John L. May

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John L. May

Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Senior posting
See	Saint Louis
Title	Archbishop of Saint Louis
Period in office	1980 — 1992
Predecessor	John Joseph Carberry
Successor	Justin Francis Rigali
Religious career
Priestly ordination	1947
Previous bishoprics	Mobile
Previous post	None
Personal
Date of birth	31 March 1922 (1922-03-31) (age 86)
Place of birth	Evanston, Illinois

Archbishop John Lawrence May (born March 31, 1922 Evanston, Illinois - died March 24, 1994 St. Louis, Missouri) was an American bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.

After attending Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, May was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1947. In 1967 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Chicago. In 1969 he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama (it was not yet an Archdiocese). In 1980, he was named Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, succeeding Cardinal John Carberry. He served in that position until his retirement in 1992. An interim administrator led the Archdiocese of St. Louis after May's retirement until Justin Rigali was appointed Archbishop in 1994.

Styles of John L. May
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	His Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor
Posthumous style	not applicable

Immediately before his retirement, Archbishop May was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died in 1994 and was buried in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (then known simply as the New Cathedral). The Archbishop May community service award, which is given to one senior at each Catholic high school in the Archdiocese each spring, is named in his honor.

Preceded by Thomas Joseph Toolen	Bishop of Mobile 1969–1980	Succeeded by Oscar Hugh Lipscomb
Preceded by John Carberry	Archbishop of Saint Louis 1980–1992	Succeeded by Justin Rigali