One of the bright spots in Brother Jim Moran’s life was his time at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River, MA, 1980-85, as “Prefect of Discipline” (to use a traditional Jesuit designation) and assistant Principal. At Bishop Connolly, he found a friend in Fr. Thomas Spillane, a beloved senior Jesuit, in part because Tom and Jim both had police backgrounds, Tom being the son of a Boston policeman, and Jim being a sometime probation office with a Master’s degree in criminal justice. When Tom died after leaving Fall River, Jim by then a deacon, preached at his funeral with memorable eloquence. A highlight of his ministry, and his last public ministry, occurred in Rutland, VT, at Mount St. Joseph Academy (2004-06) where he became a trusted and valued member of staff for two years; he also functioned as a Deacon in St. Peter’s Church in Rutland.
Though Brother Jim served in a variety of ministries as a Jesuit, it must be said that he endured an extraordinary amount of suffering during his life – personal, physical, and social. As an example, his later years as a Jesuit were mostly spent apart from Jesuit health centers. It is significant that he died at South Shore Hospital, South Weymouth, MA, rather than at Campion Center.
James J. Moran was born on 24 October 1953, one of four sons (the others: Robert, Kevin, and John) born to the late James Edward Moran and Josephine E. (Ryan) Moran of North Quincy, MA. He is survived by his brothers Kevin and John and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. As a Jesuit brother candidate, Jim entered the New England Province in the early 1970s, but left soon after to care for his ailing mother. Nonetheless, he kept in touch with his former Director of Novices, Daniel Lewis, who encouraged him to enter a second time. In an unusual departure from custom, he spent the two years of his second novitiate (1977-79) at Berkley, MI, rather than the novitiate located in Newbury St. in Boston. During the Detroit years, he acquired a Master’s degree in counseling from the University of Detroit. Coming back to New England, he worked as Prefect of Students and assistant Principal at the Jesuit-run Bishop Connelly High School in Fall River, MA (1980-85). Transferring to Boston College High School in Dorchester, he continued the same administrative roles (1985-93), taking on as well the task of Minister of the Jesuit community from 1990-93. On December 19, 1990, Jim pronounced his final vows as a Jesuit at Boston College High School.
In May 1992, he was ordained as a permanent deacon by Bishop Daniel Hart of the Boston Archdiocese, and thereafter served parishes as deacon in the Archdiocese – St. Ann’s in Quincy and St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood as well as Loyola House in Boston and Campion Center in Weston. At Campion Center, he initially worked for the Food for the Poor program. In addition to his diaconal duties, he found time to be a probation officer, working in 1994-96 in Boston Juvenile Court, and in 2004-06 in Middlesex County. By 2007, declining health forced him to relinquish these duties and he moved into assisted living to Campion Center until 2014 when specialized health requirements required him to move to other health facilities. After a long illness, he died on 29 December 2024 at the South Shore Hospital.
