“B” is for Bernardin, Joseph Louis (1928-1996). Catholic cardinal. Born in Columbia to Italian immigrant parents, Bernardin attended St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, and the Catholic University of America. Ordained in 1952, he served in the Diocese of Charleston until 1966 when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta. In 1968 he was elected the general secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 1982 he was named Archbishop of Cincinnati and four years later, Archbishop of Chicago—the country’s largest diocese. In 1983 Pope John Paul II elevated Bernardin to the College of Cardinals. He became a nationally respected spokesperson for American Catholicism. He worked to promote mutual respect and friendship with non-Catholics. Even as he achieved international status, Joseph Louis Bernardin remained attentive to the church and his many friends in South Carolina.
“B” is for Bernardin, Joseph Louis (1928-1996)
