John Joseph Mitty | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of San Francisco Titular Archbishop of Aegina | |
 Archbishop Mitty in 1948 | |
| See | Archdiocese of San Francisco |
| Installed | March 2, 1935 |
| Term ended | October 15, 1961 |
| Predecessor | Edward Joseph Hanna |
| Successor | Joseph Thomas McGucken |
| Previous posts | Bishop of Salt Lake (1926–1932) Coadjutor Archbishop of San Francisco (1932–1935) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 22, 1906 by John Murphy Farley |
| Consecration | September 8, 1926 by Patrick Joseph Hayes,John Joseph Dunn andDaniel Joseph Curley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1884-01-20)January 20, 1884 |
| Died | October 15, 1961(1961-10-15) (aged 77) Menlo Park,California, US |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Motto | Mihi vivere Christus est (For me to live is Christ) |
Ordination history of John Joseph Mitty | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Styles of John Joseph Mitty | |
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| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
John Joseph Mitty (January 20, 1884 – October 15, 1961) was an Americanprelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He served as the thirdbishop of Salt Lake in Utah (1926–1932) and the fourtharchbishop of San Francisco in California (1935–1961).
John Mitty was born on January 20, 1884, in theGreenwich Village section ofNew York City, the son of John and Mary (née Murphy) Mitty.[1] He received his early education at theparochial school ofSt. Joseph's Parish in New York.[1] In 1896, he enrolled atDe La Salle Institute in New York City.[2] He wasorphaned at age fourteen.[3]
Mitty attendedManhattan College in New York City, where he earned aBachelor of Arts degree in 1901.[4] He then began his studies for the priesthood atSt. Joseph's Seminary inYonkers, New York.[2]
On December 22, 1906, Mitty wasordained a priest at St. Joseph's for theArchdiocese of New York by ArchbishopJohn Farley.[5] He continued his studies at theCatholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned aBachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1907.[1] The following year he received adoctorate in theology from theMajor Pontifical Seminary inRome.[1]
Following his return to New York City in 1909, the archdiocese briefly assigned Mitty as acurate at St. Veronica Parish in theWest Village of Manhattan.[1] From 1909 to 1917, he was a professor ofdogmatic theology at St. Joseph's Seminary.[4] One of Mitty's students at St. Joseph's was future CardinalJames McIntyre. After the entry of the United States intoWorld War I in 1917, Mitty served as a chaplain in theU.S. Army, serving with the American Expeditionary Forces,49th Infantry Division, and101st Airborne Division in France.[3] He was attached to two New York regiments that participated in the 1918Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France.[4]
After the end of the war, Mitty was discharged from military service in 1919. The archdiocese then assigned him aspastor of Sacred Heart Parish inHighland Falls, New York.[2] In addition to his pastoral duties, he served as a Catholic chaplain at theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point from 1919 to 1922.[1] In 1922, ArchbishopPatrick Hayes named Mitty pastor of St. Luke Parish in theBronx.[2]
On June 21, 1926, Mitty was appointed the third bishop of Salt Lake byPope Pius XI.[5] He received hisepiscopalconsecration on September 6, 1926. from Cardinal Patrick Hayes, with BishopsJohn Dunn andDaniel Curley serving asco-consecrators, atSt. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.[5]
Mitty inherited a diocese deeply in debt. His predecessor had resorted to taking out new loans to pay the interest on previous debt, and left the diocese owing over $300,000. Mitty took control of the finances, focusing on improving the weeklyoffertory collection. When he left in 1932, the diocese was beginning to pay off its debts, and his successor was able to finish paying them off in 1936.
On January 29, 1932 Pius XI appointed Mitty as titular archbishop ofAegina and coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco to assist ArchbishopEdward Hanna.[5] When Hanna retired on March 2, 1935, Mitty automatically succeeded as archbishop. He was installed as archbishop and presented thepallium, the symbol of ametropolitan bishop, at apontifical high mass at theCathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco in September 1935.[6] During his time as archbishop, Mitty resided at theArchbishop's Mansion in San Francisco.[7]
Mitty worked to rebuild or establish Catholic institutions in the archdiocese. His first act as archbishop was to direct his installation gift from the clergy to restoringSaint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California.[6] He repurchased the foreclosedSt. Mary's College of California inMoraga in 1937, and reopened the college in 1938.[8] In the 26 years of his episcopate, 84 parishes and missions were founded in the archdiocese, and over 500 building projects were completed.[9]
Mitty caused controversy when he called for aboycott of theSan Francisco News for reporting that a priest had pleaded guilty fordrunk driving, calling the coverageanti-Catholic.[10] He joined with several other American prelates n criticizing the 1945Moscow Declarations, doubting that theSoviet Union would keep its promises..[11]
In 1951, Mitty approved the establishment of the Western Association of theSovereign Military Order of Malta in San Francisco for the Western United States. He presided at the first investiture ceremony of the association in 1953.[12]
John Mitty died of aheart attack atSaint Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park on October 15, 1961.[9] He is buried in the Archbishops' Crypt atHoly Cross Cemetery in Colma, California.Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California, is named for him.[13]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Salt Lake 1926–1932 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of San Francisco 1935–1961 | Succeeded by |
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