John Lawrence May
John Lawrence May (born March 31, 1922 in Evanston , Illinois ; † March 24, 1994 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was Archbishop of St. Louis from 1980 to 1992 .
Life
After the visit of the Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the S. Mary of the Lake Seminar John Lawrence May was on May 3, 1947 by Samuel Cardinal Stritch for the Archdiocese of Chicago for priests ordained .
On June 16, 1967 May was by Pope Paul VI. appointed auxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop of Tagarbala . The episcopal ordination took place on August 24th by John Cardinal Cody . Co-consecrators were Auxiliary Bishop Aloysius Wycislo John of Chicago and Bishop Cletus Francis O'Donnell of Madison .
Pope Paul VI appointed him Bishop of Mobile , Alabama, on September 29, 1969 . On January 24, 1980, May was named Archbishop of St. Louis, succeeding Cardinal John Carberry .
During his term of office he gave very intensive support to the revival of a diocesan synod and the founding of deanery and parish councils. He also advocated ecumenical dialogue and the fight against racism. In his archdiocese he led a strict financial course that led to the financial consolidation of the archdiocese. In the 1980s, May asked for more help for the poor. He himself expanded the church social services and improved the help for pregnant women in difficult situations.
As President of the Bishops' Conference of the United States (1986–1989), he sought a stronger connection between the Vatican and the US Church.
In 1992, Archbishop May resigned from office due to reasons of age, but remained administrator of the archdiocese until 1994. Shortly before his resignation, May was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died on March 24, 1994 and was buried in St. Louis Cathedral.
Web links
- Entry for John Lawrence May on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Of the Archdiocese of St. Louis homepage (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Joseph Toolen |
Bishop of Mobile 1969–1980 |
Oscar Hugh Lipscomb |
| John Cardinal Carberry |
Archbishop of St. Louis 1980–1992 |
Justin Francis Rigali |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | May, John Lawrence |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American clergyman, Roman Catholic bishop |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 31, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Evanston , Illinois |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 24, 1994 |
| Place of death | St. Louis , Missouri |