His Eminence James Francis Stafford |
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Major Penitentiary Emeritus of the Apostolic Penitentiary | |
See | Denver (emeritus) |
Installed | October 4, 2003 |
Term ended | June 2, 2009 |
Predecessor | Luigi de Magistris |
Successor | Fortunato Baldelli |
Other posts | Cardinal Priest of San Pietro in Montorio |
Orders | |
Ordination | December 15, 1957 by Martin John O'Connor |
Consecration | February 29, 1976 by William Donald Borders |
Created Cardinal | February 21, 1998 by Pope John Paul II |
Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
Personal details | |
Born |
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
July 26, 1932
Denomination | Catholic (Roman Rite) |
Previous post |
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Motto | IN PRINCIPIUM ERAT VERBUM In the beginning was the word |
Coat of arms |
Styles of James Stafford |
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Reference style | His Eminence |
Spoken style | Your Eminence |
Informal style | Cardinal |
James Francis Stafford (born July 26, 1932) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary from 2003 to 2009. He previously served as President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (1996–2003), Archbishop of Denver (1986–1996), Bishop of Memphis (1982–1986), and Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore (1976–1982). He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
James Stafford was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the only child of Francis Emmett and Mary Dorothy (née Stanton) Stafford. His father was the owner of a furniture store, which had been opened by his grandfather (an Irish immigrant) in 1902. He was raised in Catonsville, and graduated from Loyola High School in 1950. He then entered Loyola College in Baltimore with the intent of pursuing a career in medicine. However, in 1952, the death of a close friend in a car crash caused him to rethink his future and to enter St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore.
Stafford attended St. Mary's Seminary for two years before being sent by Archbishop Francis Keough to continue his studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University. He earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Gregorian in 1958.