Saving the Cardinal's House

Here's something our St Louisans might be interested in -- a group working to restore the birthplace of Cardinal Joseph Ritter, who was archbishop in the Rome of the West from 1946-67:

On May 14, the Catholic churches in Floyd, Clark and Harrison counties -- just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky. -- will take up special collections to raise money toward the estimated $1.5 million cost to restore the home and create an endowment, said the Rev. Cliff Vogelsang, head of the New Albany Catholic Deanery.

Ritter, who died in 1967, was the first archbishop of Indianapolis in 1944 before becoming archbishop of St. Louis two years later. Pope John XXIII named him a cardinal in 1961, and Ritter played an important role at Vatican II, supporting the use of English in worship and working for harmony between Christians and Jews.

Not to mention causing controversy by desegregating the Catholic schools of the archdiocese in the '50s....

In case anyone's looking for more info, here's the website.

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