Edward William O'Rourke

Edward William O'Rourke (October 31, 1917 – September 29, 1999) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois from 1971 to 1990.

Biography

Early life One of eleven children, Edward O'Rourke was born on October 31, 1917, in Downs, Illinois, to Martin and Mary (née Hickey) O'Rourke. He decided to become a priest following his confirmation in 1930, and later recalled he "never had a moment of doubt that this was [his] calling." He then served as an assistant chaplain at the Newman Centre of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until 1960. The hijackers offered him a chance to leave the plane, but he declined. While being held captive, O'Rourke led the passengers in prayer and tried to persuade the hijackers to surrender.

Rural life In 1960, O'Rourke declared, "We must not exchange the family farm system for a few 'general farms incorporated.' Such an exchange would be tragic for families on the land and for nations as a whole. In America we have an agriculture which is efficient, which is conducive to good family life, which is a bulwark of religion and democracy. Let us not exchange it for a type of agriculture which has failed in every place and every age in which it has been tried." In 1967, O'Rourke issued a critique of industrial agriculture, saying, "It neglects entirely the spiritual, social and cultural values of rural living. It means the uprooting of thousands of rural families...The spiritual, social and cultural values of the farm family and given priority in determining our agricultural priorities."