Part of Archbishop John J. Myers’ legacy is urging Catholics to put forth a clear Catholic identity. Myers, born in Ottawa in 1941, died in Ottawa this week at age 79 at a senior care facility where he was living. He grew up in Earlville and intended to be a lawyer when he went to college, but then began seriously considering the priesthood, which he joined in 1966.
During the 11 years Myers led the Peoria diocese, he wrote seven pastoral letters, including one declaring that to be Catholic is to be against abortion. He also started an institute to train Catholics for a renewal in the diocese.
He left Peoria and became Archbishop in Newark, New Jersey in 2001, just two months before the terrorist attacks in nearby New York. Myers retired in 2016. The Peoria Catholic Diocese says he’ll be buried in the Bishops Mausoleum at St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Peoria.
Photo of Archbishop Myers from Peoria Catholic Diocese