John William Comber
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The Most Reverend John W. Comber, M.M. |
|
|---|---|
| Superior General of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| See | Titular See of Foratiana |
| Appointed | January 23, 1959 |
| In office | April 9, 1959 - January 12, 1976 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | February 1, 1931 |
| Consecration | April 9, 1959 by Francis Spellman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 12, 1906 Lawrence, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 27, 1998 (aged 92) Ossining, New York |
John William Comber, M.M. (March 12, 1906 – March 27, 1998) was an American-born Catholic missionary and bishop. As a member of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll), he was assigned to missions in China, Peru, and Chile. He served as the Superior General of Maryknoll from 1956-1966.
John Comber was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Thomas F. and Nora (Higgins) Comber. He was educated at St. Mary’s Grade School in Lawrence and St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He studied at Boston College for two years after which he entered Maryknoll Seminary in Ossining, New York. Comber earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest on February 1, 1931.
After his ordination Comber spent eleven years in the Maryknoll Mission at Fushun, China. He learned to speak and write Mandarin fluently. After the outbreak of World War II Comber and his two sisters, Sr. Rita Clare, M.M., and Sr. Francis Helena, S.N.D. who were also missionaries in Japanese controlled territories, were interred by the Japanese military. They were among the second exchange of nationals repatriated to the United States in December 1943. After a period of recuperation, Comber was assigned to teach Mission Sociology at Maryknoll Seminary in January 1944 and five months later he became the school's rector. During his time as rector, 416 Maryknollers were ordained priests. In 1953 he was assigned to the mission field in Peru, where he learned Spanish. The following year he was appointed Group Superior for the new Maryknoll Mission in Chile.
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