Father Jeremiah Brady was born in Cork, Ireland, on Sept. 6, 1923, the son of Jeremiah and Nora Sullivan Brady and baptized in Ss. Mary and Anne Cathedral there. When he was a lad of five, his family settled in Peabody, MA, and he was educated in its public schools, graduating from high school in 1940.
He felt called to the Josephite community, and the following year entered their Epiphany Apostolic College in Newburgh, NY. Following the novitiate year, ending in June 1944, he moved on to St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C. and was ordained a priest in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on June 5, 1951.
Father Brady’s first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Pius V Church in Baltimore and two years later to Incarnation parish in Washington, D.C . for a year. After a year of study at Catholic University, he joined the faculty at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans for two years.
He came north to St. Vincent de Paul parish in Washington, D.C. for a three-year assistant pastor role before becoming pastor at St. Joseph parish in Clayton, DE.
Following three years of service there, Father Brady moved south again to pastorates at St. Francis Xavier parish in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and St. Benedict the Moor parish in Napoleonville in the same state, each for a three-year term.
Afterwards he moved on to Immaculate Conception parish in Baton Rouge, LA (six years), followed by two years as pastor at St. Mary’s in Norfolk, VA, and four years as pastor of St. Joseph in Tuskegee, AL, then up to St. Peter Claver in Baltimore for two years.
His longest pastorate was at St. Joseph’s in Wilmington, DE, for eight years.
Then he became rector at St. Joseph’s Center for Prayer at Clayton, DE, for a five-year stretch. He was rector at St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore for two years.
In 2000 he became pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Mobile, AL. His last pastorate was for nine years at St. Joseph parish also in Mobile until he retired to St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore, which is now the Josephite Senior Residence located in Washington, D.C.
Father Brady was a student of the Civil War and an avid fan of the New England Patriots and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
At the age of 96, Father Brady was called home on May 20, 2020 having served as a Josephite priest for 62 years.
