John William Comber
John William Comber, M.M. (March 12, 1906 – March 27, 1998) was an American-born Catholic missionary and bishop. As a member of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll), he was assigned to missions in China, Peru, and Chile. He served as the Superior General of Maryknoll from 1956 to 1966. Early life and education John Comber was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to Thomas F. and Nora (Higgins) Comber. He was educated at St. Mary’s Grade School in Lawrence and St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He studied at Boston College for two years after which he entered Maryknoll Seminary in Ossining, New York. Comber earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest on February 1, 1931. Priesthood After his ordination Comber spent eleven years in the Maryknoll Mission at Fushun, China. He learned to speak and write Mandarin fluently. After the outbreak of World War II Comber and his two sisters, Sr. Rita Clare, M.M., and Sr. Francis Helena, S.N.D. who were also missionaries in Japanese controlled territories, were interned by the Japanese military. They were among the second exchange of nationals repatriated to the