1. Samuel Alphonsius Stritch was an American Catholic prelate who served Archbishop of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from March 1958 until his death two months later.
17 Facts About Samuel Stritch
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Samuel Stritch was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
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Samuel Stritch was born on August 17,1887, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Garret and Katherine Stritch.
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The second youngest of eight children, Samuel Stritch had two brothers and five sisters.
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Samuel Stritch later earned his doctorates in philosophy and in theology.
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Samuel Stritch was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Nashville by Cardinal Pietro Respighi on May 21,1910, at the Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome.
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At age 22, Samuel Stritch was below the age requirement for ordination, but Pope Pius X granted him a dispensation.
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Samuel Stritch received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales in Toledo on November 30,1921, from Archbishop Henry K Moeller, with Bishops John Morris and Thomas Molloy serving as co-consecrators.
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Samuel Stritch incorporated the diocesan branch of Catholic Charities in 1923.
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Samuel Stritch laid the cornerstone in 1926 of the new Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo.
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Samuel Stritch provided extensive support to the victims of the Great Depression.
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Samuel Stritch was an advocate for Catholic Action an international movement of lay people, and the Catholic Youth Organization.
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Samuel Stritch was an opponent of Reverend Charles Coughlin, a popular anti-Semitic radio broadcaster.
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Samuel Stritch was the personal choice of Apostolic Delegate Amleto Giovanni Cicognani for the post, although Roosevelt reputedly wanted Bishop Bernard Sheil instead.
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In 1943, during World War II, Samuel Stritch signed a peace program developed by American Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish leaders.
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In 1954, Samuel Stritch issued a pastoral letter exhorting Catholics in his archdiocese to not attend the assembly of the World Council of Churches at Evanston, Illinois, writing,.
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In May 1958, while in Rome, Samuel Stritch suffered a blood clot on his right arm.