John Joseph Egan
Encyclopedia
Monsignor
John Joseph Egan (9 October 1916 – 19 May 2001) was an American
Roman Catholic priest and social activist. After initially studying business at DePaul University
, he transferred to Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
, completing his studies under the visionary rector Msgr. Reynold Henry Hillenbrand
at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. He promoted racial integration
and was one of the clergymen who marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
in the 1965 protest march from Selma
to Montgomery, Alabama
. For many years he was a member of the board of trustees of the Industrial Areas Foundation
. The Egan Urban Center at DePaul University
is named in his honor. Egan's papers are housed in the manuscript collection at the University of Notre Dame Archives (see "Msgr. John Egan" or "John J. Egan Papers" at http://archives.nd.edu/collections/subjects.htm). The scope and background notes include an extensive list of his accomplishments.
Father Egan was better known to his friends--both lay as well as clerical--as Jack Egan. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago, he worked several years in its inner city. Saul Alinsky, godfather of broad-based community organizing, influenced the young priest. In turn, Father Jack later prevailed upon Alinsky to pen his book Rules for Radicals. [Told in a personal interview to Fr. Juan Romero of Los Angeles.] Father Jack accepted a position at the University of Notre Dame where he founded and directed CCUM, the Catholic Commity on Urban Ministry, dedicated to promote Catholic social teaching. One of Father Egan's unsung accomplishments of the early seventies was to deliver about twenty-five non-episcopal leaders of the Catholic Church in the country to a PADRES-sponsored meeting held at the Mexican American Cltural Center (now called Mexican American Catholic College) in San Antonio, Texas. The focus of the meeting was to garner greater recognition and respect for the "Hispanic Agenda" within the institutions of the Catholic Church in the United States.
John Joseph Egan figures prominently in the 2009 book Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America by Beryl Satter. WFMT critic Andrew Patner interviewed Ms. Satter in April 2009. This interview can be downloaded from http://feeds.feedburner.com/critical_thinking and specifically discusses her discovery of Monsignor John J. Egan and his work with the Contract Buyers' League starting at 44:40 in the downloadable MP3 file.
United Power for Action and Justice was created in part by Monsignor John J. Egan.
NOTE: the University Archives at Notre Dame have created an online version of this book which is available at http://archives.nd.edu/findaids/html/etext/alleycon.htm
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
John Joseph Egan (9 October 1916 – 19 May 2001) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Roman Catholic priest and social activist. After initially studying business at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, he transferred to Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
, completing his studies under the visionary rector Msgr. Reynold Henry Hillenbrand
Reynold Henry Hillenbrand
Reynold Henry Hillenbrand was a seminal American Roman Catholic Church leader in the Liturgical Movement, Chicago priest and seminary rector,...
at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. He promoted racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
and was one of the clergymen who marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in the 1965 protest march from Selma
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. For many years he was a member of the board of trustees of the Industrial Areas Foundation
Industrial Areas Foundation
The Industrial Areas Foundation is a national community organizing network established in 1940 by Saul Alinsky. IAF provides training and consultation, furnishes organizers, and develops national strategy for its affiliated broad-based community organizations. There are currently 57 IAF...
. The Egan Urban Center at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
is named in his honor. Egan's papers are housed in the manuscript collection at the University of Notre Dame Archives (see "Msgr. John Egan" or "John J. Egan Papers" at http://archives.nd.edu/collections/subjects.htm). The scope and background notes include an extensive list of his accomplishments.
Father Egan was better known to his friends--both lay as well as clerical--as Jack Egan. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago, he worked several years in its inner city. Saul Alinsky, godfather of broad-based community organizing, influenced the young priest. In turn, Father Jack later prevailed upon Alinsky to pen his book Rules for Radicals. [Told in a personal interview to Fr. Juan Romero of Los Angeles.] Father Jack accepted a position at the University of Notre Dame where he founded and directed CCUM, the Catholic Commity on Urban Ministry, dedicated to promote Catholic social teaching. One of Father Egan's unsung accomplishments of the early seventies was to deliver about twenty-five non-episcopal leaders of the Catholic Church in the country to a PADRES-sponsored meeting held at the Mexican American Cltural Center (now called Mexican American Catholic College) in San Antonio, Texas. The focus of the meeting was to garner greater recognition and respect for the "Hispanic Agenda" within the institutions of the Catholic Church in the United States.
John Joseph Egan figures prominently in the 2009 book Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America by Beryl Satter. WFMT critic Andrew Patner interviewed Ms. Satter in April 2009. This interview can be downloaded from http://feeds.feedburner.com/critical_thinking and specifically discusses her discovery of Monsignor John J. Egan and his work with the Contract Buyers' League starting at 44:40 in the downloadable MP3 file.
United Power for Action and Justice was created in part by Monsignor John J. Egan.
Further reading
- An Alley in Chicago: The Ministry of a City Priest (1991), by Margery Frisbie
NOTE: the University Archives at Notre Dame have created an online version of this book which is available at http://archives.nd.edu/findaids/html/etext/alleycon.htm