John Joseph Myers (July 26, 1941 – September 24, 2020) was an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Peoria The Diocese of Peoria ( la, Diœcesis Peoriensis, Peoria, Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States. The Diocese of Peoria is a suffragan diocese w ...

in Illinois between 1990 and 2001, ecclesiastical superior of Turks and Caicos from 2001 to 2016 and as archbishop of

Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and Catholic school, schools ...

in New Jersey during the same period.

Biography

Early life

John Myers was born on July 26, 1941, in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the eldest of seven children. The Myers family farmed land near Earlville. Myers became an altar server in his parish, St. Theresa, from an early age. He attended the Earlville schools and graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1963. While he was a student at Loras, Myers studied for the priesthood in Rome under Bishop John Franz.

Priesthood

Myers was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Francis Reh at St. Peter's Basilica in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for the Diocese of Peoria on December 17, 1966. He studied theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

while attending seminary at the North American College. He received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology, and a

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

degree. After his ordination, Myers served as assistant pastor at Holy Family Parish in Peoria one year. He then went to Washington, D.C. to serve in the Department of International Affairs of the

United States Catholic Conference The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

from 1970 to 1971. Returning to Illinois, Myers was appointed as associate pastor of St. Matthew Parish, in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

, from 1971 until 1974. Myers' positions with the diocese included: * Administrator of St. Mary Cathedral (1977–1978 and 1984) * Vice chancellor (1977–1978) * Vocations director (1977–1987) * Chancellor (1978–1987) *

Vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

(1982–1990) Myers was also a member of the presbyteral council (1968–1970 and 1984–1990) and the board of consultors (1978–1990).

Bishop of Peoria

On July 7, 1987, Pope Paul II appointed Myers as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of the Diocese of Peoria to assist Bishop Edward O'Rourke. Myers was consecrated on September 3, 1987, with O'Rourke as the principal consecrator. Archbishops Thomas Kelly and Donald Wuerl served as the co-consecrators. When the Holy See accepted O'Rourke's resignation as bishop on January 23, 1990, Myers automatically became bishop of Peoria. While bishop, Myers issued an order forbidding Catholic hospitals in the diocese from providing emergency contraception to rape victims, a restriction he later eased. He also fired a teacher at a Catholic high school for inviting a speaker to discuss the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

to the priesthood. During Myers' tenure the diocese saw a rapid increase in vocations to the priesthood, with many seminarians being drawn to his more conservative theology. In August 2013, the Diocese of Peoria settled a sexual abuse lawsuit for $1.35 million. The plaintiff, Andrew Ward, had accused Thomas Maloney, a diocese priest, of molesting him during the 1990's when he was eight years old. The lawsuit claimed that Myers, then bishop in Peoria, allowed Maloney to remain in ministry despite evidence of prior sexual abuse. Maloney was later accused of sexual abuse by three more victims.

Archbishop of Newark

On July 24, 2001, Pope Paul II appointed Myers as the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark and third superior of the Mission ''Sui Iuris'' of Turks and Caicos. He was installed October 9, 2001, and the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

was conferred on June 29, 2002. Though the customary form of spoken address for an archbishop is "

Your Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...

", Myers preferred to be addressed as " Your Grace", which is customary in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2001, Myers banned

eulogies A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

at funeral masses, saying that some of them were inappropriate and too long. After pushback from parishioners, he reversed himself. On April 1, 2004, Myers criticized a group of law students at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

for honoring Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

because she allegedly favored abortion. In 2002, the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' listed Myers among bishops and diocese administrators who had allowed priests accused of sexual abuse to continue working.Alt URL
/ref>

Settlements

In 2005 and 2007, the

Diocese of Metuchen The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen ( la, Dioecesis Metuchenis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen, New Jersey, Metuchen. It was established on November 19, 1981, from the territory of the Roman Cath ...

and the Archdiocese of Newark paid financial settlements to two priests who had accused Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of abuse. According to Cardinal Wuerl, no one from the Archdiocese of Newark informed him of these settlements, even though the retired McCarrick began living on the grounds of a seminary in the

Archdiocese of Washington The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, P ...

Fugee case

In 2001, Michael Fugee, an archdiocese priest at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Wyckoff, New Jersey, was accused of molesting a 14 year-old boy on multiple occasions in the 1990's. Fugee confessed to police in 2001 to fondling a teenage boy, but later recanted it, saying he had been pressured by investigators. He was charged, tried and convicted in 2003 of criminal sexual contact. However, Fugee's conviction was overturned in 2006 by an

appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

. To avoid a retrial, Fugee signed an agreement with the

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In September 2009, the archdiocese assigned Fugee as chaplain at

Saint Michael's Medical Center Saint Michael's Medical Center is a 358-bed hospital located at 111 Central Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. It was opened on May 13, 1867, by four members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor as Hospital of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. T ...

in Newark. However, after learning about Fugee's record, Saint Michael's demanded that the archdiocese remove him. The archdiocese later admitted that they never informed the hospital, only the head of the archdiocese chaplain's office. In 2013, Fugee was discovered working in youth ministry at St. Mary's Parish in

Colts Neck, New Jersey Colts Neck Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,957, down from the 10,142 counted in the 2010 census, i ...

, a parish in the Diocese of Trenton. Myers said he was unaware of Fugee's youth work and immediately suspended him. There were calls for Myers to resign, including from members of the New Jersey State Legislature, because of his handling of the Fugee case. In early 2014, the Bergen County prosecutors agreed to not press new charges against Fugee if the church

laicized In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the loss of clerical state (commonly referred to as laicization, dismissal, defrocking, and degradation) is the removal of a bishop, priest, or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy. The t ...

him. In May 2014, the Holy See removed Fugee from the priesthood.

Honors

On December 10, 2010, Myers received the honor of knight grand cross of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

by Prince Victor Emmanuel in recognition of his "exemplary leadership" as head of his archdiocese and as an "important church and religious leader in America".

Coadjutor archbishop

On September 24, 2013,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Bishop

Bernard Hebda Bernard Anthony Hebda (born September 3, 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as the twelfth ordinary of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis since March 24, 2016. Prior to his installation as the ...

coadjutor archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

of the archdiocese to assist Myers. However, on June 15, 2016, Francis named Hebda as the new archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. Hebda was not replaced with another coadjutor.

Activities

Myers was active in the

Canon Law Society of America The Canon Law Society of America or CLSA is a professional association dedicated to the promotion of both the study and the application of canon law in the Catholic Church. The Society's membership includes over fifteen hundred men and women who ...

, having worked with committees dealing with the revised Code of Canon Law, diocesan fiscal officers, lay ministry, and diocesan governance, and served as a member of the CLSA board of governors. He helped present workshops on the revised Code of Canon Law for members of the

National Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

. Myers also served as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts at the Holy See. He was also a member of the

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

; and served on the board of the Pontifical North American College and Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Myers' hobby was writing. He is the co-author with

Gary K. Wolf Gary K. Wolf (born January 24, 1941) is an American author. He is best known as the author of ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' (1981), which was adapted into the hit feature-length film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988). Early life and career W ...

of ''Space Vulture'', a 1950s -style pulp

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

pastiche novel published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

in 2008.

Retirement home controversy

In February 2014, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that Myers planned to retire to a "palace" being expanded to at his direction in

Pittstown, New Jersey Pittstown is an unincorporated community located at the intersection of the boundaries of Alexandria, Franklin and Union townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The area is named after William Pitt. The area is served as United States Postal ...

. The home was then assessed at $776,700. The improvements were estimated to cost at least $500,000 with architects' fees. Furnishings promised to add to the existing $500,000 bill. Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness defended the installation of a pool by saying "The press says it's a hot tub; it's a whirlpool...He's getting older — there are therapeutic issues." Myers' residence was the object for more when the diocese closed an elementary school that helped immigrant children for lack of funds. Dorothy Gawronski said, "It was a loved place, that school, but the church, I don't think it's rich anymore." NJ.com contrasted Myers' residence with the lifestyle of

, said to live frugally. Francis had previously urged bishops to avoid living "like princes", advocating a "poor church for the poor." Charles Zech, from the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

business school, said that Myers was ignoring Pope Francis and taking money out of the pockets of parishioners. A petition requesting that Myers sell the property garnered 17,000 signatures. In a 2016 interview, Myers said that "the cash used for the construction was eventually covered by a restricted donation intended for housing for church leadership. He said that in 2015 the archdiocese had sold another home used by a previous archbishop; the sale proceeds and the restricted donation, "more than paid for" the addition to his residence."Koloff, Abbott. "Newark archbishop moves to Illinois, controversial NJ retirement home to be sold", ''NorthJersey.com (USA Today), January 28, 2020''
/ref> After Myers moved to Illinois in January 2020, the archdiocese announced that it would sell Myers' residence.

Retirement

Pope Francis accepted Myers' resignation as archbishop of Newark and superior of the Turks and Caicos on November 7, 2016. Myers moved near his family in Illinois in January 2020, as his physical and mental health declined. He died on September 24, 2020.

Views

In May 2004, Myers published a pastoral letter saying that Catholic elected officials who supported abortion rights for women should not offer communion during mass. This letter prompted Democratic Governor

James E. McGreevey James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, a Catholic supporter of abortion rights, to state that he would no longer seek communion at mass. Myers then issued a statement saying that his letter was not aimed at McGreevey. On April 30, 2010, Myers expressed concern about a planned offering of a course on

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, saying it "troubles me greatly".Cardinal Newman Society: "Archbishop of Newark Criticizes Same-Sex 'Marriage' Course at Seton Hall"
April 30, 2010

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, John J. 1941 births 2020 deaths People from Earlville, Illinois Loras College alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Newark Roman Catholic bishops of Peoria Catholic University of America trustees People from Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey People from Peoria, Illinois Catholic Church in the Turks and Caicos Islands 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States