Father John P. Washington

John P. Washington was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 18, 1908. His parents were
Frank and Mary; in addition they had daughters Mary and Anna, and sons Thomas, Francis,
Leo and Edmund. In 1914, John was enrolled at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Elementary
School. In those days, times were rough for a poor immigrant family, but John had his
father's Irish grin and his mother's Irish stick-to-itiveness. He liked to play ball, but he had a
newspaper route to help his mother with extra money, since there were nine mouths in the
Washington household to feed. John started to take piano lessons, loved music and sang in
the church choir. When he entered seventh grade, he felt strongly about becoming a
priest...during the previous year, he became an altar boy and his priestly destiny was in
process.

John entered Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey to complete his high school and
college courses in preparation for the priesthood. He graduated in 1931 with an A.B. degree.
He entered Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey and received his
minor orders on May 26, 1933. John excelled in the seminary, was a sub deacon at all the
solemn masses, and later became a deacon on December 25, 1934. John was elected prefect
of his class and was ordained a priest on June 15, 1935.

Father Washington's first parish was at St. Genevieve's in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and then
he served at St. Venantius for a year. In 1938 he was assigned to St. Stephen's in Arlington,
New Jersey. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, he received his
appointment as a chaplain in the United States Army. He went on active duty May 9, 1942
and was named Chief of the Chaplains Reserve Pool, Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In
June 1942, he was assigned to the 76th Infantry Division in Ft. George Meade, Maryland. In
November 1942, he reported to Camp Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts and met
Chaplains Fox, Goode and Poling at Chaplains School at Harvard.

Father Washington boarded the USAT DORCHESTER at the Embarkation Camp at Boston
Harbor in January 1943 enroute to Greenland. Chaplain Washington was killed in action on
February 3, 1943, when the DORCHESTER was sunk by a German U-boat. Chaplain
Washington was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross.