James Anthony Walsh

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

Background The son of James and Hanna Shea Walsh, James Anthony was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His brother, Timothy Francis Walsh, was an architect and partner in Maginnis & Walsh. After completing his elementary education in the public schools, he attended Boston College High School where, in extracurricular activities, his skills in debating and journalism were first recognized and developed. He began his college program at Boston College, interrupted it to study bookkeeping, transferred to Harvard College as a "special student," and completed his studies at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Boston. He was ordained 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. In 1903, he was appointed Diocesan Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and in 1907 founded The Field Afar magazine, a monthly publication about the foreign missions of the Catholic Church. He was consecrated in Rome on June 29, 1933, in the College of Propaganda Fide by Cardinal Fumasoni-Biondi. He died at Maryknoll New York, on April 14, 1936. His teachings as a priest gave students strong encouragement to follow their dreams in life.