Reverend Monsignor James A. Jamail, beloved brother and pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, passed away May 5, 2002, at the age of 62.
Monsignor Jamail, whose life's goal was to "be a simple parish priest and serve the people of God" leaves a legacy of enormous accomplishments. He was born Nov. 27, 1939 to Clarence & Janice Jamail in Houston. Although it appeared he was destined to be part of a thriving family grocery business, by the age of 14 he knew that he wanted to be a priest and that his life would take a different course.
He began his education at Blessed Sacrament school, where his beloved mentor, Monsignor Schnetzer served as pastor and personal guide. He graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1959, attended St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Immaculate Conception Seminary in Missouri, and was ordained to the Priesthood on June 1, 1968. In his own words, he "decided to become a diocesan parish priest so that he could be in this area all his life, be close to his family and bring Christ to people of all ages through the Holy Eucharist". He served in this capacity at Assumption Church and St. Vincent de Paul through 1973.
He was then sent to the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. to obtain a graduate degree in Social Work. Upon completing this, he began his work at Catholic Charities, and was named Director in 1978. As such, he was responsible for all the social services of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston: programs for unwed mothers, counseling services for youth and adults, refugee resettlement programs, services for the sick and elderly, and the foster care and adoption programs.
He also served as a board member and spiritual director for numerous organizations, the most recent being the nomination to the board of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. In 1982, he was honored by Pope John Paul II with the title of Monsignor. Monsignor Jamail's excellent administrative abilities then became the vehicle through which he could return to his greatest love - being a "simple parish priest" and "Father" to a community.
He was appointed the Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul in 1985 and was re-united with many of the people he had grown to love in his early years as a priest. Under his guidance, the parish was transformed, both physically by the renovations of the church and school, and spiritually by his deep abiding faith which he joyfully shared with all. This one man has positively transformed the lives of countless people.
He spent his life giving, and he did this with tremendous pride, joy and integrity. All who knew him, know what a privilege it was to have shared life with a simple parish priest. He was an extraordinary "father" to his community, as well as a son, brother, nephew and uncle. Monsignor Jamail was preceded in death by his beloved mother and father, Janice Burke Jamail and Clarence Negem Jamail. He is survived by his brothers, Edward Jamail, Gerald and wife Gayle Jamail of Houston, sisters Carol and husband Bill Martin of Fort Wayne, IN, and Debbie and husband Bryant Mackey of Burton, TX. Monsignor also leaves 7 nieces and nephews: Darryl and wife Stephanie Jamail of Mountain City, TX, Juliana Jamail of Houston, Dahr Jamail of Anchorage, AL, Audra Martin of Chicago, IL, Helen Martin of Fort Wayne, IN, Katie Mackey and Paige Mackey of Burton, and one great nephew, Luke Jamail. Monsignor is also survived by his aunts Eugenia Swyden (known to many as Aunt Nene), Genevieve Trabulsi and numerous cousins. In addition, he leaves countless friends among the clergy and laypeople alike, especially those in his parish family of St. Vincent's.
Services for Monsignor were held on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 with a mass for the school children of St. Vincent's and their families at 12:10 p.m.
He remained in his beloved church for visitation until 6:00 p.m. A vigil service was held at 7:00 p.m. in the church, with visitation continuing until l0:00 p.m. The funeral mass was held at ll:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8th. Pallbearers were Bryant Mackey, Darryl Jamail, Dick Trabulsi, Rick Jamail, Eddie Couri, and his lifelong friends, Monsignors Dan Scheel, Chester Borski and Adam McCloskey. Monsignor was buried next to his beloved parents in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations were made to St. Vincent de Paul Church. The intended use of donations was for the Adopt-a-Student fund, the Restoration fund, Catholic Charities and one of Monsignor's unfulfilled intentions to promote Life Gift - the organ donation program.
"God has sworn an oath which he will never retract: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever." Ps. 110
