Abstract
This is a contribution to the Liturgical Press’s series of brief biographies of Catholics who have led remarkable, even heroic, lives. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin certainly belongs on that list. When consecrated as auxiliary bishop of Atlanta in 1966, he was 38 years old, the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States. He had already served as vicar general of the Charleston diocese. Subsequent roles included serving as general secretary of the NCCB/USCC (1968–72), as archbishop of Cincinnati (1972–82), as president of the NCCB/USCC (1974–77), and as archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death in 1996. The years of his ministry coincide with the integration of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council into the life of the American church.
Despite the brevity of the presentation, M. does an excellent job of developing some of the significant challenges and changes in Bernardin’s life. For example, it was as archbishop of Cincinnati that Bernardin transitioned from experienced bureaucrat to genuine pastor. Further, his leadership of the NCCB/USCC gave him a national voice, exercised in countless speeches across the country. In these presentations and writings he gradually articulated his commitment to a consistent ethic of life, from conception to natural death. The years of his ministry also included the tragic disclosure of widespread clerical abuse of minors. Bernardin himself was accused by a troubled young man who recanted within a few months.
Bernardin’s gift for reconciling divergent viewpoints led to the formation of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative (a project in which I was privileged to share). Sadly, the Initiative itself provoked criticism among fellow bishops and those who saw no reason to reconcile deeply held positions. During his final years, before pancreatic cancer took his life, Bernardin’s deep prayer life supported his personal suffering and helped him reach out to fellow sufferers. Reading this brief introduction to the life of an extraordinary twentieth-century church leader will leave readers hoping for another, more fully developed biography.