John William Comber, M.M. (March 12, 1906 – March 27, 1998) was an American-born

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

and

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. As a member of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll), he was assigned to missions in China,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. He served as the Superior General of Maryknoll from 1956 to 1966.

Early life and education

John Comber was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to Thomas F. and Nora (Higgins) Comber. He was educated at St. Mary’s Grade School in Lawrence and St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He studied at Boston College for two years after which he entered Maryknoll Seminary in Ossining, New York. Comber earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacre ...

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private 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 of higher education founded by U.S. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was ordained a priest on February 1, 1931.

Priesthood

After his ordination Comber spent eleven years in the Maryknoll Mission at

Fushun Fushun (, formerly romanised as ''Fouchouen'', using French spelling, also as Fuxi ()) is a prefecture level city in Liaoning province, China, about east of Shenyang, with a total area of , of which is the city proper. Situated on the Hun Rive ...

, China. He learned to speak and write

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

fluently. After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Comber and his two sisters, Sr. Rita Clare, M.M., and Sr. Francis Helena, S.N.D. who were also missionaries in Japanese controlled territories, were interned by the Japanese military. They were among the second exchange of nationals repatriated to the United States in December 1943. After a period of recuperation, Comber was assigned to teach Mission Sociology at Maryknoll Seminary in January 1944 and five months later he became the school's

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. During his time as rector, 416 Maryknollers were ordained priests. In 1953 he was assigned to the mission field in Peru, where he learned

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. The following year he was appointed Group Superior for the new Maryknoll Mission in Chile. Comber was chosen as a delegate to the Fourth General Chapter of Maryknoll. On August 6, 1956, he was elected as the Fourth Superior General of the Society. During his ten years in office, Maryknoll experienced a period of rapid growth. They realized their largest number of members and mission commitments. While remaining as Superior General,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

appointed him as the

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''Foratiana'' on January 23, 1959.

Episcopacy

John Comber was consecrated a bishop on April 9, 1959, in Queen of Apostles Chapel at Maryknoll Seminary by Cardinal

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

of New York. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops Raymond Lane, M.M., Comber's predecessor as Superior General, and Martin McNamara of Joliet in Illinois. Comber attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. After the Council he was appointed as a member of the Post-Conciliar Commission on Missions. After his term as Superior General he served as an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of New York. Cardinal Spellman appointed him the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

Church of the Transfiguration The Church of the Transfiguration ( he, כנסיית ההשתנות) is a Franciscan church located on Mount Tabor in Israel. It is traditionally believed to be the site where the Transfiguration of Jesus took place, an event in the Gospels in w ...

in Lower Manhattan in 1967. He retired after two years and moved to the Maryknoll Development House on East 39th Street. Later that year he moved to St. Agnes Rectory in Midtown Manhattan. He served as auxiliary bishop until his resignation was accepted by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

on January 12, 1976.

Later life and death

As his health declined Comber moved to the St. Teresa Residence in Ossining where he remained until his death. He died on March 27, 1998, at the age of 92. His funeral Mass was celebrated in the Queen of Apostles Chapel on April 1, 1998, by New York Auxiliary Bishop

Patrick Sheridan Patrick Joseph Thomas Sheridan K.H.S., K.M., (March 10, 1922 – December 2, 2011) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1990 until his retirement in 2001. Biography ...

. He was buried in the Maryknoll Center Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comber, John William 1906 births 1998 deaths People from Lawrence, Massachusetts Maryknoll bishops Maryknoll Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni American Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in China Roman Catholic missionaries in Peru Roman Catholic missionaries in Chile 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Participants in the Second Vatican Council American expatriates in China American expatriates in Chile American expatriates in Peru Catholics from Massachusetts