James Anthony Walsh (February 24, 1867 – April 14, 1936) was the co-founder of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.

Background

The son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, James Anthony was born in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. After completing his

elementary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or fir ...

in the public schools, he attended

Boston College High School , motto_translation = ''So they may know You.'' , address = 150 Morrissey Boulevard , city = Boston , state = Massachusetts , zipcode = 02125 , country ...

where, in extracurricular activities, his skills in

debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

and

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

were first recognized and developed. He began his college program at Boston College, interrupted it to study bookkeeping, transferred to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

as a "special student," and completed his studies at St. John's Seminary in

Brighton, Boston Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as "L ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

on May 20, 1892, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. After ordination, Walsh was appointed curate at St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury, where he directed sodalities and organizations for both the young men and women of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

. In 1903, he was appointed Diocesan Director of the

Society for the Propagation of the Faith The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...

and in 1907 founded The Field Afar magazine, a monthly publication about the foreign missions of the

Catholic Church 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 ...

. Walsh's interest in the foreign missions led to his founding, together with Rev. Thomas Frederick Price, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (C.F.M.S.A.) (commonly referred to as the

Maryknoll Maryknoll is a name shared by a number of related Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (also known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America or the Maryknoll Society), the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Mary ...

Fathers and Brothers) in 1911. He acted as spiritual father and co-founder, with Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, of the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic (now called

Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic __NOTOC__ The Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, or simply Maryknoll Sisters, are a group of Roman Catholic religious women founded in the village of Ossining, Westchester County, New York, in 1912, six months after the 1911 creation of the Mar ...

). He served as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers until he died in 1936. During the founding process and in his service as Superior General, Walsh made trips across the United States, Rome, and other places throughout the world. In 1933, Walsh was named to the

episcopacy 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 ca ...

as Titular Bishop of Seine. He was consecrated in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on June 29, 1933, in the College of ''Propaganda Fide'' by Cardinal Fumasoni-Biondi. He died at

New York, on April 14, 1936. His teachings as a priest gave students strong encouragement to follow their dreams in life.

Bibliography

Writings

* ''Choral Sodality Handbook'' (1898,1955) * ''A Modern Martyr'' (1907) * ''Thoughts from Modern Martyrs'' (1908) * * ''In the Homes of Martyrs'' (1922)

Biography

* ''All the Day Long'', Daniel Sargent (1941) Longmans, Green & Company

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, James Anthony 1867 births 1936 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American Servants of God Boston College alumni Boston College High School alumni Catholics from Massachusetts Founders of Catholic religious communities Harvard College alumni Maryknoll bishops Writers from Cambridge, Massachusetts