29 Facts About John Dearden

John Francis Dearden was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969.

John Dearden previously served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1958.

In Detroit, Dearden was active in community causes, supporting equal employment opportunities and better racial relations in the city.

John Dearden played an influential role at the Second Vatican Council.

John Dearden served as the first president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

John Dearden was born in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, the eldest of five children of John Sidney and Agnes Dearden.

John Dearden received his early education at the parochial school of Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls.

John Dearden continued his education at St Philomena School in East Cleveland, and then attended Cathedral Latin High School from 1921 to 1925.

In 1925, John Dearden began his studies for the priesthood at St Mary's Seminary in Cleveland.

John Dearden graduated from St Mary's in 1929, and was then sent to continue his studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University.

On December 8,1932, John Dearden was ordained a priest by Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani in Rome.

John Dearden earned a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian in 1934.

John Dearden then served as professor of philosophy and rector at St Mary's Seminary.

John Dearden was raised to the rank of papal chamberlain on July 19,1945.

On March 13,1948, John Dearden was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and titular bishop of Sarepta by Pope Pius XII.

John Dearden was active in community causes such as supporting equal employment opportunities and encouraging his diocese to work for better racial relations in Detroit.

John Dearden attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965.

John Dearden played an influential role at the council, helping develop key documents like Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes.

When Pope Paul VI agreed with the idea raised by participants in Vatican II and restored the permanent diaconate in 1967, John Dearden was the first in America to utilize the pronouncement and augmented the declining numbers of regular clergy in his diocese by ordaining thirteen married laymen as deacons in 1971.

In 1965, John Dearden partnered with Cardinal Joseph Ritter to inaugurate Project Equality, an interfaith program requiring businesses to pledge to a policy of non-discrimination in hiring and discharging employees.

John Dearden announced that the archdiocese would give preferential treatment to suppliers who gave equal opportunity to minority groups.

When Michigan voters amended the state constitution to bar all taxpayer aid to private schools in 1970, John Dearden ordered all parishes in his diocese to examine their finances and determine if their schools were a financial drain due to declining enrollment.

From 1966 to 1971, John Dearden served as the first president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

John Dearden was instrumental in forming the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and its public-policy arm, the United States Catholic Conference.

Just a few years before the anniversary of American independence, John Dearden had been made the head of a committee for the NCCB to prepare a Catholic response to the 1976 Bicentennial of the United States.

John Dearden suffered a serious heart attack in April 1977.

John Dearden was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Pope John Paul I and Pope John Paul II, respectively.

John Dearden was still a member of the Roman Curia's Congregation for the Sacraments at the time.

John Dearden is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.