Teaching the Faith: Father John E. Lynch, CSP
by Stefani Manowski
April 3, 2013

Paulist Father John E. Lynch was born in New York City in 1924, and was nine years old when his family moved to Washington, D.C. The Lynch family attended church and prayed together regularly, and young John, or “Jack” as he was nicknamed, served as an altar boy. With an uncle who was a Jesuit priest, “there was a family connection” to the priesthood, Father Lynch said in his calm and steady voice. “The option [of becoming a priest] was always there.”

The future priest attended St John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. Like all high school seniors, Father Lynch found himself asking the question of what he should do next.

“I had to do something, and this was it,” he recalled. “I grew up in a very non-Catholic neighborhood where there was much misunderstanding and a lack of knowledge about our faith. After some investigating, I found out this was the Paulist mission, and I realized this was the best thing I could do with my life – to share the Catholic church that was so important in my life with those who did not know it.”

After spending two years at the Paulist minor seminary with classes at St. Charles College in Baltimore, Md., Father Lynch entered the Paulist novitiate in 1944. He then returned to Washington, D.C,. to continue his priestly studies at St. Paul’s College, where he earned a master’s degree in religion in 1951.

“It was intensive,” said Father Lynch. “There was no wasted time. It was interesting, and there was a cohesion among my classmates, some of whom have been lifelong friends. We all had similar ideals.”

Father Lynch was ordained a Paulist priest in May, 1951 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City. His first priestly assignment was as associate pastor at St. Paul the Apostle in Los Angeles from 1951 to 1955 before returning to Baltimore to teach Latin for a semester at the Paulist seminary.

He then moved to Toronto to study at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies while helping out at St. Peter, the Paulist parish in the city. In a joint academic program, Father Lynch earned a licentiate in medieval studies at the institute and doctoral degree in philosophy from the University of Toronto. With degrees in hand, Father Lynch returned to St. Paul’s College as a professor in 1959.

Beginning in the 1960s, the young priest received an appointment to teach medieval history in the School of Arts and Sciences at Catholic University, a position which was soon expanded to a joint appointment with the university’s School of Canon Law. After achieving the rank of full professor, he served as chair of the canon law department from 1974 to 1983 and chair of the history department from 1983 to 1986.

Father Lynch was named vice provost for graduate studies in the 1990s before retiring from academia with the title of professor emeritus in 1999. He now serves as the archivist for the Paulist Fathers at St. Paul’s College and continues a weekend ministry at Most Holy Rosary Church in Upper Marlboro, Md., where Father Lynch has been serving for more than 30 years.

“Grace and faith sustains my priesthood,” he said.