Albert Gregory Meyer

Albert Gregory Meyer (March 9, 1903 – April 9, 1965) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1958 until his death in 1965. He was appointed a cardinal in 1959. He previously served as archbishop of Milwaukee in Wisconsin from 1953 to 1958 and as bishop of Superior in Wisconsin from 1946 to 1953.

Meyer was a strong advocate for racial justice and a firm supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was also a voice for religious tolerance and for the reconciliation of the Catholic Church with the Jewish people.

Biography

Early life and education Albert Meyer was born on March 9, 1903, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Peter James Meyer, a grocer, and Mathilda (née Thelen) Meyer, both German immigrants. The fourth of five children, he had two brothers and two sisters; one sister became a nun. As a child, Albert Meyer would pretend to celebrate mass with a toy altar and a glass of water for the chalice of wine. Meyer then continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, obtaining a Doctorate in Holy Scriptures in 1930.

After returning to Wisconsin in 1930, the archdiocese assigned Meyer as curate at St. Joseph's Parish in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In 1931, he was appointed to the faculty of St. Francis de Sales Seminary, teaching religion, Greek, Latin, biblical archeology, dogmatic theology and Scripture. Meyer was consecrated on April 11, 1946, by Archbishop Moses E. Kiley, with Bishops Muench and William O'Connor serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee.

As one of his first actions in Superior, Meyer banned young priests from owning cars and demanded that they pay back the diocese the costs of their seminary preparations. However, after receiving backlash from the clergy, Meyer dropped these demands.

Meyer in 1958 established a Council of Catholic Men to involve laymen in the running of the archdiocese. He also instituted a $3.23 million capital improvement project for the archdiocese, including St. Francis de Sales Seminary. Meyer participated at the first three sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome from 1962 to 1964, and sat on its Board of Presidency. During the council, Meyer showed himself to be of liberal tendencies and was viewed as the chief intellectual among the participating American hierarchy.

The scholarly and often shy prelate supported religious liberty. He strongly condemned racism, warning his clergy "not to foster the flame of racial hatred". At the 1963 National Conference on Race and Religion in Chicago, Meyer delivered a speech along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Meyer served as a cardinal elector in the 1963 papal conclave that selected Pope Paul VI. Meyer, an occasional fisherman, once called fishing the "apostolic recreation", and was also known to attend Milwaukee Braves baseball games.

Death and legacy Meyer in January 1965 was hospitalized at Mercy Hospital in Chicago for treatment of gallstones. After his discharge, he started suffering severe headaches a few weeks later. He re-entered Mercy in February and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He underwent an operation on February 25th, but never recovered from the surgery. Albert Meyer died at age 62 on April 9, 1965, at Mercy Hospital. Cardinal Meyer Center, a part of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Chicago Cardinal Meyer Lecture series at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake