Brigantine, New Jersey
March 27, 1997
Jim was born on May 8, 1938 and raised in Transfiguration Parish, West Philadelphia. In 1954 he entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to study for priestly service in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
He was ordained priest on May 16, 1964. Upon ordination he was sent to the Catholic University in Puerto Rico in preparation for work among the Latino population in the Archdiocese. This he did for the bulk of his years in canonical ministry.
In the early seventies he met and married Eileen. They took up residence in Brigantine, New Jersey. Jim spent his remaining years working in education and in drug and alcohol counseling.
He and Eileen had two children, Mary Ellen and James, Jr.
In the 1980's Jim was one of the principal movers in reaching out and forming up the Emmaus Group of South Jersey comprised of married priests and their spouses living in the Southern New Jersey area.
Jim was clever and particularly intuitive in understanding people. He had a truly great sense of humor and could elicit laughter even in solemn moments. Many of us felt he could have made a career of being a professional comedian.
He passed away in 1997 due to complications from surgery for esophageal cancer. His memory and his humor are often evoked by us who knew him well. May God grant him rest!