OBITUARY

Reverend Msgr. William J. Carey

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL.— Msgr. William J. Carey, 90, pastor emeritus of St. Paul Church, Cranston, died June 13.

Born in Providence, he was the son of the late William J. and Pauline W. (Schick) Carey. He attended the former Holy Name and St. Raymond schools, LaSalle Academy and Providence College, all in Providence. In preparation for the priesthood, he completed studies at St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, MD, and was ordained a priest on November 13, 1943 at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul by Bishop Francis P. Keough.

After brief assignments at Our Lady of Mercy Church, East Greenwich, and St. Catherine Church, Warwick, Father Carey was appointed assistant at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, and in January 1954 became its rector. In 1957 he was named a Papal Chamberlain and in 1967 was named a Domestic Prelate with the title of Reverend Monsignor.

In January 1973 Msgr. Carey became the pastor of St. Paul Church, Cranston, and served there until January 1991, when he was named pastor emeritus. In retirement, he continued to assist at several parishes, including St. Anthony in Portsmouth and Jesus Saviour in Newport. In 1978 he served as Dean of the Cranston-Johnston Deanery No. VI. In retirement, he resided in Jamestown and spent winters in West Palm Beach.

In addition to his parish duties, in 1955 he was named to serve on a committee sponsoring redevelopment in Providence. In 1956 he was appointed to the Diocesan Building Commission, and later served as chairman. In 1964 he was named to the Commission for Sacred Art, and that same year he was appointed chairman of the Diocesan Anti-Poverty Program. In 1970 he was appointed director of the Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul Societies.

Msgr. Carey supervised the renovation of the Cathedral which was completed in 1972. He was a member of the National Guild for Religious Architecture, the Providence Art Club, and the Downtown Businessmen’s Group of the Chamber of Commerce. He was also the chairman of the Diocesan Insurance Committee and the Chaplain of the Knights of St. Gregory and the Faithful Friar of the Hendricken Assembly, Knights of Columbus (1975).

In addition, he was a member of the ad hoc committee to review the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program, and served on the Council of Priests of the Diocese of Providence. Msgr. Carey also actively served as a counselor at Edgehill in Newport.

In 1966 he was honored by his alma mater, Providence College, with an honorary doctorate degree.

Msgr. Carey is survived by a niece and a nephew. He was the brother of the late Raymond H. Carey of Glocester.

A concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial June 19 at St. Paul Church with Bishop Thomas J. Tobin as the main celebrant and Bishops Robert E. Mulvee, Louis E. Gelineau, George H. Pearce, Ernest B. Boland, Francis X. Roque and Daniel P. Reilly, bishop emeritus, Diocese of Worcester, MA, and other clergy concelebrating. Father Francis C. Santilli, pastor of St. Paul’s, served as homilist.

Burial was in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket.