James Francis McIntyre

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

James Francis McIntyre
Cardinal, Archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles
James F. McIntyre, 1970.jpg
McIntyre in 1970
See Los Angeles
AppointedFebruary 7, 1948
InstalledMarch 19, 1948
Term endedJanuary 21, 1970
Predecessor John Joseph Cantwell
Successor Timothy Manning
Other post(s) Cardinal Priest of Santa Anastasia
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMay 21, 1921
by  Patrick Joseph Hayes
ConsecrationJanuary 8, 1941
by  Francis Spellman
Created cardinalJanuary 12, 1953
by Pius XII
Personal details
Born(1886-06-25)June 25, 1886
DiedJuly 16, 1979(1979-07-16) (aged 93)
Los Angeles, California
Buried Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California
MottoMISERERE MEI DEUS
(God, Have Mercy On Me)
Coat of arms Coat of arms of James Francis McIntyre.svg
Ordination history of
James Francis McIntyre
History
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated by Francis Spellman
DateJanuary 8, 1941
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by James Francis McIntyre as principal consecrator
Walter Philip Kellenberg October 5, 1953
Edward Vincent Dargin October 5, 1953
Alden John Bell June 4, 1956
John James Ward December 12, 1963
Styles of
James McIntyre
Coat of arms of James Francis McIntyre.svg
Reference style His Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal style Cardinal
See Los Angeles

James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (June 25, 1886 – July 16, 1979) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1948 to 1970, and was created a cardinal in 1953. He was a highly successful builder of new parishes, churches, and schools. He was notable in Church politics, and his reputation remains highly controversial.

Contents

Early life

James McIntyre was born in Manhattan to James and Mary (née Pelly) McIntyre. [1] His father was a native of New York City and member of the mounted police, and his mother was from Kiltormer, County Galway, Ireland. [2] McIntyre attended Public School No. 70 because there was no room for him at the local parochial school.

His father was rendered an invalid after falling from his horse in Central Park and sustaining serious injuries; his mother then opened a dressmaking business to support the family. [2] Following his mother's death in 1896, McIntyre and his father were taken into the nearby home of a relative. [2] He did not attend high school, instead becoming an errand boy in the financial market. He attended night school at Columbia University and City College. [2]

At age 16, McIntyre became a runner on the New York Stock Exchange, working for the brokerage firm of H.L. Horton & Co. [2] He was offered a junior partnership at Horton in 1914, but declined in order to pursue Holy Orders. [3] He then studied at Cathedral College for a year before entering St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers where he was a friend of Patrick O'Boyle. [1]

Priesthood

McIntyre was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Patrick Hayes on May 21, 1921. [1] He then served as assistant pastor of St. Gabriel's Church in the Lower East Side until 1923, whence he became assistant chancellor for the Archdiocese of New York. [2] He was promoted to chancellor in 1934, and named Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness, Pius XI on December 27 of that year. Appointed a Domestic Prelate by Pope Pius XI on November 12, 1936.

Following the appointment of Francis Spellman to Archbishop of New York in 1939, McIntyre was named to the archdiocesan board of consultors. [2] In 1939, he formed the Columbiettes, a Knights of Columbus women's auxiliary.

Episcopate

New York

On November 16, 1940, McIntyre was appointed auxiliary bishop of New York and titular bishop of Cyrene by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on January 8, 1941, from Archbishop Spellman, with Stephen Donahue and John O'Hara serving as co-consecrators, in St. Patrick's Cathedral. [1] He became vicar general of the archdiocese on January 27, 1945, and received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in May 1946. He once said that accounts of anti-Semitism in New York were "a manufactured movement...for the deliberate purpose of besmirching the minority Catholic population." [4]

On July 20, 1946, McIntyre was named coadjutor bishop of New York and titular archbishop of Paltus . Despite never succeeding Spellman as archbishop, he assisted in the governance of the archdiocese while Spellman was busied by his additional duties as Apostolic Vicar for the Military Forces. Spellman once said, "I have never undertaken any important matter without consulting [McIntyre]. In nothing have I gone contrary to his advice." [2] In 1947, McIntyre spoke out against legislation that would "permit further encroachments on the parental function of education." [2]

Los Angeles

McIntyre was appointed the second archbishop of Los Angeles, California, on February 7, 1948. Replacing the late John J. Cantwell, he was installed at St. Vibiana's Cathedral on the following March 19. In McIntyre's first four years alone, 26 new parishes, 64 parochial schools, and 18 high schools were established. [2] At one point during his tenure, he oversaw the construction of a new church every 66 days and a new school every 26 days to accommodate the post-World War II population boom. [5] As archbishop, he led the successful effort to repeal the state tax on Catholic schools. [2] In 1967 he consulted with California Governor Ronald Reagan regarding a proposed law to legalize abortion. He convinced Reagan to veto the law if it allowed abortions in case of birth defects. The legislature dropped that provision and Reagan signed the law, which decriminalized abortions when done to protect the health of the mother. [6] [7]

Pius XII created him Cardinal Priest of Santa Anastasia in the consistory of January 12, 1953. McIntyre was the first cardinal of the Western United States. At the consistory, when the official photographer's flash bulb failed to go off when the biretta was conferred, Pius and McIntyre re-enacted the ceremony. [2] McIntyre was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1958 papal conclave, and again in the 1963 papal conclave.

He sent his priests to meetings of the right-wing John Birch Society to educate themselves about communism, and recommended subscriptions to American Opinion and other Birch publications in his diocesan newspaper. [8] [9] He expressed caution towards "an obvious trend toward laxity" in the morality of films, [10] and was one of the American bishops to oppose the liturgical revision of the Second Vatican Council, in which he participated from 1962 to 1965. [2] [11]

Cardinal McIntyre resisted elements in the church who dissented from Church dogma. He suspended Father William DuBay, who had called for McIntyre's removal in 1964 for not sufficiently supporting the civil rights movement, [12] after DuBay advocated a labor union for Catholic priests and published a book critical of the Catholic Church hierarchy. [13] When Bishop James P. Shannon expressed views critical of the Church hierarchy in an NBC documentary in the late 1960s, McIntyre described Shannon's views as constituting "incipient schism." [14]

He had a dispute with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whom he barred from teaching within the archdiocese in 1967 for their leftist tendencies and abandonment of their traditional discipline—such as eliminating the habit and compulsory daily prayer. [15] The dispute was appealed to the Holy See, which stipulated that the sisters must either restore their former practices or request dispensation from their vows; 315 of the 380 members sought dispensation and formed a non-Catholic organization. [15] [16]

The tomb of James McIntyre in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles. LA Cathedral Mausoleum grave McIntyre.jpg
The tomb of James McIntyre in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles.

At the end of his tenure, he was the subject of protests by blacks, Hispanics, and his own clergy.[ dubious discuss ] [17] John Cooney writes that McIntyre harbored racial prejudices and was approached privately by the priests of his archdiocese who asked him to refrain from making racial slurs. [18]

He retired after 21 years as Archbishop on January 21, 1970, and then served as a parish priest at St. Basil's Church in Downtown Los Angeles, where he privately celebrated the Tridentine Mass on the side altars of St. Basil's.

McIntyre died at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 93. In 2003, his remains were transferred to the crypt of the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Reputation

McIntyre was disliked by liberal elements within the American Church. Charles Morris in his book American Catholic states:

Today, McIntyre's name is associated mostly with his sad, slightly ridiculous octogenarian flailing against the cultural and religious revolutions of the 1960s. But if he had retired at the canonical age of 75 in 1961...he would be remembered as one of the great builders of the American Church. [19]

Monsignor Francis Weber, in his two-volume biography of McIntyre, tries to rehabilitate the cardinal's reputation. In a review of Weber's book, historian Kevin Starr agrees with Weber and articulates the alternative version of McIntyre and the 1960s. Starr writes:

Sadly, this kindly (most of the time) and, in his own way, holy prelate became the scapegoat for those pushing the ecclesial revolutions, so frequently self-destructive, of the 1960s after the Second Vatican Council. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York</span> Archdiocese of the Catholic Church

The Archdiocese of New York is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester to the north of the city. It does not include the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn or Queens, which are part of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Spellman</span> American Catholic prelate (1889–1967)

Francis Joseph Spellman was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of New York from 1939 until his death in 1967. Spellman previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1932 to 1939. He was created a cardinal in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulton J. Sheen</span> American Catholic bishop, televangelist, and venerable

Fulton John Sheen was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York. He resigned as bishop of Rochester in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Gregory Meyer</span> American prelate

Albert Gregory Meyer was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1958 until his death in 1965, and was appointed a cardinal in 1959. He previously served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Wisconsin from 1953 to 1958 and as bishop of the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin from 1946 to 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles</span> Archdiocese in California

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, and its present archbishop is José Horacio Gómez Velasco. With over five million professing members and weekly liturgies celebrated in 32 languages, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is numerically the single largest and most ethnically diverse archdiocese in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Henry O'Connell</span> American cardinal (1859–1944)

William Henry O'Connell was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Francis O'Hara</span> American prelate

John Francis O'Hara was an American member of the Congregation of Holy Cross and prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as president of the University of Notre Dame (1934–1939) and as the Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1951 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Aloysius Mooney</span> American cardinal

Edward Aloysius Mooney was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1937 until his death, and was made a cardinal in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Ritter</span> Catholic cardinal from the United States

Joseph Elmer Ritter was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1946 until his death in 1967, and was created a cardinal in 1961. He previously served as auxiliary bishop (1933–1934) and bishop (1934–1946) of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Ritter was one of the cardinals elector who participated at the papal conclave in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick O'Boyle (cardinal)</span> Catholic cardinal

Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first resident Archbishop of Washington from 1948 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark</span> Catholic archdiocese in the United States

The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carberry</span> American prelate (1904–1998)

John Joseph Cardinal Carberry was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1968 to 1979. He was created a cardinal in 1969. He served as Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana from 1957 to 1965 and Bishop of Columbus from 1965 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Manning</span> Irish American prelate

Timothy Manning was an Irish American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1973.

Francis Frederick Reh was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina from 1962 to 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Thomas McGucken</span> American prelate

Joseph Thomas McGucken was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (1941–1955), coadjutor bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento (1955–1962) and archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (1962–1977).

James Patrick Shannon was an American laicized Catholic bishop and educator.

John Joseph McCort was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Altoona from 1920 until his death in 1936.

John Michael Fearns was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1957 to 1972.

Joseph Patrick Donahue was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1945 to 1959.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Miranda, Salvador. "MCINTYRE, James Francis". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Thornton, Francis. "James Cardinal McIntyre". Our American Princes.
  3. TIME Magazine. 24 Hats December 8, 1952
  4. "Bishop v. Archbishop?". TIME Magazine . 1944-03-20. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008.
  5. "On Borrowed Time". TIME Magazine . 1970-02-02. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010.
  6. Kristen Luker, Abortion and the politics of motherhood (University of California Press, 1984) pp 88-89, 121-122.
  7. Matthew W. Dallek, The right moment: Ronald Reagan's first victory and the decisive turning point in American politics (2000) p. 198.
  8. McGirr, Lisa (2001). Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right . Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691059037.
  9. Isserman, Maurice; Kazin, Michael (2008). America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s (3 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
  10. TIME Magazine. Trend Toward Laxity? May 30, 1955
  11. "A New Way of Worship". TIME Magazine . 1964-11-27. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  12. "For a White-Collar Union". TIME Magazine . 1966-03-04. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008.
  13. "The Issue of Imprimatur". TIME Magazine . 1966-08-19. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009.
  14. TIME Magazine. Burden of Responsibility June 6, 1969
  15. 1 2 "The Immaculate Heart Rebels". TIME Magazine . 1970-02-16. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  16. see Mark S. Massa S.J., The American Catholic Revolution: How the ’60s Changed the Church Forever (Oxford UP, 2010 pp 75-102, a major scholarly history of the dispute. online
  17. "Timothy Cardinal Manning, 79; Guided Los Angeles Archdiocese". The New York Times . 1989-06-24.
  18. John Cooney, The American Pope: The Life and Times of Francis Cardinal Spellman, New York, 1984,
  19. Charles Morris, American Catholic: The Saints and Sinners Who Built America's Most Powerful Church (1997), p. 258.
  20. Kevin Starr, "His Eminence of Los Angeles," Los Angeles Times Book Review, June 22, 1997, p. 3. Quoted in Jeffrey M. Burns, "Postconciliar Church as Unfamiliar Sky: The Episcopal Styles of Cardinal James F. McIntyre and Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken" (1999) p. 67.

Further reading

Primary sources

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Cardinal Priest of Santa Anastasia
1953–1979
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Los Angeles
1948–1970
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Coadjutor Archbishop of New York
1946–1948
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
1940–1946
Succeeded by