Carey, J. Peter
Jesuit Father J. Peter Carey died on June 29, 2015, at West Park Nursing Home in Cincinnati. He was 84 years old.
Fr. Carey was born on July 18, 1930, in Chicago. He entered the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus on August 8, 1953, at Milford, Ohio. He was ordained on June 14, 1964, at West Baden College in West Baden, Indiana, and took final vows on Jan. 6, 1987, at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
After graduating from Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1948, Fr. Carey went on to Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he earned a B.A. in English. After entering the Society and going through the normal progression of Milford to West Baden for philosophy, he had his regency experience at the University of Detroit High School from 1959-1961 and then returned to West Baden. Following ordination in 1969, he went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he earned a Ph.D.
Fr. Carey had a deep commitment to education. His first major assignment in 1969 was as assistant dean of students and assistant professor of education at Xavier University. Then from 1971 to 1979 he moved to the University of Albuquerque as director of campus ministry, professor of education and academic dean. He then moved to Chicago to be the vice president and dean of faculty at St. Xavier College.
After tertianship in 1985 Fr. Carey was appointed president of Walsh Jesuit High School, where he served until 1992. The provincial then called upon him to be the director of the Jesuit development office in Cincinnati and pastoral coordinator at Milford Spiritual Center, where he served for five years. From 1997 to 2004 he was a wonderful assistant to the president at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, where he also served as the rector of the Indianapolis Jesuits.
From 2004 until his death he had the opportunity to engage even more fully in a ministry he carried on for many years and which he loved, namely companioning men and women dealing with addictions to alcohol and drugs.