Cardinal John F. O’Hara (1888-1960)

Born in Michigan, John Francis O’Hara grew up in Indiana. In 1905, his father was appointed American Consul at Uruguay, where he spent the next three years. O’Hara’s time in Latin America provided him with a strong command of the Spanish language and a great understanding of Latin American culture. He then studied at the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated from in 1912. He then joined the Holy Cross Fathers and was ordained in 1916. For the next eighteen he was a teacher and administrator until he was named President of Notre Dame. Under his tenure the first graduate programs were started. In 1939, Father O’Hara was named an auxiliary bishop for what is now the military ordinariate. During World War II he made numerous trips to military bases throughout the United States serving the spiritual needs of troops. After the war, he was named Bishop of Buffalo. In 1951, he became Archbishop of Philadelphia and a cardinal in 1958. While serving each diocese, Cardinal O’Hara left a legacy of Catholic education, establishing in each a system of Catholic elementary and high schools; he was outspoken about the need for Catholic schools to serve America’s young Catholics and to spur the development of Catholic life in America.
(From the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture)