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His Eminence Samuel Alphonsus Stritch,
D.D. 1930 - 1940
Samuel Alphonsus Stritch was born in
Nashville, Tennessee, on August 17, 1887. Considered a child
prodigy, Stritch entered college at age 16 and attended the
North American College in Rome to complete his studies. He
was ordained on May 21, 1910 in Rome. Before entering the
episcopate, he served in Memphis and Nashville. He was made
Bishop of Toledo, Ohio, on November 30, 1921 at the age of
34.
Stritch was transferred to Milwaukee and
installed as archbishop on August 26, 1930. Stritch was known
for his youth, kindness and idealism though most of his years
were spent coping with the Great Depression.
In 1935, a fire destroyed the interior of
the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Stritch was sensitive
to the devastating effects of the Depression on the people
of Milwaukee, however, and postponed all restoration of the
burned out cathedral. He also chose not to renovate Saint
Francis Seminary for the same reason, though it was showing
need for major repair.
Stritch called for the first National Catholic
Social Action Conference, held in Milwaukee in 1938. He played
a particularly important role in mobilizing support behind
the Catholic Action movement sanctioned by Pope Pius XI. The
movement invited the laity to participate in the apostolate
of the hierarchy, and Stritch not only included important
clerics in his inner circle, but also frequently consulted
prominent laity.
Stritch founded the Catholic Youth Organization
to care for the spiritual, cultural, social and athletic needs
of youth. The organization soon grew to include over 30,000
boys and girls.
Stritch was transferred to the Archdiocese
of Chicago on December 27, 1939, and was made Cardinal on
February 18, 1946. Cardinal Stritch served the people of Chicago
until his death on May 27, 1958, in Rome.
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