John O'Grady (priest) facts for kids

John O'Grady (born March 31, 1886 – died January 2, 1966) was a kind and smart man who studied how societies work and how money moves. He spent his life working to make things better for people in need. From 1920 to 1961, he was the main leader of the National Conference of Catholic Charities, which is now called Catholic Charities USA. This group helps people all over the United States.

John O'Grady's Early Life

John O'Grady was born in a place called Annagh Feakle in County Clare, Ireland, on March 31, 1886. He went to school in Ireland and studied to become a priest at All Hallows College in Dublin. He became a priest on June 24, 1909. After that, he was sent to work in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States.

In 1912, O'Grady went to the Catholic University of America to study more. He earned a special degree called a doctorate in 1915. His big project for this degree was about "The Legal Minimum Wage," which is about the lowest amount of money a worker should be paid. While he was studying, he also took classes at other universities. In Chicago, he was really impressed by a woman named Jane Addams. She was famous for helping poor communities through something called the settlement movement. O'Grady later said that Jane Addams was "one of the great leaders of American life."

How John O'Grady Helped Others

Teaching and Learning

In 1915, John O'Grady became a professor at the Catholic University of America. He taught about money and society for many years. He also taught at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., which is now called Trinity Washington University.

In 1934, O'Grady helped start a special school at Catholic University called the School of Social Work. This school taught people how to help others in their communities. He was the head of this school from 1934 to 1938.

Leading Catholic Charities

While at Catholic University, O'Grady learned a lot from Monsignor William J. Kerby. Monsignor Kerby was a professor and helped start the National Conference of Catholic Charities (NCCC). This group is now known as Catholic Charities USA. Kerby encouraged O'Grady to get involved. In 1920, O'Grady was chosen to take over from Kerby as the main leader of the NCCC. He kept this important job until 1961.

As the leader, O'Grady worked hard to make Catholic social services better and more professional. He helped train people who worked for the group and made sure different offices could talk to each other easily.

O'Grady also spoke up for fairness and worked for big changes in society based on Catholic ideas. He supported things like:

• Programs to help people during the Great Depression (called the New Deal).
• The Social Security Act, which helps older people and those who can't work.
• Laws to improve housing for everyone.
• Help for displaced persons (people who lost their homes) after World War II.
• Changes to immigration laws to make them fairer.

O'Grady also helped run a magazine called The Catholic Charities Review. This magazine shared information about the work of Catholic Charities. He wrote many articles in the magazine about important topics, like helping people who were jobless during the Great Depression.

Speaking Up for Change

John O'Grady was a strong supporter of many social changes. He worked behind the scenes with lawmakers and even spoke to Congress. He talked about important issues like helping people who were unemployed, immigration, workers who travel for jobs, and public housing. Over the years, he became good friends with important leaders like Senator Robert F. Wagner and government officials like Harry Hopkins.

In 1919, O'Grady became the secretary of a group that planned for life after World War I. In this role, he asked John A. Ryan to write a special plan called the Bishop's Program on Social Reconstruction, which suggested ways to make society better.

In 1931, O'Grady helped create the first National Public Housing Conference. He also led a group from 1945 to 1961 that brought together different organizations interested in housing.

O'Grady strongly disagreed with strict immigration laws that were suggested after World War II. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman asked O'Grady to be part of a special group called the President’s Commission on Immigration and Naturalization. During this time, O'Grady spoke out against a law called the McCarran-Walter Act. He especially disliked parts of the law that made immigrants take a reading test and favored people from certain parts of Europe. O'Grady believed this was unfair and showed prejudice. He said that America "can't discriminate against two-thirds of the world and still presume to be the leader of the Western democracies."

O'Grady also became friends with Saul Alinsky, who was a pioneer in helping communities organize themselves.

In 1951, O'Grady helped start Caritas Internationalis, which is a worldwide group that helps people in need. He was its first vice president from 1958 to 1961. In 1959, Pope John XXIII praised O'Grady for his "wise and zealous" work with Caritas in Ghana and for helping people there.

John O'Grady's Passing

John O'Grady passed away on January 2, 1966, because of a kidney problem. He was living at a retirement home for priests in Hyattsville, Maryland. Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle held a special church service for O'Grady on January 5, 1966. Archbishop O'Boyle said that O'Grady's "influence on charitable work of the Church in this country and throughout the world for widespread social reform will long be remembered." O'Grady was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Many people remembered O'Grady after he died. John William McCormack, who was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said that O'Grady's death was a time for "rejoicing, both in the splendor of his Christian soul, and in the lasting benefits which his career has brought to our Nation and to the world."