Date of Birth:
Saturday, November 8, 1930
Date of Death:
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Age:
91 years old

Monsignor James Ambrose McCauley

Monsignor James Ambrose McCauley was born on November 8, 1930 to John and Ella (Scanlon) McCauley near Caledonia. His father was killed in a hunting accident eleven months later. His mother and five children moved to Hokah shortly thereafter because she wanted her children to have a Catholic education at St. Peter’s School. Father McCauley graduated from St. Peter’s High School, St. Mary’s University in Winona and the Seminary at Catholic University in Washington, DC. He earned additional degrees from Tulane University and Gonzaga University.

Father McCauley was ordained a priest in 1956 and served St. Theodore’s in Albert Lea, St. Stanislaus in Winona, St. Peter and Paul in Hart, St. John’s and Pax Christi in Rochester, St. Bridgett’s in Simpson, St. Margaret’s in Mantorville, Christ The King in Byron, St. Joseph’s in Owatonna, St. Mary’s of the Lake in Lake City and St. Joseph’s in Theilman.

He taught at Cotter High School and served as Principal at Cotter and Lourdes High Schools. He was asked by Bishop Waters to start a new parish in Rochester that was dedicated in 1973 and named Pax Christi. While the church was being built, Mass was held at Skate Country, Assisi Heights, Madonna Towers and in private homes. He retired from active ministry in 1999 but continued to “fill in” at various parishes on a weekly basis until he suffered a stroke in 2008. Even after his stroke, he continued to celebrate Mass in his chapel at his home on a weekly basis and at the nursing home in Caledonia. He enjoyed winters in California with his sister for many years and faithfully celebrate Mass on a weekly basis there in “The Colony” in Murrieta. During COVID-19, he celebrated mass outside on his deck overlooking the Mississippi River.

Father McCauley was active in various organization such as the Knights of Columbus, Rochester Exchange Club and Human Rights Commission. He won the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament while in college and won many trophies in golf. He played baseball while a student at St. Mary’s. He coached the Cotter High School Golf Team that won the state championship and was inducted into the Cotter Hall of Fame along with his team. He, also, took flying lessons and made a solo flight.

One of his highlights as priest was when a baby he had baptized at St. Joseph’s in Owatonna, Jason Kern, was ordained a priest 25 years later. He frequently stated that he “happily made the decision to become a priest and never looked back”. He often asked young men if they had ever considered being a priest just as Father Hodapp asked him when he was in high school. Father Will Thompson was one of those young men whom he had asked. He truly enjoyed his 66 years as a priest.

Father McCauley is survived by his sister-in-law, Margaret McCauley; several nieces and nephews: Colleen McCauley, Debra McCauley, Diane McCauley, Janet McCauley, Mark McIntryre, Michelle McIntyre Crommelin, Jay McCauley, Clint McCauley, Laura (John) McCauley, Carrie McCauley Newcome and several great nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Ella McCauley; brothers, Maurice (“Mac”) McCauley, Joe McCauley, and Cornelius (“Con”) McCauley; sister, Mary Ellen McCauley McIntrye; nieces, Sheila McIntrye Marble and Kathryn McCauley; and nephews, Timothy McIntrye and John McCauley.

Father McCauley’s wake will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and funeral will be held at Pax Christi Catholic Church in Rochester on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. Presiders will be Bishop John Quinn, Father Matt Wagner, Father Joe Fogal and Rev. Msgr. Gerald A. Mahon. Burial will be at St. Bridgett’s Church Cemetery in Simpson.

His request is that memorials be given to St. Peter’s School, the Priest’s Retirement Fund and the IHM Seminary in Winona.