PROVIDENCE — Rev. James P. Hynes, 90, gets up early every day in his apartment at St. John Vianney residence for senior priests to ride his stationary bike a few miles before concelebrating Mass in the chapel.
He spends his day reading and praying, which is a luxury he has indulged since 2006 when he retired after 65 busy years as a priest and pastor in the Diocese of Providence, and he looks forward to dinner where friendly conversation awaits the 14 senior priests who live at St. John Vianney residence, located behind Our Lady of Providence Seminary in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
“The priests all get along very well here, which is amazing because all were bosses but we all get along very well. The diocese has been very good to us. I am very happy here. I was very happy in the parish, too. I am blessed. We have good conversations at dinner. The Red Sox were a very popular topic until lately.”
After serving the church and taking care of its faithful for most of his life, Father Hynes now depends upon the Senior Priest Retirement Fund to help take care of his daily needs in retirement. This weekend, parishioners across the diocese will be asked to help support the fund during a special second collection taken at all Masses.
Father Hynes is one of three of the six Hynes children who entered religious life. Sister Mary Hynes, the oldest child and the only girl in the family, served with the Sisters of the Holy Ghost. A brother, Father Joseph Hynes, ministered in the Providence Diocese. Father James Hynes is the only surviving child.
“Joe was the youngest in the family and we grew up together, played on the same sports team at St. Mary’s elementary school (on Broadway in Providence). We played golf together on our days off, went skiing together. Joe was the tall one and I am the shorter,” he said with a smile that sparked a memory. “You know I was the first priest ordained by Bishop McVinney (June 11, 1949). I was the shortest in the class, so I was at the front of the line.”
Father Hynes graduated from La Salle Academy, attended Our Lady of Providence Seminary and graduated from St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore in 1949. His class of 80 was graduated a year early in response to a need for Catholic priests because the church was growing quickly in America after World War II and the baby boom ignited.
His first assignment was at St. Bernard Church in North Kingstown, and followed by St. Anthony’s, Providence; the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Providence; St. Luke’s, Barrington; St. Michael’s, Smithfield; and St. James’s, West Warwick, where he was appointed pastor in 1971 and stayed in the position for the next 29 years.
“The other priests used to joke about my longevity there, saying, ‘The Bishop forgot about you.’ But, I always replied, ‘Oh, he knows right where I am.’ I had very happy years there,” he said. “We had a school and I struggled to keep it open. It was difficult work but I enjoyed it. I loved the people. I got along very well with the people and never had any trouble with them.”
He retired when he was 76 after deciding to work beyond the usual age 70 and “Bishop (Robert) Mulvee was very happy that I did. I worked right up into my 80s, helping out regularly at St. Ann Church in Cranston, Christ the King Church in South Kingstown and at St. Maria Goretti in Pawtucket.”
Father Hynes enjoys spending time with the future priests studying at the seminary next door, but he worries about the decrease in vocations.
“I pray for the new priests. They are all a good crowd,” he said of his young neighbors who regularly visit the senior priests. They have 22 over there and eight from our diocese. Three priests will be ordained next and one of them was one of my altar boys at St. James.”
If you visit the grounds on Mount Pleasant Avenue later in the afternoon when the day is cooling, you are likely to see Father Hynes taking a walk.
“I walk a lot, but I wait until it cools off,” he said. “I was very happy as a parish priest and as a pastor, and I enjoyed parish life.”
His faith in the priesthood remains strong years after the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the church.
“Since that happened all priests have suffered much,” Father Hynes said. “I still believe in the collar. It is a sign that I wear proudly.”
Support for the Senior Endowment Fund can also be provided by contributions by Clicking here!
Checks can be sent at any time to the Stewardship and Development Office, Diocese of Providence, 1 Cathedral Square, Providence, R.I. 02903, made out to the Senior Priest Retirement Fund; The Catholic Charity Appeal; and planned giving.
All donations to the Senior Priest retirement Fund remain in the Diocese of Providence to serve diocesan priests in retirement.
