Richard James Cushing was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder of new churches, schools, and institutions. Unlike his predecessor, he was on good terms with practically the entire Boston elite, as he softened the traditional confrontation between the Catholic Irish and the Protestant upper-class. He built useful relationships with Jews, Protestants, and institutions outside the usual Catholic community. He helped presidential candidate John F. Kennedy deflect fears of papal interference in American government if a Catholic became president.
Cardinal Cushing with newly ordained Priests of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1960.
Cushing (left) with Boston Mayor John F. Collins at the groundbreaking of Boston City Hall
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Archdiocese of Boston is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. The archdiocese is the fourth largest in the United States. As of 2023, the archbishop of Boston is Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, 2007
Bishop Cheverus
Cardinal Law
Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston