Priest who served for decades in Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton has passed away

A former priest for several communities in the Fall River Diocese has passed away.

Espirito Santo Church has announced that retired Pastor Fr. James Ferry died earlier this morning.

According to the Diocese of Fall River, Father Ferry grew up in Swansea and graduated from Bristol County Agricultural High School. He studied for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton and was ordained a priest on June 16, 1984, by Bishop Daniel Cronin. He began his priestly ministry as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford. While there, he participated in a culture and humanities study program at the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. He was next assigned as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Taunton and also served for a few months as its temporary administrator.

In 1995, he became parochial vicar at Espirito Santo Parish in Fall River and one year later was named pastor there. He served that parish community for 18 years. While pastor there he was also named parochial administrator of the neighboring parish of Our Lady of Health and guided the joining of that parish with Espirito Santo in 2006.

Father Ferry retired in 2014.

Services have not yet been announced.