MIAMI — Reverend Fr. Paul Joseph Bolton, Lt. Col. U.S. Army, 85, retired U.S. Army Chaplain, passed away on Friday, September 23, 2022.
Born in Providence, a son of the late James A. Bolton Sr., and Ellen A. (McOsker) Bolton, he attended St. Paul’s School in Edgewood, LaSalle Academy in Providence, St. Joseph’s Institute in Barrytown, N.Y., and Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick. He completed studies for the priesthood at Our Lady of Providence Seminary and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 9, 1962, at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in Providence by Most Reverend Russell J. McVinney, Bishop of Providence.
Father Bolton served as an Associate Pastor at St. Francis Parish in Wakefield in the Summer of 1962, Sacred Heart Parish in Woonsocket from 1962-1967, St. John Parish in North Smithfield and St. Luke Parish in Barrington in 1967, and St. Joseph Parish in Pawtucket from 1975-1977. He served as Pastor of Holy Trinity in Central Falls from 1977-1985.
Father Bolton devotedly served as a United States Army Chaplain from 1968-1974 and from 1985 until retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2004. He was also a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus – Council 2011.
He is survived by several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. He was the brother of the late James A. Bolton, Jr. (Alice), Mary Ann McGuin, and Natalie F. Bolton.
Most Reverend Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence, presided during a Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial for the repose of Father Bolton’s soul on Oct. 5, at Saint Mark Church, Jamestown. Burial with military honors followed at St. Mark Cemetery, Jamestown.
Memorial gifts in Father Bolton’s memory may be made to: The Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, 2625 Highway 212 Southwest, Conyers, Ga., 30094.