Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel (1876-1964)

Born in Germany, his family emigrated to New York when he was six. In 1902, he was ordained in Rome for the Archdiocese of New York. After working in several New York parishes, in 1928 he was consecrated Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska. Seven years later he was named Archbishop of New Orleans, a post he held for 29 years. Perhaps his greatest contribution was in the fight against segregation. In 1953, he issued a pastoral letter calling for the desegregation of all parish activities and organizations. In 1956 he issued another pastoral letter calling racism a sin. In 1962, he ordered all Catholic schools desegregated. In his 1953 pastoral letter he wrote:

Ever mindful, therefore, of the basic truth that our Colored Catholic brethren share with us the same spiritual life and destiny, the same membership in the Mystical Body of Christ, the same dependence upon the Word of God, the participation in the Sacraments, especially the Most Holy Eucharist, the same need of moral and social encouragement, let there be no further discrimination or segregation in the pews, at the Communion rail, at the confessional and in parish meetings, just as there will be no segregation in the kingdom of heaven.
(Adapted from Wikipedia)