DOB/DOD: July 18, 1908 (Newark, New Jersey) – February 3, 1943; 34 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
SCHOOLS: Seton Hall Preparatory School, South Orange, 1927, New Jersey; Seton Hall College, South Orange, New Jersey, 1931; A.B. Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington, NJ, 1935
ORDAINED: June 15, 1935
PARISHES SERVED: St. Genevieve’s in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and then he served at St. Venantius for a year. In 1938, he was assigned to St. Stephen’s in Arlington, New Jersey.
ENLISTMENT: Date of Appointment April 24, 1942. Entered active duty on May 9, 1942.
SERVICE NUMBER: O-463529
UNITS:
– Chief of Chaplains Reserve Pool, Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN (May 1942)
– 76th Infantry Division, Fort George Meade, MD (June – November 1942)
– Boston Port of Embarkation, Camp Miles Standish, Taunton, MA (November 1942 – January 1943)
FAMILY: Born to Francis J., Sr. (1877-1938) and Mary A. Treacy Washington (1887-1952). Both parents were born in Ireland. Two sisters, Mary E. (1910-1925) and Anna B. Washington Schwoebel (1911-1995). Four brothers, Thomas M. (1914-1995), Francis J., Jr. (1915-1944), Leo M. (1915-1969), and Edmund M. (1920-1999). Brother, Francis Jr., assigned to the 408th Bomber Squadron, 22nd Bomber Group, was shot down in his B-24J #42-100180, on June 9, 1944, near New Guinea, and is Missing In Action.
From missionpriest.com on February 16, 2024
John Patrick Washington was born on July 18, 1908, in Newark, New Jersey, one of seven children born to Irish immigrants Frank and Mary. Even as a child, John exhibited a religious inclination and served as an altar server. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, that as a teenager, he began the long road of study to become a Catholic priest. After studying at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University, he was ordained a priest in 1935.
From SHU.edu
John Patrick Washington was born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18, 1908. His parents were Frank and Mary. In 1914, John was enrolled at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Elementary School. In those days, times were rough for a poor immigrant family, but John had his father’s Irish grin and his mother’s Irish stick-to-itiveness. He liked to play ball, but he had a newspaper route to help his mother with extra money, since there were nine mouths in the Washington household to feed. John started to take piano lessons, loved music, and sang in the church choir. When he entered seventh grade, he felt strongly about becoming a priest. During the previous year, he became an altar boy, and his priestly destiny was in process.
From fourchaplains.org
John P. Washington grew up poor, scrappy, and determined in the toughest section of Newark, New Jersey. One of nine children born to an Irish immigrant family, he was blessed with a sunny disposition, a beautiful singing voice, and a love for music. He also loved a good fight and was a leader of the South Twelfth Street gang when he was called to the priesthood. He played ball with the boys of the parish, organized sports teams, and, when war came along, went with his boys into the Army. He began active duty on May 9, 1942.
John P. Washington was born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18, 1908. He studied at Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey, to complete his high school and college courses in preparation for the Catholic priesthood. He graduated in 1931 with an A.B. Degree, entering Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey, where he received his minor orders on May 26, 1933. He served as a subdeacon at all the solemn masses and later became a deacon on December 25, 1934. He was elected prefect of his class and was ordained a priest on June 15, 1935.
From jwv-mi.org
Father Washington’s first parish was at St. Genevieve’s in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He later served at St. Venantius for a year. In 1938, he was assigned to St. Stephen’s in Kearny, New Jersey. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, he received his appointment as a chaplain in the United States Army, reporting for active duty on May 9, 1942. He was named Chief of the Chaplains Reserve Pool in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and in June 1942, he was assigned to the 76th Infantry Division in Fort George Meade, Maryland. In November 1942, he reported to Camp Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts, and met Chaplains Fox, Goode, and Poling at Chaplains School at Harvard.
From ststephenkearny.com
Father John P. Washington was born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18th, 1908. As a child, Father Washington spent his extra time taking up a newspaper route to help his family financially. He enjoyed singing in the church choir and by high school had his mind set on the priesthood. Father Washington chose to attend Seton Hall High School to begin his pursuit of his calling. In 1931, John graduated from Seton Hall University with an A.B. degree. He then entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey, and was ordained as a priest on June 15th, 1935. In 1938, he was assigned to St. Stephen’s Church in Arlington (now known as Kearny).
Here at St. Stephen’s, we remember the tremendous bravery and love Father Washington and the Four Chaplains demonstrated at our annual Father Washington Mass. Each year, in early February, we celebrate Sunday Mass in dedication to the efforts of these men. We honor these men with the help of our Knights of Columbus, Scouts, adult choir, relatives of Father Washington, and the faithful community.
From The Observer, January 24, 2022
By The Observer Staff
Ten years ago, St. Stephen’s former parish trustee, the late retired Municipal Court Judge John McLaughlin, told The Observer he was in kindergarten or first grade at the time, and he recalled, “Father Washington used to take the altar boys and various classes from school to Bertrand’s Island, an amusement area in Lake Hopatcong. I went. He was pretty good at working with kids.”
The late parishioner Paul Shalvoy, another of the altar boys who assisted Father Washington serve Mass at St. Stephen’s, said when the priest was in charge of the local Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), he arranged to transport a St. Stephen’s youth team to Ruppert Stadium in Newark’s Ironbound area to participate in CYO track meets.
“I was in St. Stephen’s grammar school at the time and I ran in the relay races,” Shalvoy recalled. “And I remember that Father Washington bought us hot dogs and sodas, and in the late ‘30s, that was a treat. He was a very nice guy.”
Revs. Washington and Byrne used to go house-to-house to take the parish census, McLaughlin recalled.
At St. Stephen’s, Washington developed a reputation as a “forward-thinking” cleric, the Rev. Joseph Mancini, pastor of St. Stephen’s, said. “He integrated public and parochial school children for social gatherings, for example, which was unheard of for that time.”
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