Early Life and Ministry
James Hickey was born in Midland, Michigan, to James and Agnes (née Ryan) Hickey; he had an older sister, Marie. His father was a dentist who, during the Great Depression, treated patients who could not pay for their dental care. At age 13, he entered St. Joseph Minor Seminary in Grand Rapids. He graduated as valedictorian from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit in 1942, also providing pastoral care to migrant workers during his studies. He then attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Hickey was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William Murphy on June 15, 1946.
He then served as an associate pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Saginaw until 1947, whence he went to Rome to further his studies. He earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in 1950, and a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum in 1951. Upon returning to the United States, he served as secretary to Bishop Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki from 1951 to 1966. He was also the founding rector of St. Paul Seminary, which was later closed in 1970. From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council as a peritus for Bishop Woznicki. He was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate of His Holiness on October 31, 1963.
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