James
Cardinal Hickey
October 11, 1920-October 24, 2004
A priest for 58 years James Cardinal Hickey served as
Auxiliary Bishop of Saginaw (Michigan), rector of the Pontifical
North American College in Rome and Bishop of Cleveland
before Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Washington.
During his two decades in Washington, Cardinal Hickey oversaw
a significant expansion of social services, a renewal of
Catholic elementary schools in the District of Columbia
and the establishment of 16 new parishes and missions as
well as two schools. He retired as Archbishop of Washington in November 2000 and died on October 24, 2004.
Early Years
James A. Hickey was born in Midland, Michigan on October 11, 1920 to James
P. and Agnes Hickey. He entered the seminary at age 13, studying at St. Joseph’s
Seminary and Sacred Heart Seminary College in Detroit. While still in the
seminary, he was assigned to provide pastoral care to migrant workers, starting
a lifetime of commitment to better the plight of immigrants. After receiving
his license in theology from The Catholic University of America, James Hickey,
then 25, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Saginaw on June 15, 1946.
Rome
He served briefly as an associate pastor at St. Joseph in Saginaw before earning
a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in 1950 and
a doctorate in moral theology at the Pontifical Angelicum University in 1951.
Both universities are in Rome, Italy.
Father Hickey then became priest-secretary to Bishop Stephen
S. Woznicki and rector of St. Paul Seminary in Saginaw.
He attended the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and
1965 in the role of theological expert. In 1967, Pope Paul
VI named him Auxiliary Bishop of Saginaw. In 1969, Bishop
Hickey, who had a lifelong interest in vocations, became
rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome,
Italy, where he oversaw the formation of seminarians from
80 U.S. dioceses.
Cleveland and El Salvador
In 1974, Bishop Hickey was named the Bishop of Cleveland, with pastoral care
for nearly one million Catholics. He chose the motto, "Veritatem in
caritate," or "truth in charity" for his coat of arms, a phrase
that would well describe how he served the Catholic Church and broader community.
In Cleveland, he became a leading advocate of racial unity in that city and
became active in justice issues involving El Salvador. Just before Pope John
Paul II named him Archbishop of Washington in 1980, he traveled to El Salvador
to attend the funeral of the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero. Later that
year, two lay women whom Bishop Hickey had commissioned to serve as missionaries
in El Salvador were murdered. He kept their photographs on the wall of his
private chapel for the rest of his life, and called for an end to military
aid to that nation.
Archdiocese of Washington: 1980-2000
James Hickey was installed as Archbishop on August 5, 1980 at the Cathedral
of St. Matthew. Eight years later, on June 28, 1988, Pope John Paul II elevated
him to the College of Cardinals.
During his two decades as archbishop, Catholic Charities
of the Archdiocese of Washington became the region’s
largest private social service agency, serving 80,000 people
each year, while the Spanish Catholic Center provided social
services and legal and medical assistance to 36,000 people
annually by the time the Cardinal stepped down. Programs
started under his leadership included the Archdiocesan
Health Care Network and Archdiocesan Legal Network, which
provide millions of dollars in pro bono care for the region’s
low income residents; Birthing and Care, which provides
pre-natal, delivery and post-natal medical care and other
support to women in financial need; and Faith in the City,
an initiative to revitalize inner-city Catholic elementary
schools through new resources and partnerships with the
business community.
To serve the region’s growing elderly population,
Victory Housing, a non-profit agency that develops assisted
and independent living for senior citizens and affordable
family housing, was started. With Mother Teresa, he dedicated
the Gift of Peace Convent, where the Missionaries of Charity
care for the homeless and terminally ill, including those
with AIDS, as well as two other programs with the Missionaries
of Charity. In 2001, Cardinal Hickey’s special love
for those in need was recognized when Catholic Charities’ named
its new downtown headquarters, at 924 G Street, NW, the
James Cardinal Hickey Center.
Under his leadership, adult religious education and faith
formation flourished; thousands of parishioners participated
in classes and faith-sharing groups. Cardinal Hickey published
pastoral letters on nuclear weapons (1982), the sacrament
of penance (1984), the Eucharist (1984), substance abuse
(1989), evangelization in the schools (1993), young Catholics
(1993), care of the sick and dying (1993, with the other
bishops of Maryland) and on the Catechism of the Catholic
Church (1994), as well as a major document on combating
racism (1991). Over 30,000 total people participated in
an Archdiocesan Convocation (1998) and an October 2000
Eucharistic Congress to mark the Jubilee of Christ’s
birth. The Cardinal also played an integral role in establishing
the Council for Major Superiors of Women Religious. He
received the Pope Pius XI Award (1993) and Karski Award
(2000) from the Anti-Defamation League for his efforts
to strengthen relationships between Catholics and Jews,
and the Gaudium et Spes award, the highest honor given
by the Knights of Columbus.
He established 12 parishes, four pastoral missions and
two schools, including the Cardinal Hickey Academy in Dunkirk,
as part of the Archdiocese’s largest building boom
since the post-World War II era. At the time of his retirement,
the Archdiocese of Washington had become a diverse community,
with Mass offered in 25 languages, and 140 parishes and
106 schools serving more than 510,000 Catholics in the
District of Columbia and Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert,
Charles and St. Mary's Counties.
Roles with the Vatican and Bishops’ Conference
In addition to his local responsibilities, Cardinal Hickey served on a number
of Vatican Congregations and Councils, including the Congregation for the
Causes of the Saints, Congregation for the Clergy, Congregation for Institutes
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Congregation for Catholic
Education and the Pontifical Council for the Family
He traveled to Central America to discuss human rights
and policy, and testified before Congress on these issues.
He served as chairman of committees of the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops (now the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops), including Chairman of Priestly Formation
(1968-1969), Chairman of Pastoral Research and Practices
(1974-1977), Chairman of the Committee for Doctrine (1979-81),
Chairman of the Committee on Human Values (1984-1987) and
Chairman of the Committee on the North American College
(1989-1991; 1994-1997).
How He will be Remembered
When asked 15 years ago by a Washington Post reporter how he would like to
be remembered, Cardinal Hickey told her, "First, I’d like them
to say he was always loyal to his church. Second, that he was a friend to
Catholic education. And third, if they don’t want to say the first
two, at least I would hope they would chisel on the stone, ‘He served
the poor.’"
James Cardinal Hickey will be remembered
for all of this and more.
Read about
Cardinal Hickey's Coat of Arms
Photo Gallery
Statement of
Cardinal McCarrick
