James Vincent Parker

Gifted and wise, a critical thinker and natural leader, James Vincent Parker was born in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 7, 1940, to Stephen and Louise Parker. He attended All Saints Grade School and Grant High School, where he was the editor of Grant’s newspaper and president of the student body his senior year.

After attending Stanford University for a year, Jim felt the call to priesthood and transferred first to St. Thomas Seminary in Denver and a year later to St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass. Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 1962, he left the United States for graduate school at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He earned a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained in 1965.

Back in Portland, he taught religion classes at Central Catholic High School and assisted at local parishes. Fr. Bert Griffin invited Jim to assist him in the creation of the House of Studies near the Portland State campus, making it possible for young men to live in community as they explored the call to a life of service in priestly ministry. Jim also worked as a draft counselor during this period.

In 1972 he left for Europe again, this time to attend the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Jim spoke of spending twelve hours a day in his study carrel, broken up only by weekends celebrating Mass at U.S. Army bases in West Germany. In 1975 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Sacred Thelogy, Summa cum Laude. His dissertation, Doctrinal Pluralism, was a study of the Canadian theologian Bernard Lonergan’s theory regarding religious pluralism and the unity of faith.

Home once again, Jim taught ecclesiology at Mount Angel Seminary, served as vicar for worship and ministries for the Archdiocese of Portland and as the pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Silverton. In 1986, he moved to Portland to work full-time in the Chancery office. He was instrumental in the creation of Oregon’s first Catholic-Lutheran parish, the Church of the Atonement, now called Spirit of Grace, in Beaverton.

Jim resigned from the priesthood in 1987 and began the second phase of his life’s work, as public information officer of the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. Animal rights activism made the job a challenging one, but his analytical abilities and respectful communication, along with his own native intelligence, supported him in his work. He and his co-author, P. Michael Conn, published The Animal Research War, analyzing the motivations of animal rights extremists and the changing ways that the public and legal system views animals. At his retirement in 2002, Oregon Health and Science University publically recognized Jim’s many contributions beyond the normal scope of his position by giving him an award for “invaluable contribution to the Outreach Mission of the University.”

Retirement had arrived, giving Jim more time to write. He published Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights, in 2010. Based on Bernard Lonergan’s theory of consciousness and the operations of the mind, it concludes by laying a philosophical and theological foundation for a contemporary ethic for intelligent stewardship and compassionate treatment of animals. A Surprising God: Bible Stories for Children and Adults followed in 2013. When he died, he had just completed a long manuscript on resurrection, exploring the development of Greek, Hebrew, medieval, Enlightenment and contemporary understandings of the topic.

Jim was devoted to his parents, three brothers and three sisters and their families. He’d missed many years of family life due to his time abroad, but reentered the fold when he married Kathleen Culligan in 1988 and they bought a house a few blocks from the Parker family home in Laurelhurst.

It was there that Jim embraced the demands and joys of being a householder and a step-father to Erica, Sara, Bridget and Christopher. Later, as grandchildren arrived, he was a hands-on grandpa, reading to them, playing catch with them, teaching them calligraphy. He was Jim to the world, but Jimmy to the kids.

Even at 85 years old and in failing health, Jim loved the world and the people in it. He was rock solid in his commitments and his affections. He carried his family through difficult times. He was generous with himself. He was humble. He was kind. He never stopped working for the common good and made our world a better place. We carry him in our hearts.

Jim was preceded in death by his mother and father, Louise Scott Parker and Stephen E. Parker; his brothers Jerome Parker (Mary Ann Firmin) and Jeffrey Parker; his brother-in-law Ralph Bramucci; and his nephews Eric Michaelson and Jason Sweeney.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Kathleen Culligan, and his step-children Erica Meyer Welch (Chris Welch), Sara Meyer Dobroth (Eric Dobroth), Bridget Meyer (Collen Newberry), and Christopher Meyer. He was a step-grandfather to Aidan Welch, Casey Welch, Regan Dobroth, Devin Dobroth, Emmett Dobroth, Iris Hook, Poppy Newberry, Louis Newberry and Ginger Newberry.

He is also survived by his siblings John Parker (Nora Fairley), Mary Parker Bramucci, Martha Parker Mattson (Mark Mattson), Melinda Parker Sweeney (Glen Sweeney), Joseph Parker (Sally Sato), and numerous nieces and nephews, their partners and their children.

In lieu of flowers, and because Jim believed that everyone deserves food, clothes, community and hope, we invite you to make a donation to Blanchet House.