John L. May

His Excellency John Lawrence May
Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis
See	St. Louis
Appointed	January 24, 1980
Installed	March 25, 1980
Term ended	December 9, 1992
Predecessor	John Carberry
Successor	Justin Francis Rigali
Orders
Ordination	May 3, 1947 bySamuel Stritch
Consecration	August 24, 1967 byJohn Cody
Personal details
Born	(1922-03-31)March 31, 1922 Evanston,Illinois
Died	March 24, 1994(1994-03-24)(aged 71) St. Louis,Missouri
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Mobile(1969–1980) Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago(1967–1969)

John Lawrence May(March 31, 1922 – March 24, 1994) was anAmericanclergyman of theRoman Catholic Church.He served asBishop of Mobile(1969–1980) andArchbishop of St. Louis(1980–1992).

Early life and education

John May was born inEvanston,Illinois,to Peter Michael and Catherine (née Allare) May.He received his early education at the parochial school ofSt. Nicholas Churchin his native city, and attendedArchbishop Quigley Preparatory SeminaryinChicago,from where he graduated in 1940.His theological studies were made atSt. Mary of Lake SeminaryinMundelein.where he earned aLicentiate of Sacred Theology.May was ofLuxembourgianancestry.

Priesthood

On May 3, 1947, May wasordainedto thepriesthoodby CardinalSamuel Stritch.His first assignment was as acurateatSt. Gregory Churchin Chicago, where he remained until he becamechaplainofMercy Hospitalin 1956.From 1959 to 1967 he served as vice-president and general secretary of theCatholic Church Extension Society,becoming president in 1967.He also taught atSt. Gregory the Great High SchoolandLoyola University,and served on the archdiocesan marriage tribunal.

Episcopacy

Chicago

On June 16, 1967, May was appointedAuxiliary Bishopof Chicago andTitular BishopofTagarbalabyPope Paul VI.He received hisepiscopalconsecrationon the following August 24 from CardinalJohn Cody,with BishopsCletus F. O'DonnellandAloysius John Wycisloserving asco-consecrators,atHoly Name Cathedral.In addition to his episcopal duties, he served aspastorofChrist the King Churchin Chicago.

Mobile

Following the resignation of BishopThomas Joseph Toolen,May was appointed the seventhBishop of Mobile,Alabama,on September 29, 1969.His installation took place on the following December 10 at theCathedral of the Immaculate Conception.During his 10-year-long tenure in Mobile, he established eight parishes and two deaneries, dedicated twelve churches, founded two schools, and erected a convent.He also dedicated several other institutions, including parish centers, elderly homes, and a new wing andintensive-care unitatProvidence Hospital.

May continued to implement the liturgical reforms of theSecond Vatican Council,authorizing the laity to distributeCommunion,the reception of Communion in the hand, and a new rite for theSacrament of Penance.He founded an Office of Youth Ministry, DiocesanPastoral Council,and Diocesan Board of Catholic Education. He also established a retirement program for all lay church employees, a new health insurance program, a marriage preparation program, andanti-abortionprograms. In 1977, he imposed a term limit of six years for parish priests in the diocese.He ordained the diocese's first class ofpermanent deaconsin 1979.

St. Louis

On January 24, 1980, May was appointed the sixthArchbishop of St. Louis,Missouri,byPope John Paul II.He was installed at theCathedral Basilica of St. Louison March 25, 1980.During his 12-year-long tenure, he proved to be very committed toecumenismand racial harmony. He encouraged an active dialogue between Christians of all denominations, and ordainedJ. Terry Steibas St. Louis' firstAfrican Americanauxiliary bishop.He also appointed the archdiocese's first chief financial officer and the first woman to serve assuperintendentof Catholic schools.As he had done in Mobile, he started a self-insurance program in the archdiocese and improved the retirement program for lay employees.

An advocate for the poor and homeless, he greatly expanded the programs ofCatholic Charities,and initiated a pro-life program designed to directly assist women with crisis pregnancies.He served as President of theNational Conference of Catholic Bishopsfrom 1986 to 1989; in this position, he served as spokesman for the Catholic Church in the United States. Due to a decline in the number of seminarians, May was forced to consolidate the archdiocesan seminary system. In 1987, he merged Cardinal Glennon College and Kenrick Seminary to formKenrick-Glennon Seminary.In 1990, with Sister Mary Ann Eckhoff and St. Louis businessmanRobert A. Brooks,he co-founded the Archdiocese's "Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation".

Later life and death

In July 1992, May was diagnosed withbrain cancer.For this reason, he resigned as Archbishop on December 9 of that year.He died over a year later at a St. Louis nursing home, aged 71.He was buried in theCathedral Basilica of St. Louis.