James Peter Davis
James Peter Davis | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Santa Fe | |
| Church | |
| Archdiocese | Santa Fe |
| In office | 1964 to 1974 |
| Predecessor | Edwin Byrne |
| Successor | Luis Aponte Martinez |
| Previous post | Bishop of San Juan (1943 to 1960) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 19, 1929 by Daniel James Gercke |
| Consecration | October 6, 1943 by Daniel James Gercke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 9, 1904 |
| Died | March 4, 1988 (aged 83) Phoenix, Arizona, US |
| Education | St. Patrick's Seminary |
James Peter Davis (June 9, 1904 – March 4, 1988) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop and later archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico (1943–1964) and archbishop of Santa Fe in New Mexico (1964–1974).
Biography
[edit | edit source]Early life
[edit | edit source]James Davis was born on June 9, 1904, in Houghton, Michigan, the only child of John Frank and Elizabeth R. (née Didier) Davis.[1] He and his family moved to Topeka, Kansas, and afterwards to Flagstaff, Arizona. He studied for the priesthood at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California.
Priesthood
[edit | edit source]Davis was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tucson on May 19, 1929, in Tucson by Archbishop Daniel James Gercke.[2] He served as chancellor of the diocese from 1930 to 1932.[1]
Bishop and Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico
[edit | edit source]On July 3, 1943, Davis was appointed bishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico by Pope Pius XII.[2] He received his episcopal consecration from Gercke on August 6, 1943 at the Cathedral of Saint Augustine in Tucson, with Bishops Thomas Arthur Connolly and Joseph Thomas McGucken serving as co-consecrators.[2]In 1958, Davis estimated that 90 percent of Puerto Ricans were nominally Catholics, while only 30 percent practiced their faith.[3]
A strong opponent of Puerto Rican Governor Luis Muñoz Marín, Davis reportedly declared in 1953 that he "will never climb the steps of the Fortaleza [the government headquarters] as long as Luis Muñoz Marín is Governor of Puerto Rico."[4] However, in March 1953 Davis denied that the diocese had broken relations with the government. He further stated that he hoped for a reconciliation with Muñoz Marín.[4]
In October 1960, right before the gubernatorial election in Puerto Rico, Byrne and the two other bishops on the island issued a pastoral letter that strongly discouraged Catholics from voting for Muñoz Marín's Popular Democratic Party.[5] An outraged Muñoz Marín said that he was going to protest their action to the Vatican.[6]A few days later, the chancellor of the Diocese of Ponce in Puerto Rico threatened to excommunicate Catholics who voted for the Popular Democratic Party.[7] Byrne on November 21st stated that Catholics would not be excommunicated or other punished for voting for Muñoz Marín. On November 25th, Muñoz Marín and the central committee of his party released a statement saying that nothing in the party platform contradicted Christian doctrine. [8][9]
On April 30, 1960, Pope John XXIII elevated the Diocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico to Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico, with Davis as its first archbishop.[2]
Archbishop of Santa Fe
[edit | edit source]On January 3, 1964, Pope Paul VI named Davis as the ninth archbishop of Santa Fe.[2]
Retirement and death
[edit | edit source]Five years before reaching the mandatory age of retirement for a bishop according to canon law, Davis retired as archbishop of Santa Fe in 1974. He died on March 4, 1988n in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988. He was buried at Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d e f Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links and additional sources
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (for Chronology of Bishops) [self-published]
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (for Chronology of Bishops) [self-published]
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- 1904 births
- 1988 deaths
- 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Puerto Rico
- Participants in the Second Vatican Council
- Saint Patrick's Seminary and University alumni
- People from Houghton, Michigan
- Roman Catholic archbishops of Santa Fe
- Catholics from Michigan
- Roman Catholic bishops of San Juan de Puerto Rico
- Roman Catholic archbishops of San Juan de Puerto Rico
- 20th-century American people