Father James J. DiGiacomo, S.J.

Father James J. DiGiacomo, S.J., a renowned writer and religious educator known for catechetical works such as “Do the Right Thing: A Guide to Christian Morality,” died Sept. 15 at Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx. He was 88.

A priest of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), he held a lengthy career teaching religion at Fordham University and Fordham Prep. From 1977 to 2003 he taught theology at Regis High School in Manhattan.

After retiring from the classroom in 2003, Father DiGiacomo assisted at Our Lady of Victory parish in lower Manhattan and at St. Anthony’s parish in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Due to declining health, he moved to Murray-Weigel Hall in 2010.

Father DiGiacomo was known for his ability to connect and communicate with audiences of all ages. Nationally and internationally, he addressed conferences and conventions.

For teachers, he wrote numerous essays and several books on religious education. For students, he wrote and contributed to textbooks for use in the classroom, contributing in a significant way to adolescent religious formation.

He is the author of “Understanding Teenagers” and “When Your Teenager Stops Going to Church,” among other published works.

A native of Brooklyn, he found his vocation at Brooklyn Prep. Upon his graduation there in 1943, he entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson in Poughkeepsie. Following his first vows two years later, he continued his collegiate studies there and at Woodstock College in Maryland.

He was ordained at Fordham University Church in 1956.

He taught Latin, English and religion at Brooklyn Prep, 1958-1964. After further studies, he spent more than 40 years teaching religion in secondary school, college and graduate school. To gain expertise in the post-Second Vatican Council era of catechetics, he studied at the Institute of Lumen Vitae in Brussels, Belgium, 1964-65.

A Funeral Mass was offered Sept. 23 at Fordham University Church. Burial was in the Jesuit cemetery in Auriesville.