told him that he and his wife would like to go to the Vatican.

"Our friends said, ‘You don’t want to go to the Vatican because you’ll lose your faith,’" he said.

On Sept. 13, 2001, Nicholson presented his credentials to Pope John Paul II.

In response to the attacks that took place only 48 hours earlier in the United States, the pope told Nicholson, "I’ve been thinking about this and praying about this, and that was not just an attack on you (the United States), but an attack against humanity."

While in Rome, Nicholson worked with the Holy See to advocate the elevation of human dignity, specifically on eliminating human trafficking, promoting religious freedom, combating HIV/AIDS and working to eliminate starvation in Africa through bio-technology.

"It was so wonderful (working) at the Vatican," Nicholson said. "Their agenda is clear and they’re seeking the truth, and trying to build a better condition for human kind. Their strength, their piety, it did not weaken our faith — it strengthened it."

Last year Nicholson was asked to leave the Vatican in order to serve as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the second largest department in the U.S. government. Through this job, he still works to uphold the dignity of humans, but specifically those who have served their country. The VA department provides healthcare, benefits and burial for U.S. veterans — currently 25 million men and women — and their families.

During the question and answer period Nicholson was asked to comment on topics ranging from the president’s spirituality to his interactions with then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger and the state of Catholicism in Europe.

"I’ve heard people jokingly say that (George W. Bush) is our first Catholic president," he said. "He has a great deal of respect and knowledge of Catholic faith and he is very spiritual."

Nicholson said he did interact with Cardinal Ratzinger when he was in Rome and described the man who is now pope as "bright, humble and Christ-like, yet principled."

He said the selection of Cardinal Ratzinger to become pope shows some promise for reviving the Church in Europe.

"(Pope Benedict) has committed openly to re-evangelize Europe, and God knows it needs it," he said.