Born John Carroll in Dundas, Ontario, Canada on February 8, 1903 he was the son of John and Johanna Carroll. He attended St. Mary’s School in Hamilton, Ontario and then went to the Passionist Seminary at Dunkirk, New York. In 1922 he entered the Passionist novitiate at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and professed his vows on September 9, 1923 with the name Paul Mary. His philosophy and theology were at Baltimore, Maryland, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Union City, New Jersey and Jamaica, New York where he was ordained a priest on March 15, 1930 by Bishop Paul Nussbaum, C.P. of Marquette, Michigan.
In 1931 he was assigned to Scranton. In 1932 he was transferred to Toronto, Canada and served there as Vice-Superior till 1936. In 1936 he was assigned as Chaplain at Creedmore State Hospital in Queen, New York. From 1938 to 1941 he served as Vicar of St. Ann’s, Scranton. In 1942 he was assigned as Vice Superior at Pittsburgh. After some heart trouble he went back to Creedmore. In 1955 he was again assigned to Scranton. He died as a member of St. Ann’s Monastery, Scranton.