Cardinal John Krol

John Joseph Krol was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 26, 1910, to Polish immigrant parents. By the time he was 18, John Krol was manager of the meat department of a large chain store. However, when a Lutheran co-worker asked him some challenging questions about his faith, John began to turn his attention to matters of religious faith, which is when he first felt called by God to the priesthood. He enrolled in St. Mary’s College, Orchard Lake, MI. From there, he entered St. Mary’s Seminary, Cleveland. On February 20, 1937, Krol was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland.
Krol obtained his Doctorate in Canon Law in 1942 at Pontifical Catholic University, Washington, D.C. He was appointed professor of Canon Law at St. Mary’s Seminary, Cleveland, a position he held until December 1943. During the papacy of Pius XII, Monsignor Krol was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland and Titular Bishop of Cadi on September 2, 1953.
Archbishop John Krol was installed in the College of Cardinals at the Consistory in the Vatican on June 26, 1967. During the years after his appointment as Archbishop of Philadelphia on February 11, 1961, Cardinal Krol was a leading Roman Catholic conservative who spoke out for nuclear disarmament and helped to reorder Vatican finances. He used his influence to fight communism, abortion, and what he saw as the erosion of morality. He also supported government aid to parochial schools and prayer in public schools.
On December 8, 1987, Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Cardinal Krol, who had served the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for exactly twenty-seven years.
Cardinal Krol died on Sunday, March 3, 1996 from diabetes-related kidney complications and a heart ailment. He was buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.