Rev. Emmett H. Carroll

OBITUARY for Rev. Emmett Carroll, S.J.

Fr. Emmett Carroll, S. J. died in his sleep at the age of 82 at Providence Mt. St. Vincent Care Center on July 23, 2013 while he was recovering from an operation for melanoma. He served as a Jesuit priest for fifty-one years in high school, university, and parish work throughout the Northwest. For the past eight years, he was the pastor of St. Cecilia's Parish on Bainbridge Island.

Fr. Carroll was born in Seattle in 1931, where he attended St. Edward's Grade School and later graduated from Seattle Preparatory School in 1949. Entering the Jesuit novitiate in Sheridan, Oregon in the fall of 1949, he completed the Jesuit studies in the classics, English, and philosophy at Mt. St. Michael's in Spokane in 1956. From 1956-59, he taught English and Latin at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, where he also supervised the student newspaper. In 1959, he went to Rome to study theology at the Gregorian University, where he was ordained a Catholic priest in July, 1962.

After ordination, Fr. Carroll earned an M. A. in English from Rutgers University, and taught at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. In 1965, he joined the faculty at Seattle Prep, where he taught English and later served as rector of the Jesuit community. From 1973-76, he taught English at Seattle University before beginning a degree in English and Creative Writing at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He completed his doctorate in 1980 by writing a novel based on his experiences working as a parish priest in Guyana in South America.

For the next twenty-five years, Fr. Carroll taught English at Seattle University, where he specialized in American literature and fiction writing. He also served as chair of the English Department for a term, and wrote several articles for literary journals. He was known on campus for his imaginative pedagogy and humor in the classroom, with several of his students going on to publish their poetry and fiction writing.

In 2005, Fr. Carroll retired from the classroom and volunteered to help the Seattle Archdiocese as a priest in what he thought would be a "quiet country parish." Instead, he was sent to be pastor at St. Cecilia's Parish on Bainbridge Island, where he immediately managed to complete the building of a $6 million dollar parish elementary school. During his eight years at St. Cecilia's, Fr. Carroll was known for his tireless shepherding of a diverse parish that included the entire island. He added a fourth Mass on weekends, achieved a balanced budget, enlarged the congregation, and brought in fellow Jesuit priests to lead annual missions and spiritual renewals. For recreation, Fr. Carroll enjoyed golfing, playing cards, and traveling the Lewis and Clark trail and other landmarks of American history with his brother, Rev. Alfred Carroll, S. J. of Gonzaga University. He is survived by his brother, sister, Joanne Sullivan (Chicago), and several cousins.

The Funeral Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Monday, July 29 at 7:00 p. m. at St. Cecilia's Church on Bainbridge Island.

Donations in his honor may be made to the Fr. Emmett Carroll, SJ Scholarship Fund for St. Cecilia's Grade School. In addition, donations may be made to the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province for the support, education, and training of Jesuits.

Hoffner Fisher & Harvey

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