James Patterson Lyke, O.F.M. (February 18, 1939 – December 27, 1992) was an African-American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of Atlanta from 1991 to 1992. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. , the bishop is Edward Malesic. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, located in Clevelan ...

from 1979 to 1990. He was the second

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

archbishop in history.

Biography

Early life

James Lyke was born on February 18, 1939, on the South Side of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, the youngest of seven children of Amos and Ora (née Sneed) Lyke. Amos Lyke abandoned the family, leaving Ora Lyke to raise the children in impoverished surroundings, relying on

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

checks. The family lived in an apartment with no beds and a coal stove before moving to Wentworth Gardens, a low-income

housing project Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

in Chicago. Ora Lyke, a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, sent James Lyke to St. George Catholic School when he was in the fourth grade to keep him out of trouble. She washed the St. George Church laundry to help pay the school tuition. She and six of her children later converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Deciding to become a priest, James Lyke joined the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

order in 1959, studying at the St. Francis Novitiate in

Teutopolis, Illinois Teutopolis is a village in Effingham County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,618. Geography Teutopolis is located in northeastern Effingham County and U.S. Route 40 (National Road) passes through the center of the vill ...

. He later obtained his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in philosophy at Our Lady of Angels House of Philosophy through

Quincy College Quincy College (QC) is a public community college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission school that offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and certificate programs. It was founded in 1958 and enrolls approximately 3,500 studen ...

in Quincy, Illinois. He received a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from St. Joseph Theological Seminary in

Priesthood

Lyke was ordained a priest at St. Francis Church in Teutopolis on June 24, 1966, by Bishop William O’Connor. After his 1966 ordination, the Franciscans assigned Lyke to teach at Padua High School in Cleveland. While at Padua, Lyke led the local

Operation Breadbasket Operation Breadbasket was an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities across the United States. Operation Breadbasket was launched on February 11, 1966, under the leadership of Jesse Jackson. Its primary ...

campaign to help the African-American community. After the assassination of

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his a ...

in 1968, Lyke requested that the Franciscans assign him to a parish in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. They sent him to serve as pastor to St. Thomas Parish in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, becoming the first African-American priest in Tennessee. During this period, he also served as president of the National Office for Black Catholics. In 1977, the Franciscans appointed Lyke as director of the

Newman Center Newman Centers, Newman Houses, Newman Clubs, or Newman Communities are Catholic campus ministry centers at secular universities. The movement was inspired by the writings of Cardinal John Henry Newman encouraging societies for Catholic studen ...

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

in Grambling, Louisiana.

Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

named Lyke as an auxiliary bishop of Cleveland and titular bishop of Furnos Major on June 30, 1979. He was consecrated in Cleveland by Cardinal James Hickey on August 1, 1979. Lyke obtained a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

degree in 1981 from the

Union Graduate School Union Institute & University (UI&U) was a private online university that was headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also operated satellite campuses in Florida and California. In early 2023, it began to experience severe financial challenges. ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. While serving as auxiliary bishop, Lyke coordinated the group that produced ''Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal'' in 1987.

Archbishop of Atlanta

After the resignation of Archbishop

Eugene Marino Eugene Antonio Marino, SSJ (May 29, 1934 – November 12, 2000) was an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of Atlanta from 1988 until 1990. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 19 ...

due to scandal, the

college of consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

for the archdiocese appointed Lyke as

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Atlanta on July 10, 1990. John Paul II appointed him as archbishop there on April 30, 1991, and he was installed on June 24, 1991.

Death

Lyke died of

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

on December 27, 1992. At the time of his death, Lyke was the highest-ranking African-American Catholic clergyman in the nation.

Legacy

The following institutions have been named after Lyke: *The Lyke House Catholic Newman Center at the

Atlanta University Center The Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC Consortium) is a collaboration between four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in southwest Atlanta, Georgia: Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the Mo ...

* Archbishop Lyke School in Cleveland *The Archbishop Lyke Conference, a yearly African-American liturgical conference

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyke, James Patterson 1939 births 1992 deaths African-American Roman Catholic bishops 20th-century American Roman Catholic bishops Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Clergy from Chicago Converts to Roman Catholicism from Baptist denominations Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta American Friars Minor Franciscan bishops Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state) Roman Catholic archbishops of Atlanta Catholics from Illinois African-American Roman Catholic archbishops American Roman Catholic archbishops African-American members of Catholic religious communities