Columbia native rose in Catholic church ranks

The son of Italian immigrants born and raised in Columbia found success in the Catholic church, eventually becoming a leader who many thought could become the first American pope.

Joseph Louis Bernardin started from humble beginnings, having spent his childhood living in the Gonzales Gardens public housing complex. He attended the University of South Carolina before transferring to Saint Mary Seminary in Baltimore, Md.

He rose through the ranks in the Catholic church, eventually leading the Chicago Archdiocese starting 1982 and earning the title of cardinal the next year. His tenure there followed a federal probe of suspected misuse of church funds by his predecessors.

Bernardin is credited with influencing the church’s thinking on social justice and morality.

Bernardin led a public life and subsequently had a public death because “faith really matters,” according to his book “The Gift of Peace.” He announced Aug. 30, 1996, on television that he had pancreatic cancer. In October that year, he announced he stopped chemotherapy treatments and had about six months to live.

Even his veritable death sentence did not stop him from traveling to Rome to meet the pope. He also went to the White House and prisons in Illinois to pray for those on death row.

He died Nov. 14, 1996 at the age of 68.

About this series: The inaugural edition of The State newspaper was published Feb. 18, 1891. In anticipation of the 125th anniversary, the Palmetto section and this section at thestate.com are recounting each day how The State covered newsmakers and events vital to South Carolina’s history.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Columbia native rose in Catholic church ranks."