Msgr Joseph T. Casey

Monsignor Joseph T. Casey was born on Christmas Day in 1887, the second of nine children. He received his B.A. from Holy Cross and entered the field of journalism. He entered the seminary and was ordained a priest on May 15, 1913 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Four days later he reported to St. James Parish, Red Bank, N.J., his first assignment as curate.

With the outbreak of World War I, Father Casey enlisted in the Navy Chaplain Corps. His tour of duty extended through two World Wars and took him literally all over the globe. In 1946, he returned to the parish that had been his first and only assignment, St. James Parish, Red Bank, N.J.

Monsignor Casey strongly believed in organized programs for the youth of the community. He immediately hired a full scale coaching staff at Red Bank Catholic for the school’s various sports teams at the time. He used his own Naval pension to buy uniforms and equipment for the teams, and also organized the school band and orchestra.

A strong advocate of community involvement, Monsignor Casey founded the Legal Aid Society of Monmouth County. He was on the planning board of the local Red Cross and he sat on the Board of Governors of Monmouth Medical Center, a local hospital.

Well into his eighties, having long since retired from Red Bank Catholic and his subsequent assignments, Monsignor Casey sat on the sidelines during RBC football games. The local papers referred to him as the school’s good luck charm. Above the doors to the school, the school motto is etched. “Pro Deo et Patria.” It means for God and country. Monsignor Casey embodied that motto devoting his entire life to God, his country and his beloved Red Bank Catholic. It is also why the school teams nickname is “Caseys.”