Date of Birth:        November 23, 1930
Date of Profession:    August 1, 1981
Date of Ordination:    February 11, 1984
Date of Death:        August 3, 2023

Fr. James H. Burnie, C.S.Sp. of Bethel Park, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, died peacefully at Peters Township Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, at 11:00 a.m. on August 3. He was 92 years old.

Fr. Burnie was born November 23, 1930, in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.  He professed his vows as a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit on August 1, 1980, at the Holy Ghost Novitiate in Farnham, Quebec, and was ordained to the Priesthood on February 11, 1984, at Highland Creek in Toronto.

Before he was ordained, Fr. Burnie worked for the Canadian National Railway.  He became involved in helping the homeless in Toronto which led to his late-in-life vocation. Fr. Burnie’s first assignment after ordination was as a member of the TransCanadian Province where he served as Vocation Director in Toronto for four years. 

In 1988, he was appointed to the Mission of Altamira in Mexico. Upon his return from Mexico, he was assigned to the U.S. Province (then Western Province) to minister in the Spiritan Renewal Centre in New Braunfels, TX.  In 1996, he was appointed to Our Lady of the Valley in Hemet, CA, and served as parochial vicar and then as pastor for five years.  In 2002, he was assigned to St. George Church in St. George, UT, and then was asked to serve at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kearns, UT, in 2003.  A year later, he was appointed to St. Mary’s Church in Hattieville, AR.   He was asked in September of 2006 to become Superior at the Spiritan Retirement Home in Bethel Park, PA. After a brief stay, he returned to St. Mary’s and ministered there faithfully until 2023.  In all his ministries, he was known for his dedication and positive influence on those he served.

Fr. Burnie was preceded in death by his parents Howard and Louise Burnie, his brother Lornie Burnie and three sisters. He is survived by a sister, brothers, nieces, nephews and extended family members.

There was a viewing and Mass of the Resurrection in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel at the Spiritan Center, Bethel Park, PA, on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, followed by burial at St. Mary’s cemetery in Sharpsburg.  A bilingual memorial mass was held at Our Lady of the Valley in Hemet, CA, on Thursday, August 17, 2023. 

In memory of Fr. Burnie donations may be made to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit designated for retirement or for the education of future Holy Spirit Fathers and Brothers 6230 Brush Run Road, Bethel Park PA 15102.

You can watch the live-streamed funeral mass below: