James Knox - Early Years

Early Years

Knox was born in Bayswater, Western Australia. He was a son of Irish–born John Knox and his wife Alice Emily, née Walsh. Attending Catholic schools in Perth, Knox applied to the Archdiocese to study for the priesthood, but was rejected because it was cheaper to recruit and educate priests in Ireland. He successful applied to become a priest at the Benedictine Territorial Abbey of New Norcia, and completed his secondary schooling at St Ildephonsus' College, before entering the seminary in 1936. By September that same year, he transferred to the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum in Rome.

Ordained priest on 22 December 1941, he pursued postgraduate studies, obtaining doctorates in theology (1944) and canon law (1949). Unable to return to Australia during World War II, he had been assigned to Propaganda College staff, becoming a vice-rector in 1945. He served as a staff member of the Vatican Secretariat of State from 1948 until 1950. He was also a staff member of Vatican Radio for a year between 1949 and 1950 and appointed to the rank of monsignor on 22 July 1950. He was Secretary to the Apostolic Delegate in Japan form 1950 until 1953.