Monsignor James McMahon (1817–1901) was an Irish-born priest.

Education

McMahon studied for the priesthood at

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

(where his uncle was president); he moved to France and joined the

Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, ...

, and studied divinity in the Seminary in Paris, from which he was posted to Montreal, Canada, to the Suplician Seminary there.Mgr, McMahon Dead
Obituary, New York Times, 16 April 1901

Career

In 1843, McMahon moved to the United States and spent 40 years in New York City as a priest. He was pastor in St. Mary's Church; during his time as parish priest he oversaw the building of the St. John the Evangelist's Church (Manhattan), a parish he had moved to in 1850. Being financially prudent, he managed the payment off of the debts accrued in building the new church. A musician himself, Fr. McMahon took great interest in the church pipe organ and its construction. Although not born into wealth, he was left a small legacy which he invested in real estate, which gave him considerable wealth; he was noted for his business acumen (''The New York Times'' called him the richest priest in American in his obituary.) He donated his wealth to Church organisations and educational bodies in his latter years. In 1891 he moved to

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

(CUA) in Washington and remained there until he died on 15 April 1901.Mgr James McMahon
Archives Catholic University of America. He donated money to the Catholic University of America (some $400,000), and the McMahon Hall was built (for $250,000) in 1895 for the School of Philosophy. Also in Maynooth he funded the construction of the Aula Maxima completed in 1893. His papers were left to the CUA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMahon, James 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth 1817 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American Roman Catholic priests