Obituary of Columban Father James Shiffer

Columban Father James Shiffer, 70, passed away on July 30, 2010. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio the eldest of five sisters and three brothers. He went to St. William's Grammar, Euclid, OH, 1948; Silver Creek, N.Y., 1953;  Milton, MA, 1957;  Bristol R.I., 1959; and Milton Major Seminary, 1960.  He was ordained December 18, 1965, at St. Columban's Major Seminary, Milton, by Most Rev. Thomas J. Riley, D.D., auxiliary bishop of Boston.
 
He was appointed to Fiji January 1967. After four years he was appointed to West Chester House, PA, for mission promotion and vocation ministry.   In February 1974,  we was reassigned to Fiji to Kadavu, an island 90 miles south of Vita Levu, the main island. He was also appointed as Secretary to soon to retire Archbishop George Pearce, SM, and then Auxiliary Bishop Petero Mataca, the first Fijian Archbishop of Suva.

He also worked as a canonist for CEPAC (Bishop's Conference of the Pacific) and in the marriage Tribunal.  As well as teaching one term-a-year at the Pacific Regional Seminary, Jim served as a chaplain to the students of the Fiji School of Medicine and the Fiji School of Nursing.
 
He and fellow Columban Arthur Tierney were assigned in 1980 to Tanna Island in Vanuatu.   He returned to the States to study Canon Law and received the Catholic University of America Licentiate in Canon Law in 1989.
 
In 1994, he was appointed  to the U.S. Region and was assigned to the San Francisco house until it was closed down in 1995.  He was then appointed to Los Angeles where he worked in the Marriage Tribunal. He shared many stories at the dining room table. One was on how he joined the Columbans. Since he had expressed interest in being a missionary, two Columbans, Maurice Quinn and John Loftus, came by the house to give him an entrance exam to St. Columbans Seminary in Silver Creek, NY. “Within a couple of hours, off we drove to Silver Creek, NY. A new and foreign world was opening to me.”

Peter Kenny, Superior of the Los Angeles House where Jim lived for many years, shared that “Jim was one of the least self-centered people I've known.  He was always looking for ways to be kind and helpful to others, whether it be in the House Community, visitors or acquaintances. I've never heard him complain during his frequent illnesses.”

We give thanks to God for Jim and his outstanding service to the Church and people of Fiji, Vanuatu and the United States.
 

As always you are reminded of our obligation to a deceased Columban brother.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr Arturo Aguilar

Regional Director, USA