Rites Tomorrow For Msgr. Walsh
While Norwood today mourned the death of Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph C. Walsh, beloved pastor of St. Catherine’s Church who died yesterday morning, complete plans for the funeral rites were announced at the Rectory.
The friends of Monsignor Walsh may pay their respects at the Rectory up until this afternoon.
The Office of the Dead will be chanted by the Clergy at 4 pm in St. Catherine’s Church on Friday.
From 4 until 9 p.m Monsignor Walsh will lie in state in his Parish Church of St Catherine’s of
Siena until the time of the funeral on Saturday. The Church will be closed, however, at 9 p m tonight.
On Saturday morning at 8 a m there will be a High Mass of Requiem for Monsignor Walsh celebrated by Rev James E. Sullivan for the children of the Parish. All the children of St Catherine’s Parish are invited to attend this Mass for their beloved pastor and friend.
The Girl Scouts and the members of St Catherine’s Drum Corps will all be present but will not wear uniforms.
Archbishop Richard J Cushing will be the celebrant at the pontifical mass of requiem at 10 o clock Saturday morning.
Participating in the pontifical mass will be Rt. Res Mgr Edward G Murray rector of St John s Seminary. assistant priest Rt Rev Mgr George V Leahy pastor of Sacred Heart Parish Manchester, senior assistant deacon Rt Rev Mgr Edward F Crowley pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish Hyde Park, junior assistant deacon Rt Rev Mgr Charles A Finn pastor of Holy Name Parish West Roxbury, deacon of the mass the Rev Thomas J Riley, vice-rector of St Johns Seminary, Brighton subdeacon of the mass, Rt Rev Mgr Patrick J Waters, pastor of St. Brigids Parish South Boston, preacher.
Other priests participating in the pontifical requiem mass will include Rt Rev Mgr, Walter J Furlong dean of St Clements Hall, Brighton the Rev Michael F Costello. assistant at The Cathedral of The Holy Cross. Boston, the Rev. Charles N Cunningham pastor of St. Pauls parish, Dorchester, the Rev. Alfred R. Julien, the Rev. Daniel T. McColgan. the Rev. Francis X. Meehan and the Rev Matthew P. Stapleton, all of St. Jolin’s Seminary; the Rev. Thomas fl. Kennedy, assistant director of the Catholic Charitable Bureau of Boston; the Rev Christopher P. Griffin. and the Rev. William C. Carroll, assistants at St. Catherine’s.
The St. John’s Seminary choir, directed by the Rev. Francis S. Shea, will provide the music.
Burial will be in Westview Cemetery, Lexington.
Msgr. Walsh is survived by three brothers, James J. Walsh and Francis M. Walsh of Lexington, and John S. Walsh of Durham, N II. and three sisters. Sister Beatrice of Pawtucket. R. I.; Catherine R. Walsh of Lexington and Mrs. Harold R. Donahue of Dorchester.
Monsignor Walsh had been ill for a week and had been confined to the rectory-. Rev. James E. Sullivan, Rev. Christopher P. Griffin. Sister Margaret Rita. Superior of St. Catherine’s Convent , Sister Beatrice, a sister of the Monsignor, and a doctor and nurse were with him when he died at 4 o’clock Wednesday morning. He was 63 years of age.
Death came to the distinguished Norwood clergyman eight years and one month after he was appointed by the late Cardinal O’Connell as pastor of St. Catherine s Parish to succeed the late Rev James F. Doherty.
Monsignor Walsh came directly to Norwood from his position as rector of St. John’s ecclesiastical seminary at Brighton. The history of his life before he was given the Norwood pastorate by Cardinal O’Connell, which pleased him greatly, is a gradual rise to ever more important positions in the organization of the Catholic Church.
Msgr. Walsh was born in Boston December 25, 1882.
As a boy, he attended the Edward Everett and Roger Clapp public schools in Boston. He then attended the Boston Latin School from which he was graduated with the class of 1901. As an indication of his brilliance. It should be noted that at that time he received the Franklin medal for excellence in studies. He then pursued his classical leaning at St. Charles College,’ Ellicott City. Md., and completed his theological work at St. John’s Seminary.
He was ordained at a private service September 23, 1907, by Cardinal O’Connell in the seminary chapel and left the United States at once to study Canon Law at Rome. He was awarded the J.C.D. degree two years later. Upon his return to Boston, Monsignor -Walsh was assigned to the seminary as professor of Canon Law and fundamental moral theology.
In 1937, Monsignor Walsh was given his L.L.D degree at Boston College and was made a domestic prelate by Pope Pius at that time. While in the seminary he served as pro-synodal judge and pro-Synodal examiner, as well as censor of books.
His life in Norwood has been growing parish, the temporal problems and plans on which he handled with rare business acumen. But his work was not limited to this town. His profound knowledge ot canon law brought him into close and constant touch with both Cardinal O’Connell and the Most Rev Richard J. Cushing, D.D., Archbishop of Boston. By both he was regarded as an authority in many- business affairs of the diocese and archdiocese, it was undoubtedly this experience in canon law which induced Archbishop Cushing to honor Monsignor Walsh in November, 1944, by appointing him as one of the 23 Con-suitors to act under the Archbishop.
Monsignor Walsh began the construction of a new convent on August 7, 1939, to accommodate the 25 teaching Sisters. This building was completed in June, 1940. During his pastorate, pupils in the parochial school increased to the number of 735.
Monsignor Walsh, a fine musician himself, started a Senior Choir which has become one of the very best in the diocese. It is under the direction of Professor John V. Dethier, Supervisor of Music in the Norwood Public Schools.
Under the direction of Monsignor Walsh many troops of Girl Scouts and Brownies were started and a parish Literary Society was established which brings to Norwood the outstanding artists on the concert and lecture platform in America. He also established two societies for the continued study- of Catholic Doctrine by high school boys and girls. Vocations to the Holy priesthood and Sisterhood have greatly increased in the past few years.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)
