Br. James Norton attended the Marist Brothers Juniorate at Esopus, NY from 1960-63. He entered the Marist Novitiate at Esopus in 1963 and became a Novice in 1964. He professed his first vows in 1965, before completing a BA in Spanish at Marist College in 1968. During his career, Br. James improved his linguistic skills by doing language immersion experiences in Mexico in 1968, in Guatemala and El Salvador in 1969, and served the Institute many times as a translator, including at the 1993 General Chapter. He began his lifelong career at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, NY, as a teacher in 1968 before becoming a guidance counselor in 1972. He professed his perpetual vows in Esopus in 1972 and has earned numerous graduate degrees from St. John’s University (1977) and Wellesley College (1985). He has volunteered at the Mid-Hudson Valley Camps in Esopus every summer since 1983, and was instrumental in helping to develop and support Molloy’s Peer Group Program as well as it’s Smile Program.
