His Eminence Francis Joseph Spellman |
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Cardinal, Archbishop of New York | |
Francis Spellman in 1946
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See | New York |
Appointed | April 15, 1939 |
Installed | May 23, 1939 |
Term ended | December 2, 1967 |
Predecessor | Patrick Joseph Hayes |
Successor | Terence Cooke |
Other posts |
Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo Apostolic Vicar for the United States Armed Forces |
Orders | |
Ordination | May 14, 1916 by Giuseppe Ceppetelli |
Consecration | September 8, 1932 by Eugenio Pacelli |
Created Cardinal | February 18, 1946 by Pius XII |
Rank | Cardinal Priest |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Francis Joseph Spellman |
Born |
Whitman, Massachusetts, United States |
May 4, 1889
Died | December 2, 1967 Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
(aged 78)
Buried | St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York |
Nationality | American |
Parents | William Spellman & Ellen Conway |
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Alma mater |
Fordham University & North American College |
Motto | Sequere Deum (Follow God) |
Coat of arms |
Ordination history of Francis Spellman |
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History | |
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Episcopal consecration
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Consecrated by | Eugenio Pacelli |
Date of consecration | September 8, 1932 |
Styles of Francis Spellman |
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Reference style | His Eminence |
Spoken style | Your Eminence |
Informal style | Cardinal |
See | New York |
Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1932 thru 1939. He was named a cardinal in 1946.
Francis Spellman was born in Whitman, Massachusetts, to William Spellman (1858–1957) and Ellen (née Conway) Spellman. His father was a grocer whose own parents had immigrated to the United States from Clonmel and Leighlinbridge in Ireland. The eldest of five children, Francis had two brothers, Martin and John, and two sisters, Marian and Helene. As a child, he served as an altar boy at Holy Ghost Church.
Spellman attended Whitman High School (now Whitman-Hanson Regional High School) because there was no local Catholic school. He enjoyed photography and baseball; he was a first baseman during his first year of high school until a hand injury forced him to stop playing, and later managed the team. Following his high school graduation, Spellman entered Fordham University in New York City in 1907. He graduated in 1911 and decided to study for the priesthood. He was then sent by Archbishop William Henry O'Connell to study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
During his years in Rome, Spellman befriended such figures as Gaetano Bisleti, Francesco Borgongini Duca and Domenico Tardini. He suffered from pneumonia, however, leaving his state of health so poor that the seminary administration wanted to send him home. He nevertheless remained and managed to complete his theological studies.