James J. Mara (January 8 1921 - July 9 1992) was born to parents James Mara and Catherine Lomasney in Sarnia, Ontario.
In 1941 Mara made vocation retreat at St. Peter's Seminary, London, Ontario, under the direction of Philip Francis Pocock. As a result of this retreat Mara decided to entered the Jesuit Order and was received at St.Stanislaus Novitiate, Guelph Ontario on October 30, 1941 as a postulant. On April 29, 1942 he became as novice. Most of Mara's novice years were spent as a kitchen apprentice. He went on to serve as a cook for fifteen years at numerous locations including: Guelph (1944-1955), Jesuit Seminiary, Toronto (1945-1946), Manresa Restreat House in Erindale, Ontario (1946-1949), Provincial Superior's Residence in Toronto (1949-1951), the Indian Residential School at Spanish, Ontario (1951-1958), and the retreat house at Raydor, Oakville, Ontario (1958-1959).
On August 15, 1953 during a trip to Guelph Mara pronounced his final vows as a Jesuit Brother. In addition to cooking Mara became involved in the recruitment of retreatants while at Erindale and Oakville. In 1948 he organized the distribution of the retreat house bulletin, Manresa, to over 5,000 members of the archdiocese. At Spanish he was known for his fundraising schemes - bingo games, alumni donation campaigns, and collection boxes in support of the new arena in 1952, He was also known for putting on performances as a magician and he helping organize the school's skating carnivals.
His later appointments included: Toronto (1968-1963/1963-1964) and Ottawa (1962-1963), Port Arthur (1964-1965), Garden Village (1965-1967), an Fort William Reserve (1967-1973). While in Lakehead (1967-1973) he planned a performance of Indigenous activities for the visit of the Queen and Prince Philip to the Fort William Reserve in July 1973. He was also involved in the construction of a new twelve-sided church in Fort William.
In 1973 Mara returned to Toronto due to ailing health. That same year he became involved in the establishment of a new Jesuit residence at 67 West Avenue, Toronto. The residence aimed to help minority and impoverished groups in the surrounding community. From 1975-1980 Mara served in the kitchen at St. Joseph's College, North Point, Darjeeling, India. He was responsible for the preparation and distribution of food for the 350 students at St. Joseph's. He was also the moderator of the students' photography club and was the Regional Coordinator of School Communications. He returned home in the summer of 1980 when his visa was revoked. Once back in Canada he served at the Canadian Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario for the next eleven years. While at the Shrine he also wrote small devotional pamphlets about the early missionaries of the area. Beginning in 1986 Mara also began organizing tours to Catholic shrines abroad as a way to generate revenue for the Midland Shrine.
In December 1990 Mara was diagnosed with cancer. Despite his health in April 1992 he joined a pilgrimage to Our Lady f Guadalupe in mid April. On his fiftieth anniversary of service with the Jesuits Mara was back in his winter quarters at La Sorta Residence in Pickering, Ontario. He passed away two months later on July 9, 1992. His funeral was held at the Martyrs' Shrine.
Source: "Mara, James J." in Dictionary of Jesuit Biography: Ministry to English Canada Vol. II 1988-2006. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies, 2007, p. 199-202.
