James Naughton

Reverend James J. "Jim" Naughton, S.D.B. (born January 27, 1938 in Bronx, New York; died November 27, 2013 in Leeds) was the resident pastor of St Theresa Catholic Church in Leeds from 2000 to his death.

Naughton was the elder of Michael and Mary Cody Naughton's two sons. He was born and raised in the Bronx and attended Holy Family Catholic School. He was ordained March 18, 1967 in Turin, Italy.

Naughton came to Birmingham to be assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in 1994. He was also responsible for St John Bosco Catholic Church. In 1996, he received a liver transplant at UAB. On July 1, 2000, he became resident pastor of St Theresa where he was known for greeting parishioners before Mass wearing a NY Yankees cap. While pastor of the church, he guided it through tremendous growth, which included the introduction of a Hispanic Mass and a building expansion that culminated in 2011.

Naughton died in 2013 after a long battle with skin cancer. He was survived by his brother, nephews, and other extended family. His funeral was held at St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church and he was later buried in Goshen, New York.

References

• "Fr. Jim Memorial." (n.d.) St Theresa Catholic Church. Accessed June 2, 2015.