During the mass for the feast of St. James the Apostle, on the 25th of July, 2025, our own Fr. James went to his rest, passing quietly.
Fr. James was our longest serving monk, having entered Gethsemani in 1949 at age 16.
He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on the 3rd of December, 1932. He entered Gethsemani on the 13th of August, 1949. He made his first vows on Oct 7, 1951, and his final vows on Dec 8, 1954. He was ordained a priest on June 15, 1957. He spent time studying in Rome in 1962. In 1972, he volunteered to assist at the abbey of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico, which was struggling at the time. He eventually became superior there. After this, he spent some time in San Francisco, and eventually helped Sr. Pascaline Coff, OSB, and other sisters to found Osage Forest monastery in Oklahoma. He returned to Gethsemani in 1990, but was elected superior of Assumption Abbey, better known as Ava, in Missouri. He finally returned for good to Gethsemani in 1999.
As a junior professed, Fr. James studied under Fr. Louis, better known to the world as Thomas Merton, and chose him as his confessor. He later worked closely with Merton during his time as undermaster of novices. He credits his friendship with Merton as a great influence on his monastic life and theological direction.
In the meantime, he served as president of the ITMS (the International Thomas Merton Society) and was deeply involved in MID (the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue initiative) almost from its inception.
Fr. James served the community of Gethsemani in many capacities. He was, as mentioned, undermaster of novices, retreat master, interior cellarer, boss of the fudge operation, and guest house chaplain among other duties. Right up until his final illness, he would go out every day in his motorized wheelchair to help in the bakery, sorting the pecans for the fruitcake and assisting in packaging.
He was also a much beloved confessor, chosen by many of the monks. His humility and kindness were tempered by a streak of strong willpower, almost amounting to stubbornness at times. His good humor and gentleness will be greatly missed.
Fr. James was a cornerstone of this community, not only as its longest serving monk, a repository of history and tradition, but also because of his nature, which was kind and welcoming to many.
Fr. James’ monastic life led him in many directions, and his inclination to service made him valuable not only to this community, but to several others. He was never averse to work, to travel, to service of any kind. May he now finally rest in eternal peace.
Recent News
