REV. JAMES J. DUNN, pastor of St. Bridget's Church, Meadville, was born in Malahide, Dublin Co., Ireland, June 9, 1841; arrived in Baltimore, Md., in 1849; entered Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmittsburg, Md., August 24 1857; graduated at the same institution June, 1863, receiving degrees of A.B. and A.M.; entered the seminary attached to the college in the fall of the same year and was ordained by Bishop Quinlan of Mobile for the diocese of Erie, in the church attached to the college on October 28, 1866; remained for one year attached to the college as Adjunct Professor of Latin and Greek; entered upon missionary work at Oil City, Penn., October, 1867, was placed in charge of the congregation at Petroleum Center in June, 1868, and transferred to the charge of St. Bridget's Church, Meadville, March 4, 1874.

Source: History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania: containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc., portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1885, page 735.