TEXARKANA — Rev. James P. West

entered eternal life on Sunday, March 8,

2020, in Texarkana, Ark. A native of Texarkana,

Texas, he was born on September 2, 1960. He attended Holy

Trinity Seminary in Dallas, Texas, beginning in

1980, and was ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Andrew J. McDonald at the Cathedral of St. Andrew on May 31, 1986.

His first assignment was as associate pastor of Christ the King in Little Rock. In 1990 Fr. West was named pastor of St. Boniface in New Dixie, St. Elizabeth in Adona, and St. Francis of Assisi in Little Italy. He was made pastor of St. John the Baptist in Hot Springs in 1996. After serving in Hot Springs for five years, he was named pastor of Immaculate Conception and St. Anne in North Little Rock in 2001. Fr. West was once again named pastor of St. John the Baptist in Hot Springs in 2011. He became the pastor of St. Edward in Texarkana, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Ashdown and Sacred Heart in Foreman in 2017. He also served as a prison chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institute in Texarkana, Texas, and at the Arkansas Department of Corrections Regional Correctional Center in Texarkana, Ark.

Fr. West also served as Vice President on the Executive Board of the Mary Mother of God Mission Society which works to revive the Roman Catholic Church in Eastern Russia. He visited parishes in Russia on several occasions and was instrumental in developing strong sister parish relationships at his former parishes, Immaculate Conception in North Little Rock and St. John the Baptist in Hot Springs. Fr. West also spoke on behalf of the mission and appeared on radio talk shows, promoting the mission work. Fr. West was a dedicated priest whose priestly zeal impacted many throughout our diocese, well beyond just the places to which he was assigned.

Fr. West is survived by his loving and devoted mother, Evelyn Anne West of Texarkana, Texas; two brothers Kyle West and Christopher West, both of Texarkana, Texas; two sisters Misti Stewart of McAlester, Okla., and Dawn Swartz of White Hall, Ark.; nephew Alex Swartz of White Hall, Ark.; Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, P.A., who was like a father to him; as well as four beloved dogs, Josie, Gracie, Nikita, and Burrito.

Fr. West was preceded in death by his grandparents, Marius (Pete) and Evelyn Miroir; infant-uncle, Marius P. Miroir, III; and his father, Gary Alan West.

The Rosary and Vigil Service will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 15, at St. Edward Church in Texarkana, Ark. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 16, also at St. Edward Catholic Church in Texarkana, Ark., with the Most Rev. Anthony B. Taylor (Bishop of Little Rock) presiding and the Most Rev. Joseph E. Strickland (Bishop of Tyler) as the homilist. Burial will follow immediately in the Priest Circle at Holy Cross Cemetery next to Sacred Heart Church in Texarkana, Texas. Immediately following the interment, there will be a luncheon at Sacred Heart Church, to which all are invited.

Those who knew him well know that Fr. West had a passion for the Priesthood and for animals. At the family’s request, memorials may be directed either to the Msgr. James E. O’Connell Diocesan Seminarian Fund, Inc., or to Texarkana Animal League, 5820 Richmond Road, Texarkana, Texas 75503 or at www.texarkanaanimalleague.org.

“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb. 7:17) Register online @ www.texarkanafuneralhome.com