Rev. James Archinger, pastor of St. Joseph's parish, Chatham, was one of the
scholarly men of Chatham, and was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born there
on August 20, 1863, of German ancestry. His father, George A. Archinger, was born
in Germany in 1814, and in his native country learned the trade of carriage making.
In 1834 he emigrated to the United States, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he
followed his trade. In 1849 he married Elizabeth Boeh, who was born in 1826 in
Germany, of which country her father, Albert Boeh, was also a native. To this
marriage ten children were born, of whom Father Archinger was the only survivor in
1904, three years after he came to Chatham.
When he had reached the required age, growing up in Cincinnati, James Archinger
entered St. Xavier College, in Cincinnati, and pursued his studies for four years. He
then entered St. Francis College, in Cincinnati, where he graduated in 1882.
Deciding to become a priest, he entered the Franciscan Order. His studies
continued, until 1889, when he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Elder, of
Cincinnati.
After ordination, Father Archinger was located at St. Francis parish, Cincinnati for
two years. He was then transferred to Wichita, Kansas for two years. For the next
eighteen months he was pastor of St. Mary's parish at Kansas City, Missouri. He was
then transferred to Emporia, Kansas, where he remained for five years. He was a
well-travelled priest before he came to Chatham.
In 1901, twenty-three years after the first Franciscans came to Chatham, Father
Archinger was placed in charge of St. Joseph's parish in Chatham, at that time with
600 families. He also looked after the spiritual needs of the Ursuline Convent in
Chatham.
In 1909, when Council 1412 was chartered, Father James became its first Chaplain.
In 1916, Father James was instrumental in having the twin towers completed on the
front of St. Joseph's Church, which were not part of the original church. In 1951,
when the Fourth Degree of Chatham was chartered, the Assembly chose the name
Father James, after this dedicated priest, who was a very devout man, highly
educated and well read, and possessed of great executive ability. The people of St.
Joseph's were devoted to him, as he took a deep interest in their welfare and
bringing to them the great truths of the Church. As the Father James Assembly,
Fourth Degree, celebrates its 50th anniversary, many Catholic men and Knights have
been proud to have been members of this Assembly.
In 1918, Father James was recalled back to Cincinnati at age 55. In later years,
Father James suffered the loss of his sight, and spent his retirement at the
Franciscan Friary in Cincinnati, where he died in 1948, and was buried in the Franciscan
Cemetery. [courtesy of S.K. Victor Miller]
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