Nevins, Father Joseph
1979, July 22
Date of Birth: 1884, July 18
Joseph Vincent Nevins was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on July 18, 1884. His early education, from 1889 to 1898, was in public and parochial schools in Newton. In 1898 he entered Boston College. He received his B.A. in 1905. After a year of Philosophy at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, he began his Theology in 1906. On completing Theology, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston on September 20, 1909. He was then sent to the Angelicum in Rome; there he obtained his S.T.D. in 1911. Father Nevins then went to Issy to make his Solitude in 1911-1912.
On his return to the United States, he was appointed to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore to teach Moral Theology and Canon Law. In 1917 he went to Washington, D.C., to the Sulpician Seminary (Theological College) at The Catholic University of America. He returned to St. Mary’s for the year, 1918-1919, and then went back to the Sulpician Seminary as Treasurer, a position he filled until 1921. Though he yielded that post in 1921, he continued to teach in Washington until 1932.
In 1932 Father Nevins was appointed President of St. Joseph’s College in Mountain View, California. Two years later he became Rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary in San Francisco, California. He held that position until 1944. In 1944 he came to St. Mary’s Seminary, Roland Park, to teach Moral Theology.
In 1946 he became Vice-rector of the Roland Park seminary. He held that post until 1950. Father Nevins retired in 1958 but continued to live in St. Mary’s at Roland Park until 1967 when he went to Stella Maris Hospice, where his health needs could be better attended to. He died there on July 22, 1979.
Adapted from Father Nevins’ “Personal Data” sheet and from The Voice.