Brother James McVeigh, O.S.F.

October 10, 1946 – February 19, 2021

You may view the video recording of Brother James' Funeral here.

Brother James McVeigh, O.S.F., a Franciscan Brother of Brooklyn for 55 years, died on Friday evening, February 19, 2021, at the age of 74.  A life-long educator, Brother James, when asked to reflect on his life as a Franciscan Brother, summed it up so well: “of the many titles I’ve had, the title I cherish the most is “Brother.”  Brother James did have many titles during his 55 years as a Brother: Principal, Assistant Principal, Superintendent of Schools, Vocation Director, Vicar for Religious, Teacher, and Chairperson. Brother James resided at the Friary at St. Anthony’s High School.  

Brother James had a great sense of humor. He enjoyed sharing a good laugh and was always seen smiling in the hallways of our schools in his ministry of Franciscan presence.  Brother James worked tirelessly to promote Franciscan Values and Vocations in everything he did.

Brother James always said, “keep smiling and continue to do wonderful things!”  This is the memory he leaves to the many people whose lives he touched.

Brother James, formerly known as Brother Martin de Porres was born in Brooklyn on October 10, 1946.  After attending Immaculate Heart of Mary School and the Brothers’ Juniorate in Smithtown, L.I. He entered St. Francis Novitiate in Brookville and received the habit on August 2, 1964.

He received a Sociology degree from St. Francis College and began his teaching career at St. Mary Star of the Sea School in Brooklyn. Brother James began his graduate studies at American University and St. Mary’s University in 1969, earning a Master of Arts degree in Religious Education. Brother also taught at Bishop Ford H.S. and St. Anthony’s H.S. then in Smithtown where he became Director of Religious Activities and then Chairperson of the Religion Department. He reactivated the Tau Fraternity (Third Order of St. Francis).

In 1979, he became Christian Service Coordinator at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, followed by ten years as principal of Our Lady of Hope School in Middle Village. Brother was then appointed as Regional School Supervisor for Queens North comprising of 45 schools in Northern Queens. He was then named Assistant Principal, Dean of Faculty and Director of Studies at St. Anthony’s H.S. in South Huntington and began the catechetics program and Kolbe Society.

In 1995, Brother James became Assistant Superintendent for Essex County in the Archdiocese of Newark. During this time, he also served as Director of Temporary Professed. The Franciscan Brothers then appointed Brother James as Vocation Director for the community for seven years. When the term was finished, he was asked to help out in Secaucus, NJ for a school that had lost their principal. Brother James then returned to St. Francis Prep to assist in the Admissions Office and designed a program for the Franciscan Mission Coordinator, and moderator of the Franciscan Youth Movement which he has continued doing to the present.

In addition, in 2007, Brother James was appointed Co-Vicar for Religious in the Diocese of Rockville Centre while continuing his ministry with the Franciscan Mission at St. Francis Prep. In 2008, Bishop Murphy appointed Brother as Director of New Evangelization and a member of his Cabinet. He served on the Executive Board of the National Religious Vocation Conference for five years while Vocation Director and Co-Chair of Region 2. He was on the Executive Board of the Continental Congress for North America on Vocations called by Pope John Paul and held in Montreal. He then served two terms as Vice President of the National Conference of Vicars for Religious. Brother’s final ministry was as Franciscan Mission Coordinator for both St. Francis Prep and St. Anthony’s.

Brother James’ first love is anything Franciscan followed by a love of Catholic education with a special dedication to Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministry. In his various ministries, he enjoys mentoring youth and educators and working with Religious in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Brother James died peacefully in Hospice on February 19, 2021.  Brother is survived by his sister, Linda, his brother Wayne and sister in law, Sue, and his nieces and nephews: Gregory (Rebecca) Latham, Dawn (Robert) Copeland, and Derek Latham. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on February 23 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Melville.  Internment followed in the Brothers’ plot at Holy Rood Cemetery, Westbury.

Come, learn, listen, and share during Lent as we focus on scripture readings starting Ash Wednesday and every Sunday through Lent.  Franciscan Brothers and Sisters will share how they live out Gospel values today as Franciscans.  Open to Single, Catholic, men/women 18-45. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/FranciscanLent

February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, the Church celebrates the 25^th  World Day of Consecrated Life. At this time, there are 649,000 women religious and 184,000 men religious in the whole world. Among them, the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn have embraced this vocation and dedicated themselves to making Christ present by rebuilding His Church, by sowing seeds of Christian consciousness and brotherhood, and living together in peace.

In his Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata, Pope St John Paul II stated that “the consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it “manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling” and the striving of the whole Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse."

Regarding religious brothers and consecrated life, the Vatican document, “Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church” underlines that “The Religious Brother and Sister, by participating in the saving mystery of Christ and the Church, are permanent reminders for all Christian people of the importance of the total gift of self to God and a reminder that the mission of the Church, respecting the various vocations and ministries within it, is one and is shared by all."

For the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, our apostolate is to live the Gospel.  Faithful to our Franciscan charism, through our apostolic works in the educational and pastoral ministries of the Church, we proclaim peace as we respond to the needs of society while we work to establish harmony among people so Christ’s peace becomes real and we are free to see all as equal members of His Body.  Join us in prayer on this day so peace may prevail in our troubled world.

We, the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, are deeply saddened and affected by the recent death of George Floyd and all others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism. Our hearts go out to all those affected, especially the family and friends of George Floyd.

As followers of St. Francis of Assisi, faithful to the Gospel call to love, we strongly condemn any type of disrespect, racism, violence, intolerance, hate, or bigotry either in action or word. We stand in solidarity with our African American brothers and sisters who peacefully demand an end to the deadly violence of racism in our nation. We will not be indifferent when their Godgiven value, dignity, and worth are violated.

As men of faith, we condemn the sin of systemic racism that has led to these events and we dedicate ourselves to ending racial injustice by treating all people as St. Francis would – with dignity and respect. We begin, anew, by directing our energies to greater understanding, compassion, and love for one another so that we may continue to create a world of justice and freedom.

Greetings and blessings to you,

I hope and pray you and your loved ones are well. I am delighted to present this issue of the Canticle to you. I am sure you will enjoy seeing the many events and activities of the Brothers. These last six months have been tough times for everyone as we navigate this new landscape of COVID-19. We continue to encounter many unknowns causing anxiety, sense of loss and isolation. Truly, COVID-19 has made it clear how deeply we are all interconnected and interdependent. Our nation seems to be at a crossroad: a pandemic, protests for racial justice, economic crisis and tropical storm Isaias are all happening at once. As Pope Francis expressed so well in his URBI ET ORBI address, this is an “unexpected, turbulent storm.” In the midst of all the uncertainties we continue to be edified by health care workers, first responders, families and friends. In the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” written by Tennessee Williams, Blanche Du Boise expresses “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. We have witnessed this over and over these last months and we are grateful to God for these blessings. God is alive in our midst as we find ourselves afraid and lost. Do you hear the voice of the Lord telling you: have courage? Recall the disciples in the boat with Jesus during a turbulent storm. They were overwhelmed and afraid as Jesus was sleeping soundly. This is the only time in the Gospels we see Jesus sleeping. When He wakes up, after calming the wind and the waters, He turns to them in a reproaching voice: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” The disciples had not stopped believing in Him; in fact, they call on Him, “Teacher do you not care if we perish?” One of the things that hurts us and our families most is when we hear it said: “Do you not care about me?” These words do unleash storms in our hearts. God is like the wind, it touches everything. God is a gentle spirit. God has given us a resilience and a new hope. Trusting in God is our strength as we reimage our future.

We, the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, thank you for being an important part of our Franciscan family.

May Saint Francis and Saint Clare bless you.

Brother Gabriel O’Brien, OSF

Superior General