Robert John Armstrong

Robert John Armstrong (November 17, 1884 – January 14, 1957) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in California from 1929 until his death in 1957.

Biography

Early life Robert Armstrong was born on November 17, 1884, in San Francisco, California. His family later moved to Washington State. He studied at Gonzaga University in Seattle, graduating in 1904. He then attended the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Montréal, Quebec.

Priesthood Armstrong was ordained a priest in Montréal by Bishop Paul Bruchési for the Diocese of Seattle on December 10, 1910. He served as a curate in Spokane and was pastor of St. Paul's Parish in Yakima, Washington from 1914 to 1929.

Armstrong would later be transferred to the Diocese of Spokane where he eventually became the assistant pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral Parish . He was "inducted into the order" of the Knights of Columbus and became a chaplain of the order. He was consecrated a bishop at Saint James Cathedral in Seattle on March 12, 1929, by Bishop Edward O'Dea. The co-consecrators were Bishops Mathias Lenihan and Joseph McGrath. In August 1932, Armstrong gave a short address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento.

In January 1935, Armstrong gave the benediction at the inauguration of California Governor Frank Merriam. In December 1936, Armstrong travelled to Sacred Heart Parish in Gridley, California to establish a men's Holy Name Society. The bishop preached that its purpose was for "each man to labor for the glory of God's name." He postulated that religion "cannot enter our public schools and pupils think it of little importance when it cannot be taught as other subjects." He became involved in government and legislative issues that affected Catholics. He institutionalized social work within the see and upgraded its Catholic school system. By 1957 there were 209,281 Catholics in the diocese, a 255% increase from 1940. She was a member of the St. Aloysius altar society. Robert Armstrong died in Sacramento in January 1957.