Donald McClarey on the Herosim of Fr. John De Valles

"Joao Baptista DeValles was born in 1879 in Saint Miquel in the Azores.  At the age of 2 his family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts.  His first name anglicized to John, he quickly proved himself a brilliant student, eventually being fluent in six languages.  Ordained a priest in 1906 he served at Falls River at Espirito Santo Church, founding the first Portuguese language parochial school in the United States while he was there.  He later served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in New Bedford and was pastor at Saint John the Baptist Church, also in New Bedford.

"After the entry of the US into World War I, he joined the Army as a chaplain, serving with the 104th regiment, a Massachusetts National Guard outfit, part of the Yankee (26th) Division, made up of National Guard units from New England.  The Yankee Division arrived in France in September 1917, the second American division to arrive 'Over There'.

In a recent commentary, Donald R. McClarey offered a profile of Chaplain John De Valles, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action near Apremont, France, during the period of 10-13 April 1918.

To access Ms. McClarey's complete post, please visit:

Catholic Stand: April 10, 1918: The Angel of the Trenches Earns His Nickname (10 APR 18)