The spiritual legacy of
Father James J. McQuade, S.J.
1905 - 1991
a Father for postconciliar orphans
- born on September 7, 1905
- entered the Society of Jesus on August 7, 1924
- ordained to the Priesthood on June 24, 1937
- assigned as chaplain of the Carmelite Monastery in Traverse City in 1981
- passed into eternal life on January 9, 1991James Joseph McQuade was born in Toledo, Ohio, the only child of David and Mary Ann (Walsh) McQuade. He was nicknamed "Cap" by his brother Jesuits, because his father was the captain of a ship on the Great Lakes. Whenever he had to go to Europe, he loved to visit his cousins (on his Mother's side) in Ireland.
He entered the Jesuits in Florissant, Missouri, a month before his 19th birthday. After the novitiate, he completed his bachelor's (1931) and master's (1936) degrees at St. Louis University. As a scholastic, from 1931 to 1934, he taught high school boys at Loyola Academy in Chicago. In 1938, a year after his ordination to the Priesthood, he received a licentiate in Sacred Theology from St. Mary's Seminary in Kansas.
He had many apostolates during his 54 years of Priesthood. From 1939 to 1953, he taught at John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he chaired the Theology department and served as Sodality director. From 1953 to 1956, he continued teaching while filming a television show called, "What Catholics Believe." From 1956 to 1960, he contributed to the Queen's Work, a national Jesuit journal based in St. Louis, Missouri, and worked as superintendent and national director for Our Lady's Sodality. In subsequent years he was sent back to Cleveland as rector of St. Stanislaus, Tertian master and Province Sodality Director. He was a representative to the 31st General Congregation of the Jesuits in Rome in 1965 and 1966. In 1967, the Jesuits moved him, and the Tertian program, to Columbiere College in Clarkson, Michigan. He was busy directing Ignatian retreats there until 1981, when he was "put out to pasture" (as he would say) in Traverse City, Michigan, as chaplain for the Carmelite nuns. It did not take long for area Catholics to discover this wise, learned and holy Priest. Soon he was offering the catechetical and devotional talks that are available from this site.
Audio Recordings
Between 1981 and 1991, Father McQuade recorded many talks at the Carmelite Monastery. The talks are organized by type: Church History Lessons, Third Sunday Afternoons of Prayer, Rosary Holy Hours, and Other talks.
Church History Lessons
On October 14, 1985, Father McQuade gave the first lesson of 39 on the history of the Church. Using Philip Hughes' "Popular HIstory of the Catholic Church" (Macmillan, 1946) as a textbook, he explains that there was never any such thing as "the simplicity of the early Christian community." With delightful stories and references to current historical parallels, he strengthens the listener with assurances of the rock-solid foundations of the Catholic Church today.
Third Sunday Afternoons of Prayer
Following a tradition that worked well for the faithful in Cleveland years before, Father McQuade offered a mini-retreat on the third Sunday of every month. These "Afternoons of Prayer" consisted of two 30-minute talks on a relevant theological topic followed by a holy hour with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Rosary Holy Hours
Father McQuade was a firm supporter of the Blue Army, which was founded in response to Our Lady of Fatima's call for prayer for the conversion of Russia and an end to the spread of communism. He was thrilled when the Berlin wall came down in 1989, and he could foresee the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. The errors of communism (materialism, atheism, socialism and social unrest), however, are far from a thing of the past. With these holy hours, listeners can join Father McQuade in prayer and meditation for the salvation of the whole world.
Other Lectures
Father McQuade recorded several other types of lectures in his time in Traverse City. Among these were a series on the Ten Commandments, retreat conferences, instructions to the local chapter of Catholics United for the Faith, and daily homilies.
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