The Rev. Joseph Fulton, Lively, Traditional, Friend Of The Young

The tale of the Rev. Joseph "Jack" Fulton was, to paraphrase a title by his favorite author, a tale of two men.

One man loved the common people and brownstone streets of his native Brooklyn along with the pragmatism of his Methodist upbringing.

The other man cherished classic languages and literature, particularly works by Charles Dickens, with whom he shared a birth date: Feb. 7. As a longtime priest of Seattle's Blessed Sacrament Church, he also loved traditional Catholic ways.

The amazing thing, say his friends, is that Father Fulton honored all aspects of his lively persona.

He was among the first here in the 1960s to lead youth folk Mass and charismatic prayer meetings. He was one of the last local priests to offer a Latin liturgy.

"He could come across as a helpless little man who couldn't seem to figure out how to do things he didn't want to do, like lead a certain class or fix something," said his friend Larry Hill. "But he was a very special man who influenced many people's lives and careers. He was an ecumenical leader in the Northwest."

Father Fulton died of a heart attack last Saturday (Dec. 12). He was 86.

Born in the New York borough of Brooklyn, he moved to Seattle with his mother and graduated from Roosevelt High School. He earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Washington.

He began attending Blessed Sacrament in the University District; he loved hearing Latin Mass in a Gothic church like those in Brooklyn.

Although he continued to attend Protestant churches, he became a Catholic and was ordained to the Dominican priesthood in 1942. He served as dean of students of the Dominican House of Studies in Oakland, Calif. In 1952 he was elected for an eight-year term as provincial of the Western Province of Dominicans.

Afterward he requested assignment to Blessed Sacrament Parish. He studied for his doctorate in classic languages at the UW but did not complete his oral exams because of the demands of his ministry.

A friend of the young people who congregated on The Ave, he implemented what were called Hippie Masses at Blessed Sacrament. Guitar music and dancing in the aisles were common, as was opposition from traditionalists. Father Fulton founded the Seattle Chapter of the Charles Dickens Fellowship in 1978. The group met until recently, Father Fulton reading in a way that made characters seem alive.

He returned to Brooklyn in 1980 to write his autobiography, "Love Grows in Brooklyn."

When he returned to Seattle, he ministered at Immaculate Conception Church then returned to Blessed Sacrament, where he taught Bible class and led Latin Mass.

"He was active right to the end," Hill said. "He was a very social man . . . whose greatest gift was an insatiable need to love and be loved."

"He was completely without fear," said Finbarr Hayes, a retired priest in Oakland. "But he was also very disciplined . . . a true leader."

No immediate family survives. Mass was said yesterday.

Remembrances may go to the Father Fulton Memorial Center Fund or the Father Fulton Scholarship Fund, both c/o Blessed Sacrament Church, 5041 Ninth Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA 98105.