John J. Glennon

John Joseph Glennon (June 14, 1862 – March 9, 1946) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1903 until his death in 1946. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946.

Early life and ministry John Glennon was born in Kinnegad, County Westmeath, Ireland, to Matthew and Catherine (née Rafferty) Glennon. After graduating from St. Finian's College, he entered All Hallows College near Dublin in 1878. He accepted an invitation from Bishop John Joseph Hogan in 1882 to join the newly erected Diocese of Kansas City in the United States. Glennon, after arriving in Missouri in 1883, was ordained to the priesthood by Hogan for the Diocese of Kansas City in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 20, 1884.

Cardinalate and death

College of Cardinals On December 24, 1945, the Vatican announced that it was elevating the 83-year-old Glennon to the College of Cardinals. However, he decided to fly to Europe rather than go by ship, joining fellow Cardinals-elect Francis Spellman and Thomas Tien Ken-sin. The only diocesan hospital for children, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, affiliated with St. Louis University Medical Center, was created in his name.

Viewpoints

Divorce Glennon was an outspoken opponent of legalized divorce, saying, "The modern attitude makes a joke of the sacrament of matrimony."

Politics and war On July 7, 1904, Glennon offered the invocation at the opening of the second session of the 1904 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis He opposed British rule in Ireland, and supported the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941, Glennon declared,"We are not a military nation, but we are at war.... Churches have a duty in time of war not to promote hatred, racial or otherwise. Churches should give their moral aid and their physical support to the nation."

Socializing Glennon in 1936 prohibited dancing and alcohol consumption at church-sponsored events.

Women's rights Glennon was an opponent of women's suffrage and coeducational colleges and universities. Glennon once complained about women competing with men in the workforce, saying, "Some of the women go downtown in the race and race beside the men...It is regrettable that men have to let them, are compelled to let them."