Religion / Civil rights & activism
John Dearden
1907–1988 · Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Detroit
Archbishop of Detroit for 21 years who brought the Second Vatican Council's reforms home and pressed the church to confront racial injustice.
- Born
Valley Falls, Rhode Island- Died
Southfield, Michigan
aged 80- Birth name
- John Francis Dearden
- Also known as
- Cardinal Dearden · Iron John
- Detroit years
- 1959–1988
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Dearden came to Detroit from Pittsburgh, where his strict style had earned him the nickname 'Iron John'. Appointed archbishop in December 1958, he became a leading reformer at the Second Vatican Council and then put its changes into practice in Detroit. He backed fair employment and better race relations, launched Project Equality with St. Louis's Cardinal Ritter in 1965, and told fellow Catholics in 1967 that the city's racial divide ran through their own parishes, which put him at odds with some white congregations. He was the first president of the U.S. bishops' national conference (1966–1971), was made a cardinal in 1969, and ordained the country's first permanent deacons in 1971. After a state ban on aid to private schools he closed dozens of struggling parish schools. In 1976 he hosted the national Call to Action conference in Detroit's convention center. He retired in 1980 and was buried at Holy Sepulchre in Southfield.
Highlights
- Archbishop of Detroit, 1958–1980
- First president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1966–1971
- Created a cardinal in 1969
- Co-launched Project Equality for fair hiring in 1965
- Hosted the national Call to Action conference in Detroit, 1976
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 3
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1959–1980
Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament
The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Detroit during his 21 years as archbishop.
Related place · 1976
Cobo Arena
Detroit's riverfront convention center, where the 1976 Call to Action conference he led gathered 1,340 delegates.
Buried here · 1988
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
The Catholic cemetery in Southfield where he is buried.