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The Cardinal Stritch Story
The Cardinal Stritch Story is the first full-length account of one of the most outstanding American churchmen of his generation. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 - May 27, 1958) was considered a child prodigy, having graduated from high school at the age of 14. He was ordained a priest at 22, which was below age requirements for ordination, after receiving special dispensation by Pope Pius X.
Stritch's story begins with his departure from Tennessee for Italy, where he studied for the priesthood, to his installation as the "Boy Bishop" of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio (where he presided over the confirmation of would-be actor Danny Thomas), to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was named the fifth Archbishop, and ultimately to Chicago, Illinois, where he became its fourth Archbishop and subsequently, Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura.
Marie Cecilia Buehrle met and interviewed scores of Stritch's friends and associates and had access to his personal correspondence. Thus she has constructed a portrait of "the Bishop of the Poor" that illustrates both the scope of his far-flung charities and staggering administrative concerns, as well as the savor of his disarmingly simple private life among his intimate companions.
Stritch was many things — versatile speaker, tireless promoter of new ideas, gentle but sure disciplinarian, an executive whose quiet competence was only equaled by the fecundity of his vision —but one theme informed all of his multifarious activity, and it was charity.
Stritch's story begins with his departure from Tennessee for Italy, where he studied for the priesthood, to his installation as the "Boy Bishop" of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio (where he presided over the confirmation of would-be actor Danny Thomas), to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was named the fifth Archbishop, and ultimately to Chicago, Illinois, where he became its fourth Archbishop and subsequently, Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura.
Marie Cecilia Buehrle met and interviewed scores of Stritch's friends and associates and had access to his personal correspondence. Thus she has constructed a portrait of "the Bishop of the Poor" that illustrates both the scope of his far-flung charities and staggering administrative concerns, as well as the savor of his disarmingly simple private life among his intimate companions.
Stritch was many things — versatile speaker, tireless promoter of new ideas, gentle but sure disciplinarian, an executive whose quiet competence was only equaled by the fecundity of his vision —but one theme informed all of his multifarious activity, and it was charity.
197 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1959
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November 21, 2021
I attended Cardinal Stritch High School, in Oregon, Ohio (just outside my hometown of Toledo), from the fall of 1969 to the spring of 1973. Not once in the course of those four-plus years was I taught about the man for whom the school had been named. Nor was I particularly curious about him as there were football and basketball games, wrestling matches, and other social events to attend. It was a fairly new school at the time—the first Catholic high school on Toledo's East Side—and I was amongst the school's ninth (and largest until then) graduation class.
So it was an eBay search years ago for other things related to the school that uncovered this biography about the school's namesake. It has been my intention for some time to snag a copy, and so I did that a couple of weeks ago.
The book is as much a hagiography as it is a biography, as I suppose that there is limited information about Samuel Stritch as priest, bishop/archbishop, and cardinal that extends beyond the anecdotal remembrances of his colleagues and those he employed. The book also seems to have been written by a true believer in Catholic ideology, which gives a certain 'fangirl' feel to the writing. It's well written, however. The book is only 197 pages, and its chapters, for the most part, are short (I think the longest is about five or six pages), so easy to put down for a few days and pick up again later, which I did.
While there is some time spent on his life as a boy in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated high school at an early age, his story essentially begins with his religious education in Rome and his ordination as a priest at the age of 22. This was a year short of the Church's requirements, but Stritch received special dispensation from Pope Pius X. After a brief stint in Memphis as a pastor, in 1921, at 34, he was appointed bishop of the Toledo diocese, the second in its history and was referred to by many as the "boy bishop." While bishop, he established Mary Manse (women's) College, where my mother would obtain her teaching degree when I was about 13. He oversaw the beginning of the construction of Holy Rosary Cathedral. He also presided over the confirmation of would-be actor Danny Thomas and years later would suggest to Thomas the location for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
There are moving anecdotes about Stritch's departures from Toledo for Milwaukee, from Milwaukee to Chicago, and lastly his departure from Chicago to Rome when he was chosen by Pope Pius XII to be Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of Faith, the first American to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia.
Stritch seemed to be a progressive man for the most part, but had a misogynistic streak that no doubt was part of his training, but also probably was his world view: "The Cardinal gave proof of understanding facts equally well when, in a strongly worded pastoral, he denounced the present-day dress of women as shocking and immoral. 'Modesty,' he wrote, 'is that virtue which stands guard over the path which may lead to a violation of chastity.'" This, of course, was from the mid-1950s, so it would be interesting to know what he'd think about today's women.
Ultimately, Stritch's accomplishments, particularly with regard to his charity work, do most of the talking as regards the kind of person he was. That a university, two high schools (mine and another in Iowa), a medical center (at Loyola in Chicago), and a Knights of Columbus Assembly (Chicago) are named for him speak to his significance as a public official.
As I mentioned, the book is hagiography, a worshipful look at a man who seemed to have a deep, abiding faith in his god, written by someone who seems to have shared that faith. It's a little strange to read about his close relationships with other priests in light of all the revelations of child abuse that have been documented in the last thirty or more years.
I suppose that the book has a limited audience these days... more for the curious who, like me, have seen his name on buildings without knowing why. As an atheist (and former Catholic), some of the theological narrative feels a bit over the top, but I liked learning at least something about the life of someone who played some small role in my life.
So it was an eBay search years ago for other things related to the school that uncovered this biography about the school's namesake. It has been my intention for some time to snag a copy, and so I did that a couple of weeks ago.
The book is as much a hagiography as it is a biography, as I suppose that there is limited information about Samuel Stritch as priest, bishop/archbishop, and cardinal that extends beyond the anecdotal remembrances of his colleagues and those he employed. The book also seems to have been written by a true believer in Catholic ideology, which gives a certain 'fangirl' feel to the writing. It's well written, however. The book is only 197 pages, and its chapters, for the most part, are short (I think the longest is about five or six pages), so easy to put down for a few days and pick up again later, which I did.
While there is some time spent on his life as a boy in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated high school at an early age, his story essentially begins with his religious education in Rome and his ordination as a priest at the age of 22. This was a year short of the Church's requirements, but Stritch received special dispensation from Pope Pius X. After a brief stint in Memphis as a pastor, in 1921, at 34, he was appointed bishop of the Toledo diocese, the second in its history and was referred to by many as the "boy bishop." While bishop, he established Mary Manse (women's) College, where my mother would obtain her teaching degree when I was about 13. He oversaw the beginning of the construction of Holy Rosary Cathedral. He also presided over the confirmation of would-be actor Danny Thomas and years later would suggest to Thomas the location for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
There are moving anecdotes about Stritch's departures from Toledo for Milwaukee, from Milwaukee to Chicago, and lastly his departure from Chicago to Rome when he was chosen by Pope Pius XII to be Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of Faith, the first American to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia.
Stritch seemed to be a progressive man for the most part, but had a misogynistic streak that no doubt was part of his training, but also probably was his world view: "The Cardinal gave proof of understanding facts equally well when, in a strongly worded pastoral, he denounced the present-day dress of women as shocking and immoral. 'Modesty,' he wrote, 'is that virtue which stands guard over the path which may lead to a violation of chastity.'" This, of course, was from the mid-1950s, so it would be interesting to know what he'd think about today's women.
Ultimately, Stritch's accomplishments, particularly with regard to his charity work, do most of the talking as regards the kind of person he was. That a university, two high schools (mine and another in Iowa), a medical center (at Loyola in Chicago), and a Knights of Columbus Assembly (Chicago) are named for him speak to his significance as a public official.
As I mentioned, the book is hagiography, a worshipful look at a man who seemed to have a deep, abiding faith in his god, written by someone who seems to have shared that faith. It's a little strange to read about his close relationships with other priests in light of all the revelations of child abuse that have been documented in the last thirty or more years.
I suppose that the book has a limited audience these days... more for the curious who, like me, have seen his name on buildings without knowing why. As an atheist (and former Catholic), some of the theological narrative feels a bit over the top, but I liked learning at least something about the life of someone who played some small role in my life.
Displaying 1 of 1 review