John Joseph McCort

John Joseph McCort (February 16, 1860 – April 21, 1936) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as in Pennsylvania from 1920 until his death in 1936.

Biography Early life and education John McCort was born on February 16, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James and Sarah (née McCrystal) McCort, who were natives of Ireland. His father died during the American Civil War, having enlisted in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment of the Union Army. McCort received his early education under the Christian Brothers at the parochial school of St. Michael's Parish; that school later became La Salle College High School. A few months shy of the canonical age of 24, McCort was granted a special dispensation from the Vatican to be ordained due to health issues. Following his ordination, the archdiocese assigned McCort to the faculty of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he taught Latin, rhetoric, mathematics, Catholic history, and liturgy for the next 16 years. In June 1899, he was appointed to succeed John W. Shanahan as pastor of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in the Mill Creek neighborhood of West Philadelphia. However, Prendergast wrote to the Holy See with McCort's consent, asking that the appointment be rescinded, so that McCort could continue to assist the ailing Prendergast in Philadelphia. Benedict XV accepted Prendergast's request in November 1916.

Following Prendergast's death in February 1918, there was considerable public support in Philadelphia for McCort's appointment as archbishop. However, the appointment ultimately went to Dennis Joseph Dougherty, the Bishop of Buffalo and McCort's former student at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. McCort had a strained relationship with Dougherty, especially after McCort resigned from several diocesan positions following Dougherty's appointment.

Bishop of Altoona

On January 27, 1920, McCort was appointed coadjutor bishop with the right of succession to Bishop Eugene A. Garvey of Altoona. By the time of his death in 1936, there were 197 priests, 129 churches, 111 parishes, 50 parochial schools, and a Catholic population that had fallen to 100,634 during the Great Depression. In 1922, McCort established Altoona Catholic High School (now Bishop Guilfoyle High School) and Johnstown Catholic High School in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

On the occasion of his golden jubilee as a priest in October 1933, McCort was named an assistant to the papal throne by Pope Pius XI.

Death and legacy In February 1936, McCort was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Johnstown after receiving injuries from a fall during a visit to Philadelphia. His health began to fail and he was in a coma for several days before his death in Johnstown on April 21, 1936.

Johnstown Catholic High School is now Bishop McCort Catholic Academy.