Father John U. Paris passed away peacefully at the Regina Cleri residence for retired priests on January 15, 2025, he was 97 years old. He was the oldest and longest ordained priest in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Born in the Eternal City on Feb. 26, 1927, he was the son of Alessandro and Settimia Paris and was one of seven children. He was fondly known as “Padre Nino” in his home town.He leaves his sister Anna and his brother Aristedamo in Anguillara-Sabazia and many nieces and nephews.
He was a member of the Clerics Regular of Somasca from his ordination to the priesthood on July 8, 1950. His original community was founded by St. Jerome Emiliani and they were dedicated to the care of the poor, the sick, and especially of orphans. His ordaining bishop was Archbishop Luigi Traglia, then the vice-regent of the Rome Diocese and later the pope's vicar general for the governance of the diocese.
Father Paris arrived in the United States and served in several archdiocesan parishes, including St. Mary of the Annunciation, Cambridge (1965-1970); St. Angela Merici, Mattapan (1970-1974); Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden (1974-1983); and St. Peter Parish (Italian), also in Malden (1983-2004). He became a priest of the archdiocese with his incardination on March 19, 1979.
He is widely known in the Malden area, especially so in the Italo-American community there. He worked on the St Rocco Feast in Malden for many years. He celebrated Mass at Malden Catholic High school after St. Peter’s Parish closed for the Xaverian Brothers and a small group of parisioners.
However, his most enduring service is his almost 50-year tenure as a faculty member of St. Sebastian School. He was a familiar face to generations of students at St. Sebastian Country Day School at both its previous and current campuses, and was the longest serving faculty member in the history of the school.
Visiting hours will be held at the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 main Street, Malden on Monday January 20th from 5:00pm-7:00pm and again on Tuesday January 21st in the chapel at Saint Sebastian School, 1191 Greendale Ave, Needham from 5:00pm-7:00pm. A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the chapel at Saint Sebastian school on Wednesday January 22nd at 10:00am. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.
Contributions in father’s memory may be made to Saint Sebastians School, 1191 Greendale Ave, Needham, MA 02492 or the Clergy Trust, 66 Brooks Dr, Braintree, MA 02184.