John Baptist Morris

John Baptist Morris (June 29, 1866 – October 22, 1946) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as coadjutor bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas from 1908 until his death in 1946.

Biography

Early life John Morris was born on June 29, 1866, in Hendersonville, Tennessee, to John and Anne (née Morrissey) Morris, both Irish immigrants. After graduating from St. Mary's College in Lebanon, Kentucky, he began his studies for the priesthood in 1887 at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Following his return to Tennessee, Morris was named rector of St. Mary's Cathedral in Nashville and private secretary to Bishop Thomas Byrne. He was raised to the rank of a domestic prelate in 1905. That same year, he started the diocesan newspaper, The Southern Guardian. Despite the financial hardships of the Great Depression during the 1930s, Morris raised $20,000 to purchase an organ for the St. Andrew's Cathedral. He publicly condemned anti-Semitism following the Kristallnacht attacks in Germany in 1938.

Death and legacy Morris died at the rectory of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Little Rock on October 22, 1946, at age 80. He is buried in the crypt under the cathedral. During his tenure, Morris increased the number of priests from 60 to 154, and the number of schools from 29 to 80; by 1940, the diocese contained over 33,000 Catholics and 125 churches.