1902 – 1993 (November 9)
John Augustine Mary Walsh was born on August 8, 1902 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to Thomas F. Walsh and Ellen McCarthy. Baptized on October 10 he attended Saint Mary’s parish school, graduating in 1915. After a year at Lawrence High School he enrolled at Saint John’s Preparatory School, Danvers, Massachusetts, and graduated in June, 1919. At the age of 17 John Walsh enrolled at Villanova College, Villanova, Pennsylvania, as a postulant and began his novitiate. He professed simple vows on June 28, 1921 and three veers later solemn vows. His college and theology courses were completed at Villanova and on August 29, 1926 he was ordained a priest in Saint Thomas of Villanova Church by Denis Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia. During the academic year 1926-1927 he took graduate courses at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Father Walsh was briefly assigned to Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Saint Rita’s High School in Chicago, Illinos, where he began many years teaching the classics, Greek and Latin, as well as religion. From 1927-1947 Father taught at Saint Augustine High School, San Diego, California; Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, New York, where he was for a time director of studies and later rector of postulants; and Villanova Preparatory School, Ojai, California, where he was headmaster. From 1947 to 1959 Father Walsh taught theology at Villanova University and Greek at Saint Mary’s Hall, on the university campus. From 1959 to 1965 he engaged in parish work as assistant pastor and later administrator at Holy Rosary Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts.In 1965 he was transferred to Saint Rita’s Parish in Philadelphia where he was appointed prior and associate pastor until transferred in 1968 to Saint Mary’s Parish in Lawrence, where he served as associate pastor. He retired in 1976 to Our Mother of Good Counsel Monastery on the campus of Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts.A quiet and reserved person, his health began to fail following the deaths of his younger brothers, Father Thomas Walsh, O.S.A. and Brother Joseph Patrick Walsh. C.F.X., both in 1990.
In July, 1993 Father was transferred to the health care facility at Saint Thomas Monastery on the campus of Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was here on this date that he died peacefully at the age of 91.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on November 15, 1993 at the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher, Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts. Interment was in the Augustinian plot of Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Lawrence.
