Dougherty, James J.

Fr. James J. Dougherty, SJ, died Monday, February 1, 2010, at the Fusz Pavilion in St. Louis, Missouri. He was 85 years old, a Jesuit for 62 years and a priest for 50 years.

Fr. Dougherty was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 27, 1924. He graduated from Rockhurst High School in 1942 and attended St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, Kansas, for a semester before joining the Navy. He served in the South Pacific for three years until the end of World War II. He attended Saint Louis University for a year before deciding to enter the Society at Florissant, Missouri, on September 1, 1947. He pursued philosophy studies at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, did his regency at Holy Rosary Mission in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and completed his theology studies at St. Mary’s College in Kansas where he was ordained on June 16, 1959.

During his fifty years of priestly ministry Fr. Dougherty served in an impressive array of ministries and apostolates. His first assignment after ordination was teaching religion at Regis High School in Denver, but he quickly found his niche in the counseling department. After eight years in Denver he served for three years as a counselor at Kapaun High School in Wichita, Kansas, and then for another ten years at St. Louis University High School.

After nearly twenty years of working with young men, provincials gave him a series of assignments working with adults. He directed retreats at White House Retreat in St. Louis for four years until he was invited to become the director of Emmaus House, a house of prayer for diocesan clergy in Des Moines, Iowa. Three years later, following heart by-pass surgery which took a toll on his endurance, he became chaplain for the infirm sisters at Nazareth Home in St. Louis. When the expansion of the nursing home tripled the number of people for whom he was responsible, he offered himself to become the acting pastor of a small rural parish in southern Missouri.

Fr. Dougherty’s latter years were spent in semi retirement as a community member at Hallahan House and at the Jesuit Community of SLUH. His lively conversation, his interest in art, and his collection of exotic plants provided appreciated embellishments to Jesuit community life. Fr. Dougherty made the decision in 2004 to move into the Pavilion before it was absolutely necessary so he could become familiar with the surroundings and actively participate in the community life. He creatively tended plants, sketched, painted and exhibited his art work. He was a cheerful support to his brother Jesuits as they fulfilled their mission of praying for the Church and the Society.