Father James McConnell, who served as pastor of St. James Parish, Pennington, from 1977 to 1999, died Sept. 21 at age 86.

On Sept. 28, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will be principal celebrant of a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. James Church, 115 East Delaware Ave.,  Pennington. Interment will follow in the Pennington Cemetery.

A priest for 58 years, Father McConnell was born in 1926 in Brooklyn, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Navy as an aviation radioman. After his graduation, he attended St. Francis College, Brooklyn, and prepared for the priesthood in Christ the King Seminary, St. Bonaventure, N.Y. He was ordained a priest June 12, 1954, in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, by Bishop George W. Ahr.

In 1975, he received a master’s degree from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Father McConnell served as associate pastor in Christ the King Parish, Manville; St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown, and Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville.

During his time in Somerville, he also served as Catholic Relief Services director for Somerset County.

In 1970, Father McConnell was appointed temporary administrator of St. Mary Parish, South Amboy, and became pastor later that year. After leading the faith community of St. Mary for more than six years, he resigned as pastor in 1977 to attend the spring session of the Notre Dame Institute for Clergy Education.

Father McConnell returned to the Diocese of Trenton in 1977, to serve as temporary administrator of St. Raphael Parish, Hamilton. A few weeks later he was named pastor of St. James Parish, Pennington, a position he held for the next 22 years. During his time in St. James, the parish grew from 500 to 1,450 families, necessitating construction of a new church building, which was dedicated in 1987.

In addition to his parish assignments, Father McConnell served many terms on the Council of Priests and was chairperson for two terms. He was the chairman of the committee to establish the Diocesan Pastoral Council. He served as an assistant to the priest personnel director; was a member of the Diocesan Board of Consultors; served on the Diocesan Building Commission and was appointed to the New Jersey Catholic Conference Task Force on Process of Conciliation.

After years of faithful service to St. James Parish, Father McConnell retired from active ministry Aug. 1, 1999. In 2002, he was appointed to serve as liaison to retired priests of the diocese and a member of the Council of Priests. Throughout his priesthood, he was a champion of social ministries and inspired many people to volunteer with various Trenton-based service agencies such as Mount Carmel Guild, Martin House, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and Loaves and Fishes. In 2008, Father McConnell was honored by the Mount Carmel Guild for his many years of support to the inner-city Trenton diocesan organization.

Father McConnell was predeceased by his parents, Florence and Charles MConnell, a sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. He is survived by one sister, Sister of St. Joseph Mary McConnell; one brother, Charles; two nieces and their spouses; a nephew and his wife, and five grandnieces and grandnephews.

Memorial donations may be made to Mount Carmel Guild, 73 North Clinton Ave., Trenton, N.J. 08609-1097.