32 Facts About Joseph Ritter

Joseph Elmer Ritter was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of St Louis from 1946 until his death in 1967.

Joseph Ritter previously served as auxiliary bishop, bishop and later Archbishop of Indianapolis.

Joseph Ritter is noted for ending racial discrimination in church schools in both of his archdioceses long before it became mandatory in the United States.

Joseph Ritter ended hospital segregation in the Archdiocese of St Louis and supported the education of African-American students.

Elmer Joseph Ritter was born on July 20,1892, in New Albany, Indiana.

Joseph Ritter was the fourth of six children of Nicholas Ritter and Bertha.

Joseph Ritter's father owned the Ritter Bakery in New Albany.

In 1922, Joseph Ritter received an honorary doctorate of theology from Pope Pius XI.

Joseph Ritter received his episcopal consecration on March 28,1933, from Bishop Chartrand, with Bishops Alphonse Smith and Emmanuel Ledvina serving as co-consecrators.

At age 40, Joseph Ritter was one of the youngest Catholic bishops in the United States.

In 1937, Joseph Ritter ordered the racial integration of three girls schools in the diocese.

Joseph Ritter reorganized the diocesan branch of Catholic Charities, introduced the Catholic Youth Organization to the diocese, and completed the construction of SS.

In 1941, Joseph Ritter opened St John's Parish in Evansville, Indiana, the first African-American parish in that city.

Joseph Ritter was installed as its first archbishop on December 19,1944.

Joseph Ritter opened an average of three parishes per year in St Louis city and county.

Joseph Ritter raised more than $125,000,000 to build sixty new parishes and sixteen high schools.

Joseph Ritter started fundraising for the Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children in St Louis in 1949.

Joseph Ritter developed what is known as the Annual Catholic Appeal, which remains a primary source of financial support for many archdiocesan educational and charitable activities.

In 1950, Joseph Ritter created 31 classrooms for special needs students in archdiocesan schools and two group homes.

Joseph Ritter served as president of the National Catholic Educational Association from 1955 to 1956, and was named an assistant at the pontifical throne on October 5,1956.

Joseph Ritter declared, "The cross on top of our schools must mean something," and expressed his belief in "the equality of every soul before Almighty God".

The association claimed that Joseph Ritter's order violated Missouri state law.

Joseph Ritter later ordered all the parish schools to "accept all children into parish schools without regard to race".

Between 1962 and 1965, Joseph Ritter participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome.

Joseph Ritter protested against the Roman Curia's oppressive actions and Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani's draft on the sources of revelation at the council.

Joseph Ritter died on June 10,1967, at DePaul Hospital in St Louis after suffering two heart attacks that week.

Joseph Ritter was buried in the priest's lot at Calvary Cemetery in St Louis, following his final wishes.

On November 2,1994, Archbishop Justin Rigali ordered Joseph Ritter's remains to be removed from Calvary Cemetery and re-interred in the crypt of the new cathedral, now the cathedral basilica of St Louis.

In 1960, Joseph Ritter declared that Catholic students must obtain written permission from the archdiocese to attend secular or non-Catholic colleges.

Joseph Ritter was concerned about their exposure to secular influences and the doctrines of other religions.

In 1964, Joseph Ritter allowed a marriage ceremony that included both Catholic and Episcopal priests at St Genevieve du Bois Catholic Church near St Louis.

Joseph Ritter forbade Catholics from viewing the 1954 film The French Line under danger of committing serious sin.