Father Agatho Purtill, C.P., St. Paul of the Cross Province (1894-1941)

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Born Arthur Purtill on January 2, 1894 he was a member of St. Michael’s Monastery parish, West Hoboken, New Jersey. He professed his vows on October 23, 1910 and received the religious name Agatho. He was ordained at his home parish in West Hoboken on May 6, 1918 by Bishop O’Connor. For a short time Father Purtill preached the home missions but then was assigned, in 1921 to be a member of the first group of Passionist missionaries to Hunan, China. He returned to the United States broken in health and suffering from a heart affliction from which he eventually died.

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