John Joseph Swint (December 15, 1879 – November 23, 1962) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

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. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling in West Virginia from December 1922 until his death in 1962. He was auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from May to December 1922.

Biography

Early life

One of nine children, John Swint was born in

Pickens, West Virginia Pickens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Pickens is west-southwest of Huttonsville. It is the home of the Cunningham-Roberts Museum. Pickens has a post office with ZIP code 26230. As of th ...

, to Peter and Caroline (née Winkler) Swint, who were immigrants from

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. He studied at St. Charles College in

Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 75,947 at the 2020 census, making it the mo ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, obtaining a

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 ...

in 1899. He then enrolled at

St. Mary's Seminary St. Mary's Seminary and University is a Catholic seminary located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland; it was the first seminary founded in the United States after the Revolution and has been run since its founding by the ...

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, earning a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

in 1904.

Priesthood

Swint was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood on June 23, 1904. After studying at the Apostolic Mission House in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

for a year, he returned to West Virginia and served as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of St. Patrick Parish in Hinton from 1905 to 1908. Swint was named as head of the Diocesan Apostolate in 1908, then became pastor of St. Patrick Parish in

Weston, West Virginia Weston is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,943 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. History W ...

, in 1914.

Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Wheeling

On February 22, 1922, Swint was appointed as

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Diocese of Wheeling and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Sura'' by

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. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on May 11, 1922, from Archbishop Michael Curley, with Bishops

Denis J. O'Connell Denis J. O'Connell (January 28, 1849 – January 1, 1927) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1912 to 1926. He previously served as an auxiliary ...

and Hugh Boyle serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

, at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Wheeling. Following the death of Bishop Patrick Donahue, Swint was named the fourth Bishop of Wheeling by Pope Pius XI on December 11, 1922. Nicknamed "God's Bricklayer," Swint established twenty-five parishes, seven missions, two hospitals, two nursing homes, Sacred Heart Children's Home, and

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

. He held the seventh (1923) and eighth (1933) diocesan

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

s. He laid the

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for a new cathedral in May 1924, dedicating the structure in April 1926. He also invited the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception, the

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for Saint Jo ...

, and the Pallottine Missionary Sisters into the diocese. He was named an

assistant at the pontifical throne The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately below the ...

in 1929. In 1948, Swint threatened to excommunicate any Catholic women from the diocese who participated in the state competition for the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

pageant. He called the pageant "pagan" and stated that if "nakedness" were removed from the pageant, it would "fall to pieces". Two women withdrew from competition, but one contestant, Mariruth Ford, ignored his ban and participated, winning the title of queen for West Virginia. In July 1952, Swint condemned the planned opening of a

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clinic in

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's List of municipalities in West Virginia ...

, that would provide

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

services to women. He said it was part of a national plan by doctors to break the Catholic Church's ban on birth control. Swint was given the personal title of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

by the Vatican on March 12, 1954. John Swint died in Wheeling on November 23, 1962, at age 82.

Publications

* ''The Moral Law'' (1933) * ''The Parables of the Kingdom'' (1934) * ''The Bread from Heaven'' (1935) * ''Christ the Organizer of the Church'' (1936) * ''Back to Christ'' (1940) * ''Forgotten Truths'' (1940) * ''The Sweetest Story Ever Told'' (1947)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swint, John Joseph 1879 births 1962 deaths American religious writers Roman Catholic bishops of Wheeling–Charleston 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States People from Randolph County, West Virginia People from Weston, West Virginia St. Charles College (Maryland) alumni St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni Writers from West Virginia