Brother James “Jim” Dennehy, SJ, was known as a quiet and private man, traits that largely characterized his 61 years as a Jesuit brother. He managed, however, to develop other interests somewhat out of keeping with his reputation. One such interest was his fascination with radio; he moderated the short-wave radio club at Canisius High School in Buffalo. One community member remembers Jim fixing his staticky radio simply by transforming the radio without any fuss from A/C to D/C. Later on, he turned to computer technology, becoming so expert that he could disassemble and reassemble computers. And in the early days of the Higher Achievement Program at Canisius High for grammar school kids in the summer, Jim did creative things such as teaching the boys how to construct an electrically-operated hockey game!
Another interest was his enthusiasm for working backstage on the plays that Canisius high schoolers were famous for—managing the lighting and building scenery. But there he was, quiet as always, climbing ladders, getting things just right for the performance. One Jesuit, a Canisius student at the time, remembers how impressed he was by the manner in which members of the Jesuit community, Jim included, lined up amicably to assist Fr. Paul Naumann, SJ, the legendary director of dozens of Canisius plays, in putting on plays.
Jim possessed another unexpected quality. In the summer, several Jesuit community members, including Jim, would take their vacation on a houseboat traversing the Eire Canal. Whenever the boat engine failed, Jim would repair the engine and the trip would continue.
James Dennehy was born in the Kensington section of Buffalo, NY on February 11, 1940, one of the four children of Daniel and Dorothy (Baker) Dennehy. His brother Dennis and sister Patricia predeceased him. Surviving him is his sister, Marie (Dennehy) Gioia, along with many nieces and nephews. Jim was baptized in St. Boniface Church in Buffalo. After spending 5 months in the diocesan preparatory seminary, Jim transferred to Hutchinson Central Technical High School in Buffalo, the premiere technical preparatory high school in the greater Buffalo Niagara region, receiving his diploma in 1957.
On February 1, 1963, Jim entered the then Buffalo Province of the Society of Jesus at Ignatius College, Guelph, Ontario, pronouncing his first vows there in February 2, 1965. He completed the Juniorate in 1965-1967 at St. Andrew’s in Syracuse, NY. His first assignment was maintenance of buildings in Auriesville, NY, the Martyrs Shrine and the then New York Province Tertianship. Jim was next assigned to Buffalo where he worked in the three Jesuit apostolates there, Canisius High School, Loyola Hall in Canisius College, and St. Michael’s Church, where he was treasurer. Canisius High School occupied several sites in its history, some of them originally built for non-educational purposes and thus requiring the kind of skilled upkeep that Jim could easily provide. The assignment to Canisius High School proved to be extraordinary. For 32 years (1968-2000), he worked at Canisius, doing just about everything; Jesuit files described his tasks variously as “custodian, electrician, and machinist,” “took care of the building,” and “computer consultant.” In 1994, he added “treasurer” to his other duties at Canisius, focusing on treasurer duties when in 2000 he moved to St. Michael’s Church in downtown Buffalo. He remained on the St. Michael’s staff until 2018 when declining health made it necessary for him, at age 78,to move to Campion Health Center in Weston, MA. At Campion Health Center he was a gentle and much appreciated presence. One Jesuit at Campion remembers how one day when he, as a newcomer, was introduced to a group of Jesuit residents, Jim directed a brief but warm smile his way. A brief gesture, but it made the new Jesuit feel welcome. The smile was perhaps an indication of what Brother Jim had learned long ago—that you don’t need words to do the Lord’s work.
In his last several weeks, Jim’s health began to fail. A minor outbreak of Covid at the Health Care Center proved too much for his weakened state. On Friday afternoon, August 23, 2024, Brother James Dennehy, SJ, died peacefully.
