Remembering Fr. Carroll

Jonathan Touhill, one of St.Mary's Stony Hill's parishioners recorded this song in honor of Fr. James Carroll.
The song is called "Well Done" written by "The Afters".

Well done, Fr.Carroll.

Rev. James Carroll, of the Archdiocese of Newark and a resident St Joseph's in Totowa, left this world on May 4, 2020, at the age of 89, and was interred in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City. Father Carroll grew up in Sacred Heart Parish in Bloomfield, attended Immaculate Conception Seminary, and was ordained in 1956. He was a priest at Saint John the Baptist in Fairview for many years, and after retirement resided with the People of Hope Community in Warren, NJ. Parishes he ministered to over the years include St Paul of the Cross, JC, Queen of Angels, Newark, Holy Spirit/OL Help of Christians, EO, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Maplewood, St Charles Borromeo, Newark, and St Matthew, Ridgefield. Father was predeceased by his brother, Jack, and sisters, Eileen Walsh and Catherine Carroll. He leaves behind many nieces, nephews, grand and great-grand family members. Due to Covid19, a Memorial Service will be held later in the year. Anyone wanting to be notified of these arrangements can email [email protected].

If you ever happened to stop by St. Mary’s on a weekday you may have heard the gentle strums of a guitar wafting from the second floor of the parish center. If it was a particularly nice day, the guitar sounds may have come from the prayer gardens. If you listened carefully, you may even have heard the soft voice of a man singing.

If you ventured closer to see who this man was, you may have been surprised to see that it was none other than Father Carroll -- our “weekend” assistant here at St. Mary’s from 2005 to 2016. While he helped celebrate the Sunday liturgies, and could regularly be found at our Seniors Group meetings, he did so much more than that... He was always around, always available always there for you to talk to, to confess to, or just to wave to. You rarely saw him without his collar for he believed that once ordained a priest, you are always a priest.

He gave counsel, advice, and spiritual direction to countless souls and would normally “hold court” in the Narthex. If you ever had the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one you know that he was quite different from his public persona. He had a child-like demeanor about him and a quirky sense of humor but – inevitably – he always directed the conversation back to God and faith.

Few things mattered to Father Carroll in this world: he loved to read, loved music, and most importantly his devotion to his ministry as priest and shepherd of the Lord. In the end, that’s really all he needed; everything else was just fluff. He vehemently disdained material things and any gifts that he may have received were immediately regifted -- usually to someone else in greater need. This includes a brand-new pair of shoes that the parish gifted him for his 80th birthday!

It's almost ironic that the last spiritual home of such a humble, quiet, man of meager means would be here with us at St. Mary's. He found himself in one of the most affluent areas of the state – if not the country. The stark contrast must have amazed him, antagonized him, and bewildered him all at the same time.
Surrounded by million-dollar homes and expensive cars, here he was: a pilgrim, an itinerant, living day-by-day on the good graces of whatever family would take him in. He drove around in hand-me-down automobiles. Even his meals were spartan, typically just a peanut butter sandwich.

Last Monday night, May 4th, the good Lord finally called Father Carroll back home. This was a journey that he had looked forward to his entire life. In fact, he spent every waking moment of every day in prayerful preparation to ensure that he – and all the souls entrusted to him – make it to our final home. The Father’s house! The place where Jesus himself has prepared a room for each of us. As a priest and man of fervent faith, he understood this world is not our final destiny. This world is fleeting – Father Carroll was definitely not of this world.

This was his mission in life: the salvation of souls. Your soul, my soul, and his soul. Sure, his homilies were sometimes odd, uncomfortable, and sometimes hard to follow, but they all contained the same basic message, the same fundamental warning: don’t be lured and fooled by the material trappings of this world. This is not our final destination. This is not the paradise that God the Father intended for us at the dawn of creation. Our final resting place is with God the Father and all the angels and saints.

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Father Carroll is at home with the Father, right now, enjoying the heavenly fruits of his hard work here in the vineyard. Heck, he may even have his guitar out and could be serenading Jesus at this very moment in paradise!

Rest in peace, good and faithful servant, and enjoy the eternal rewards of a job well done.