White, Monsignor John
MONSIGNOR JOHN WHITE
November 3, 1982
Personal Info
- Date of Birth: 22 July 1911
- Place of Birth in Ireland: Raharney, Killucan
- County: Westmeath
- Education: St Finian’s College, Mullingar and All Hallows College,
- Dublin, Ireland
- Date of Ordination: 23 June 1935
- Place of Ordination: All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland
- Ordained by: Archbishop Redmond Prendiville, Archdiocese of Perth, Australia
Diocesan Appointments:
- Assistant – St Mary, Newton – 8/31/1935 to 6/29/1940
- Pastor – St Joseph, Yates Center and Owl Creek mission – 6/30/1940 to 6/25/1942
- Chaplain – United States Army – 1942 to 1963
- Pastor – Sacred Heart, Cunningham – 3/1/1963 to 5/31/1963
- Pastor – Sacred Heart, Fredonia – 5/31/1963 to 7/1/1964
- Chancery – Coffeyville Deanery, CCM Deanery, Coffeyville – 7/1/1963 to 7/1/1964
- Chancery – Committee member to prepare sermon outlines, Wichita – 9/16/1963 to 7/1/1964
- Pastor – Sacred Heart, Frontenac – 7/1/1964 to 11/17/1976
- Monsignor – 6/7/1965
- Chancery – Priest consultor, Wichita – 8/1/1966
- Temporary leave due to illness, retired to Jamaica, NY – 6/30/1976
Following his ordination, Father White came to Wichita to serve the Catholic parishioners living in Newton, Kansas. As the war in Europe heated up, Father began to think about how he could best use his gifts, so he joined the US Army. In November 1942, Father John White sent word to the Chancery Office in Wichita that he had completed his chaplaincy school training at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts and was now stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington and would be heading for the Pacific coast in a few days. He reported that there were 450 men training to be chaplains at the school while he was there, 100 of whom were Catholics. He reported that he celebrates three Masses every Sunday and twice a week he says an evening Mass, all of which were well attended.
The Most Rev. Bishop Christian H. Winkelmann was informed that Father John White had been promoted to Lt. Col. John White of the U.S. Army and was now stationed in the Philippines in 1945. Lt. Col. White, who entered the service in July, 1942, wrote: “The promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel is more than I ever expected.”
At the age of 39, Lt. Col. John White was again promoted this time to full colonel status in 1950. He saw duty in the Pacific theater, in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines. He received the Bronze Star in 1947 for meritorious service in the South Pacific area and Japan, while serving with the Army’s Ninth corps.
In a letter received in 1958 from Cardinal Francis Spellman, Archbishop of New York and Military Vicar for the Armed Forces of the USA, Bishop Carroll was informed that Father (Col.) John White had been appointed deputy vicar chaplain for the Catholic personnel stationed in Korea.
