Bro. Martin J. Shea, M.M.

Brother Martin J. Shea died on July 16, 2025 in the Skilled Nursing Unit at Maryknoll, New York.  He was 95 years old and a Maryknoll Brother for 73 years.

Francis Joseph Shea was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 22, 1930. The son of Finian J. and Nora Ita Dowd Shea, he grew up in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts with his sister and brother.  He attended St. Patrick’s School and graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield.  He first contacted Maryknoll at Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 1949.  For a short time he worked at the Alexian Brothers’ Hospital in Chicago.  He entered the Maryknoll Brothers on December 30, 1950 at Maryknoll, New York.  Later, he continued his training at the Brothers’ Novitiate in Brookline, Massachusetts. He took the religious name of Martin and pronounced his First Oath to the Society on June 29, 1952 and his Permanent Oath on June 18, 1955.

After profession, Brother Marty, as he was known, was assigned to the Development House in Brookline. A year later, he transferred to Maryknoll Junior Seminary, Mountain View, California and worked as secretary to the Rector.  In May 1954 he was assigned to Maryknoll Apostolic College (Venard) at Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, where he again served as secretary to the Rector.  He was assigned to the new Maryknoll Junior Seminary at Chesterfield, Missouri in June 1961 to begin the work of accreditation for that training center.

Brother Marty received his first overseas mission assignment in May 1966, when he was assigned to the then Guatemala Region.  He enjoyed a varied mission career in what is now the Latin America Region.  He was appointed Coordinator of the Center House in Huehuetenango and Director of the Project San José, a program to assist rural farmers.  During his time in Central America, Brother Marty completed his undergraduate studies with the University of Minnesota with a particular focus on anthropology and field studies of the Mam Indians.  While he would have liked to complete the work he had begun in Latin American Studies at San Carlos University in Guatemala, it was discontinued because of the civil war in that country.  

In 1975 Brother Marty was elected to the Regional Council, and in 1978 was appointed the Latin American Brothers’ representative on the Society’s Brothers’ Executive Board. During that time, he served as a member of the pastoral team in Cuilco, together with four Mexican Sisters and a Maryknoll priest, Father John Fay, M.M.  He lived and worked with Mam Indians in Colotenango, where he was pastoral minister and coordinator of the parish, bilingual school and well-baby clinic.  He worked as well on the reconstruction of the church there after the earthquake in 1976.

Brother Marty participated in the 1978 Society General Chapter at Maryknoll, New York as the Latin America Brothers’ representative and served on the Spirituality Task Force.  In May 1979, he returned to the United States to serve for five years as the Director of the Maryknoll Brothers’ Formation Program. During this time, he completed his M.A. in Theology at the Maryknoll School of Theology.

Brother Marty returned to the Central America Region in May 1984.  For more than three years, he was “loaned” to the Mexico Region where he lived and worked, together with the Maryknoll Sisters, among the thousands of Guatemalan refugees relocated to Campeche, Mexico.  In 1986, he received an award from the National Assembly of Religious Brothers for his work in the refugee camps. After working for a time in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Brother Marty was assigned to Petén, Guatemala in 1992, where he worked with the Vicariate of the Petén and the Bishops’ Conference in immigrant work and particularly in the return of Guatemalan refugees from Mexico.

Brother Marty was assigned to the U.S. Region in September 2002 to work with the Initial Formation Team. He was re-assigned to the Latin America Region in September 2004 and returned to what he referred to as his “home,” Guatemala.  The civil war lasted 36 years in this country.  Brother Marty devoted his life to the Guatemalan people in their struggle to survive.  He reflected, “The greatest challenge for the Guatemalan people, over the years, has been to survive, save their families, and get on with their lives after a traumatic, genocidal war.  That has become our challenge and mission.” He was granted Senior Missioner Status in 2007 and continued working in the Petén.

In October 2022, Brother Marty was assigned to the Senior Missioner Community and took up residence at the Society Center in Maryknoll, New York.  In 2023 he published a poignant memoir of his experience in mission, titled Through the Tears—Insights from Mission.  

Wake services were held on July 21, 2025 in the Holy Spirit Chapel and the Queen of Apostles Chapel at the Maryknoll Society Center.  Mass of Christian Burial followed at 11:00 a.m. and was concelebrated in the Queen of Apostles Chapel.  Father Juan Zuñiga was the Celebrant and Father James Lynch was homilist.  Brother John Blazo read the biography and Brother Brendan Corkery read the Oath.  Burial followed in the Maryknoll Society Cemetery with Father Juan Zuñiga presiding at the graveside prayers.

Each Maryknoll priest is requested to offer Mass for the repose of the soul of Brother Shea; all Maryknollers are requested to remember him in their private and public prayers.