American activist (1916–2002)
George Gilmary Higgins (January 21, 1916 – May 1, 2002) was an American labor activist andCatholic clergyman known as the "labor priest". He was a major force in the Catholic Church's support forCesar Chavez and hisunion movement .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
Higgins was a native ofChicago ,Illinois , where he attendedArchbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and theUniversity of St. Mary of the Lake , where he studied under the visionary rectorReynold Henry Hillenbrand .
In 1957Jimmy Hoffa associateBarney Baker approached Higgins in an attempt to get him to appear at Hoffa's trial for bribery as a performative gesture to the jury. Higgins recalls that Baker requested "that I come give 'James' some 'spiritual guidance' during a recess. When I told him Hoffa was welcome to come to my office, Barney insisted that he needed the spiritual guidance in the courtroom".[ 4]
Higgins taught at theCatholic University of America , served as chairman of the public review board of theUnited Auto Workers and chairman of the board of theUnited Farmworkers ' Martin Luther King Jr. Fund.
He was the author of the syndicated column "The Yardstick" and was the author of numerous other writings on workerjustice in light ofCatholic social teaching .
PresidentBill Clinton presented Higgins with theMedal of Freedom in August 2000 in recognition of his role as a vocal supporter of thelabor movement and an advocate forsocial justice . Higgins was the 2000 recipient of thePacem in Terris Award . It was named after a 1963encyclical letter byPope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations.Pacem in terris Latin for 'Peace on Earth'. In 2001, he was awarded theLaetare Medal by theUniversity of Notre Dame , the oldest and most prestigious award forAmerican Catholics .[ 5]
He died inLa Grange , Illinois, on May 1, 2002.
The George Gilmary Higgins papers are housed at the American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.[ 6]
Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Bishops Coadjutor bishop Archbishops
Churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago
Cathedral Basilicas Churches List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Chicago Holy Cross Church Holy Family Church Holy Innocents Church Holy Trinity Church Church of the Immaculate Conception Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Nativity of Our Lord Church Notre Dame de Chicago Old St. Patrick's Church Sacred Heart Church St. Barbara Church St. Clement Church St. Edward's Church St. Hedwig's Church St. Ita's Church St. John Cantius Church St. Josaphat Church St. Joseph Church St. Jerome Croatian Church St. Ladislaus Church St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church St. Mary of the Angels Church St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church St. Michael's Church, Old Town St. Michael the Archangel Church, South Shore St. Stanislaus Kostka Church St. Thomas the Apostle Church St. Vincent de Paul Church Church of St. Vitus St. Wenceslaus Church Cook County Holy Family Church, North Chicago St. Anne Church, Barrington St. Mary of Częstochowa Church, Cicero Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Glenview SS. Cyril and Methodius Church, Lemont St. James Church, Lemont St. Martha Church, Morton Grove St. John Brebeuf Church, Niles St. Joseph Church, Wilmette Chapels
Education in the Archdiocese of Chicago
Higher education Seminaries High schools Chicago Brother Rice High School Christ the King Jesuit College Prep High School Cristo Rey Jesuit High School De La Salle Institute DePaul College Prep Hales Franciscan High School Holy Trinity High School Josephinum Academy Leo Catholic High School Marist High School Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Mount Carmel High School Notre Dame High School for Girls Our Lady of Tepeyac High School Resurrection High School St. Benedict High School St. Francis de Sales High School St. Ignatius College Preparatory School St. Patrick High School St. Rita of Cascia High School Cook County St. Viator High School, Arlington Heights St. Laurence High School, Burbank Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park Mount Assisi Academy, Lemont Notre Dame College Prep, Niles Fenwick High School, Oak Park Trinity High School, River Forest Guerin College Preparatory High School, River Grove Seton Academy, South Holland St. Joseph High School, Westchester Loyola Academy, Wilmette Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette Lake County Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest Carmel High School, Mundelein Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep, Waukegan Former
Clergy of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Auxiliary bishops Priests who became Priests
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
International National Other
