James J. Norris

Last updated

James Joseph Norris, (1907-1976), was an American advocate for refugees and displaced people whose humanitarian work on their behalf was global in scope and spanned three decades, from his appointment as European Director of War Relief Services, (later Catholic Relief Services), in 1946, until his death on November 17, 1976. Working in collaboration with the Holy See, (Vatican), and Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, (later Pope Paul VI), Norris established, in 1951, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC). During his presidency of ICMC from its inception in 1951 until 1974, the agency assisted in the provision of relief, rehabilitation and resettlement assistance to over 200,000 refugees.

Contents

Because of his expertise on the subject of world poverty, Pope Paul VI appointed James Norris to serve as a Lay Auditor at the Second Vatican Council. As such, he was the only Lay Auditor to participate in the debates of the Council. On November 5, 1964, he delivered an historic intervention in Saint Peter’s Basilica before the assembled bishops of the world, entitled “World Poverty and the Christian Conscience”. Norris wrote and delivered the speech in Latin, the official language of the Roman Catholic Church, under the title: “DE PAUPERTATE MUNDIALI IN SCHEMATE DE ECCLESIA IN MUND0 HUIUS TEMPORIS”. In his speech, Norris proposed “that from this ecumenical council there come a clarion call for action that would involve the creation of a structure that would devise the kind of institutions, contacts, forms of cooperation and policy, which the Church can adopt, to secure full Catholic participation in the world-wide attack on poverty”. (English translation from the Latin original).

Norris’s intervention at the Second Vatican Council led to the creation of a secretariat and working group of experts that culminated in the establishment by the Holy See of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, (1967), and the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, (1971). Pope Paul VI appointed Norris a charter member of both Pontifical Councils. Pope Paul also designated Norris to represent the Holy See at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In recognition of the importance of James Norris’s life’s work for refugees, he was honored with the United Nations’ highest humanitarian award, the Fridtjof Nansen Medal, (Nansen Refugee Award), awarded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in recognition of “outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless people.” On October 29, 1976, Norris was notified that he was to be the recipient of the Award by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Norris died three weeks later, before the Ceremony, scheduled for December 10, 1976, (United Nations Human Rights Day).  At the Palais des Nations, UN Headquarters in Geneva, Norris’s widow, Amanda, accepted the Nansen Medal posthumously on her husband’s behalf. In the acceptance speech which James Norris had prepared, and which was read at the Ceremony by his son, Stephen, Norris exhorted the world: “to keep holding high the torch of hope for those whose cause at times seems hopeless, the torch of faith for those who might waver in their belief that the world does care, and the torch of charity that tells our brother in need that we stand, in love, at his side”.

On November 19, 1976, Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass for the repose of James Norris’s soul. In a hand-written letter to Archbishop Paul Marcinkus that was passed on to Norris’s widow, Pope Paul wrote:  “Abbiamo conosciuto da molti anni questo buono e fedele Cattolico, e abbiamo offerto la Santa Messa in suffragio della sua anima e per il cristiano conforto dei suoi parenti e dei suoi amiciPaulus P.P. VI" Translation: ‘We have known for many years this good and faithful Catholic and we have offered the Holy Mass for the repose of his soul and the christian comfort of his relatives and friends...Paulus P.P. VI’

On November 22, 1976, a Memorial Mass was celebrated in the Capella del Coro at Saint Peter’s Basilica. The celebrant was Joseph L. Bernardin, Archbishop of Cincinnati and President of the Catholic Relief Services executive board. The Mass was attended by many of Norris’s Vatican confreres and friends and some forty Catholic Relief Services staff members, as well as Mother Teresa, (now Saint Teresa of Calcutta).

Among the thousands of letters of condolence and tribute that James Norris’s widow received from every continent following his death, was a letter from Ignatius S. D’Souza, Bishop of Baroda, India, in which the Bishop referred to James Norris as “God’s own perfect gentleman and a great benefactor of the poor and lonely scattered around the world”. Bishop D’Souza further wrote: “Mr. James Norris, I am sure, is already enjoying the rich reward in heaven for his wonderful, noble and exemplary life; and will obtain for you the necessary grace and strength to bear the heavy cross of separation until the day dawns of eternal union and meeting. In the meantime, prayers rising up to the throne of God from thousands of grateful hearts from all over the world will certainly bring abundant blessings upon your home.”

And from Bujumbura, Burundi, where, in 1972, “Norris had faced down Burundi’s President Michel Micombero, (over the massacres between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups), came a condolence letter endorsed by the six members of the CRS [Catholic Relief Services] Burundi Staff –- five signatures and a thumbprint”.

James J. Norris
Born(1907-08-10)August 10, 1907
DiedNovember 17, 1976
Citizenship United States
Education Battin High School, Elizabeth, New Jersey
St. Joseph's Preparatory Seminary, Holy Trinity, Alabama
Alma mater Catholic University of America (BA)
Organization(s) International Catholic Migration Commission
Catholic Relief Services
Known forAdvocate for Migrants and Refugees
Awards Nansen Refugee Award (1975) (UNHCR)

James Cardinal Gibbons Medal (1967)
Order of the House of Orange, Officer (January 14, 1964)
Order of Isabella the Catholic, Knight's Cross (March 20, 1957)
Order of the Phoenix (Greece), 2nd Class, Grand Commander (1955)
Medal of the Hellenic Red Cross (Greece) (January 3, 1958)
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Commander Cross of the Order (September 12, 1953)
Order of Polonia Restituta, Knight Commander (July 20, 1949)
Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty Medal (Budapest) (1948)
Polish Air Force Medal (April 15, 1947)

Manso Cross Award (Puerto Rico)
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branch United States Naval Reserve
United States Navy Armed Guard
Years of service1944–1946

Honors and Decorations

Commander, December 16, 1969

Commander with Star, Nov. 10, 1972

Knight of the Grand Cross, Oct. 20, 1976

Honorary Degrees

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Lajolo</span> Italian cardinal

Giovanni Lajolo is an Italian cardinal and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governatorate of Vatican City State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Holy Sepulchre</span> Catholic order of knighthood

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The Pope is the sovereign of the order. The order creates canons as well as knights, with the primary mission to “support the Christian presence in the Holy Land.” It is an internationally recognised order of chivalry. The order today is estimated to have some 30,000 knights and dames in 60 lieutenancies around the world. The Cardinal Grand Master has been Fernando Filoni since 2019, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is ex officio the Order's Grand Prior. Its headquarters are situated at the Palazzo Della Rovere and its official church in Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo, both in Rome, close to Vatican City. In 1994, Pope John Paul II declared the Virgin Mary as the order's patron saint under the title "Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of St. Gregory the Great</span> Honorary order of knighthood of the Holy See

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenon Grocholewski</span> Polish Catholic cardinal (1939–2020)

Zenon Grocholewski was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church, who was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001. He joined the Roman Curia in 1972 and served from 1999 until 2015 as Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Sebastiani</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (1931–2024)

Sergio Sebastiani was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was head of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1997 to 2008. He was made a cardinal in 2001. From 1960 to 1994 he worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, becoming an archbishop and apostolic nuncio in 1976 and leading the offices representing the Vatican in Madagascar, Mauritius, and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl A. Anderson</span> 13th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus

Carl Albert Anderson is an American lawyer who served as the thirteenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from October 2000 until his retirement in February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Delargey</span> New Zealand Catholic cardinal (1914-1979)

Reginald John Delargey was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, and later Cardinal, Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand. His title was Cardinal-Priest of Immacolata al Tiburtino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy</span> Catholic cardinal

Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy was an Indian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985. His episcopical motto was Aedificare domum Dei which means "To build the house of God". He was the fourth cardinal from India and the first curial cardinal of Asia outside of the Middle East.

The Pontifical Council for the Family was a pontifical council of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church from 1981 to 2016. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973. The Council fostered "the pastoral care of families, protects their rights and dignity in the Church and in civil society, so that they may ever be more able to fulfill their duties."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Michael Harvey</span> American Catholic prelate (born1949)

James Michael Harvey is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. Trained as a diplomat, he served from 1982 to 1998 in the central administration of the Holy See's Secretariat of State. From 1998 to 2012 Harvey managed the pope's household, first for Pope John Paul II and then for Pope Benedict XVI. He was named a bishop in 1998, an archbishop in 2003, and a cardinal in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Pope Pius IX</span>

The Order of Pope Pius IX, also referred as the Pian Order, is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. Currently, it is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See. The awarding of the order fell into disuse and was re-instituted by Pope Pius IX as a continuation on 17 June 1847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Patrick Foley</span> American Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal

John Patrick Foley was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. From 2007 until 2011, he was Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an order of knighthood under papal protection, having previously served as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 to 2007. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007. He provided the commentary for the American television viewers of the Christmas Midnight Mass from St Peter's Basilica, Rome. However, in 2009, he retired from that role after 25 years. The commentary was taken over by Monsignor Thomas Powers of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, an official in the Congregation for Bishops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of St. Sylvester</span> Papal Order of Knighthood

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester, sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five orders of knighthood awarded directly by the Pope as Supreme Pontiff and head of the Catholic Church and as the Head of State of Vatican City. It is intended to honour Catholic laypeople who are actively involved in the life of the Church, particularly as it is exemplified in the exercise of their professional duties and mastership of the different arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Romeo</span> Italian cardinal and archbishop emeritus

Paolo Romeo is an Italian cardinal and archbishop emeritus of Palermo. He was appointed to the see of Palermo by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 December 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Catholic Migration Commission</span> International non-governmental organization

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an international organization that serves and protects uprooted people, including migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality. With staff and programs in over 40 countries, ICMC advocates for sustainable solutions and rights-based policies directly and through a worldwide network of 132 member organizations.

Pastor bonus is an apostolic constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the central government of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Bertello</span> Italian prelate (born 1942)

Giuseppe Bertello is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal since 2012, who was President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State from October 2011 to October 2021. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1971 to 2011; became an archbishop in 1987; held appointments as Nuncio to several countries, including Rwanda, Mexico, and Italy; and was the Holy See's representative to a number of international organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic laity</span> Ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are not clergy

Catholic laity are the ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are neither clergy nor recipients of Holy Orders or vowed to life in a religious order or congregation. Their mission, according to the Second Vatican Council, is to "sanctify the world".

The orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See include titles, chivalric orders, distinctions and medals honoured by the Holy See, with the Pope as the fount of honour, for deeds and merits of their recipients to the benefit of the Holy See, the Catholic Church, or their respective communities, societies, nations and the world at large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Hackett</span> American diplomat

Kenneth Francis Hackett served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See from August 2013 until January 2017. He was previously president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

References

    Sources