Ordination May 26, 1877 Consecration October 18, 1894 | Name James McFaul Appointed July 20, 1894 | |
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Born Parents James McFaul & Mary Hefferman Alma mater St. Francis Xavier College Province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark | ||
James Augustine McFaul (June 6, 1850 – June 16, 1917) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Trenton from 1894 until his death in 1917.
Biography
McFaul was born in Larne, County Antrim, to James and Mary (née Hefferman) McFaul. The family moved to the United States when he was only a few months old, residing in New York City for four years before settling in Bound Brook, New Jersey. He worked on his father's farm and at age fifteen he became a clerk at a country store near Bound Brook. With the intention of becoming a lawyer, he attended Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1867 to 1871. He completed his classical studies at St. Francis Xavier College in New York City in 1873, and then studied theology at Seton Hall College in South Orange, New Jersey.
McFaul was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Michael Corrigan on May 26, 1877. He then served as a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Newark until 1879, when he was transferred to St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton. He was named private secretary to Bishop Michael J. O'Farrell in 1882, and pastor of the Church of St. Mary, Star of the Sea at Long Branch in 1884. In October 1890, McFaul returned to St. Mary's Cathedral as its rector. Having served as O'Farrell's secretary and Chancellor of the diocese, he was appointed as Vicar General by the bishop on November 1, 1892. Upon O'Farrell's death in April 1894, he was named the Apostolic Administrator of the diocese by the Holy See.
On July 20, 1894, McFaul was appointed the second Bishop of Trenton by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 18 from Archbishop Corrigan, with Bishops Charles Edward McDonnell and Bernard John McQuaid serving as co-consecrators. During his tenure, he helped erect many churches, schools, and institutions, including an orphanage at Hopewell, a home for the aged at Lawrenceville, and Mount St. Mary's College at Plainfield. He was also one of the key organizers of the American Federation of Catholic Societies. In 1909 he created a controversy when he accused the professors at American colleges and universities of an "upbuilding of a cynicism and intimacy with immoral ideas."
McFaul died at his official residence in Trenton on June 16, 1917, aged 67.