Father James Carney, C.P., St. Paul of the Cross Province (1906-1934)

Born Edward Carney on September 11, 1906 in Maynard, Massachusetts, he was the son of Albert Carney and Ellen Duggan. At about seven his family moved to Franklin, Massachusetts were he was educated and began his first years of high school. After a short time he entered the Passionist Holy Cross Seminary at Dunkirk, New York and later professed his vows on September 12, 1926 and was ordained on May 22, 1932 at St. Michael’s Church, Union City, New Jersey. During student life he suffered from poor health and continual headaches. A short time after ordination he volunteered for the China missions. He reached Shanghai, China in the summer of 1933 and continued on to Hankow, Hupeh. Ultimately he arrived in Shenchow, Hunan, (later Yuanling, Hunan). He began to study Chinese and then came down with typhoid, went to Shanghai and was sent back to the United States immediately. He died in an automobile accident on visit to his home in Franklin. He was thrown from the car and died early the following morning. At the time of his death he was a member of St. Gabriel’s community, Brighton, Massachusetts where he had been assistant director of the retreat house for a short time.