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Monsignor James Michael Reardon PA
Rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary
Reardon in 1950
Church	Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Orders
Ordination	June 4, 1898 by John Ireland
Personal details
Born	(1872-08-31)August 31, 1872 Charlottetown, Colony of Prince Edward Island
Died	December 12, 1963(1963-12-12) (aged 91) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Buried	Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Signature
Awards	Order of Leopold II

James Michael Reardon (August 31, 1872 – December 12, 1963) was a Canadian-American Catholic priest and professor of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul. A prominent churchman in the first half of the 20th century, he was rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary from 1921 until his death and wrote the definitive history of the diocese.

Early life

James Michael Reardon was born on August 31, 1872, in Charlottetown, Colony of Prince Edward Island. After receiving his B.A. degree from Laval University in Quebec, he studied for one year at the Grand Seminary. Reardon immigrated to Minnesota in 1895, and began studies at Saint Paul Seminary. He was ordained at the Saint Paul Seminary by Archbishop John Ireland on June 4, 1898.

Priesthood

A teacher by trade, Reardon taught science at the seminary after his ordination until 1910, when he was appointed to St. John the Baptist parish in Excelsior, Minnesota. He was simultaneously appointed as the first editor of The Catholic Bulletin upon its establishment in January 1911. Reardon initially resisted the appointment, stating that he had no training in journalism, but created a paid subscribership of 25,000 by the end of his editorship in 1922. Reardon also served as the president of the Catholic Total Abstinence Society. He was pastor of St. Mary's in Saint Paul from 1916 to 1921.

In 1921, Reardon became the rector of the Procathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Minneapolis. As rector, he carried out the completion of the interior of the as-of-yet unfinished pro-cathedral. On Christmas Day, 1925, Pope Pius XI elevated the church to the status minor basilica, the first in the United States; thereafter, it became known as the Basilica of Saint Mary. Reardon held the job as rector for the rest of his life, a tenure of 42 years. Reardon erected a statue in honor of Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, an early explorer of Minnesota, in front of the basilica. In thanksgiving for this, King Albert I of Belgium decorated Reardon as an Officer of the Order of Leopold II in 1931.

Reardon served as chairman of the executive and general committees of the Ninth National Eucharistic Congress. The congress was held in the Twin Cities from June 23 to 26, 1941, at various locations throughout the Twin Cities, including the state fairgrounds, Saint Paul Union Depot, the Minneapolis Auditorium, the St. Paul Auditorium, the Cathedral of Saint Paul and the Basilica of Saint Mary. After the congress, in recognition for his work in the diocese, he was granted the title of protonotary apostolic.

Archbishop John Gregory Murray suggested that Reardon write a history of the diocese. It took Reardon five years to research for the book, which was published in 1952. Entitled The Catholic Church in the Diocese of Saint Paul, it sold some 13,000 copies. In 1988, Jean Hopfensperger of the Minnesota Star Tribune said it was "the most comprehensive" history book of the diocese.

Death and funeral

On December 12, 1963, Reardon went to the basilica for his usual afternoon rosary. When his assistant priests did not notice him return for dinner, they went to the church and found him in the front pew, dead from a heart attack. His will stipulated a plain wooden coffin and no sermon at his funeral, which was celebrated December 16 by Archbishop Leo Binz and followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. He was the last surviving priest to have been ordained by Archbishop John Ireland. He left the majority of his estate to Saint Paul Seminary and Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, including his library. An associate called him "the last of the clerical gentlemen".

References

1. ^ "Msgr. Reardon Dies in Basilica". Star Tribune. December 13, 1963. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
2. ^ "Msgr. Reardon, St. Mary's Pastor, Dies". The Minneapolis Star. December 13, 1963. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
3. ^ "Obituary for James M Reardon". The Albert Lea Tribune. AP. December 13, 1963. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
4. Ireland, John (January 7, 1911). "Letter of the Most Reverend Archbishop". The Catholic Bulletin. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
5. "Catholic Bulletin Is 50 Years Old". The Minneapolis Star. January 7, 1961. p. 7A. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
6. "Additional Matters of Interest". Fergus Falls Ugeblad. February 16, 1910. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
7. "Cullen Appointed St. Thomas Rector; To Quit Cathedral". The Minneapolis Journal. August 12, 1921. p. 15. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
8. ^ "Fr. James M. Reardon". Basilica of Saint Mary. February 13, 2023. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
9. "Procathedral Here Is Made Basilica On Order From Pope". The Minneapolis Journal. December 25, 1925. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
10. "Minneapolitans to Receive Order From King Albert". The Minneapolis Journal. March 9, 1931. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
11. ^ Ninth National Eucharistic Congress, St. Paul and Minneapolis, June 23-26, 1941: Official History and Record. Executive Committee of the Ninth National Eucharistic Congress. 1941.
12. Steffel, Nick. "The Ninth National Eucharistic Congress In late..." Hennepin County Library Special Collections. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
13. "Tea to Mark 'Preview' of Msgr. Reardon Book". The Minneapolis Star. November 4, 1952. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
14. Hopfensperger, Jean (March 21, 1988). "Area Catholic churches mark century of service". Minnesota Star Tribune. pp. 7B. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
15. ^ "Msgr. Reardon's Will Gives Aid to 2 Seminaries". Star Tribune. December 21, 1963. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
16. "Monsignor Reardon". The Minneapolis Star. December 14, 1963. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Ordinaries	Bishops Joseph Crétin Thomas Grace Archbishops John Ireland Austin Dowling John Gregory Murray William O. Brady Leo Binz John Roach Harry Joseph Flynn John Clayton Nienstedt Bernard Hebda Coadjutor archbishop Leo Christopher Byrne
Auxiliary bishops	John Jeremiah Lawler James J. Byrne Leonard Philip Cowley Gerald Francis O'Keefe James P. Shannon John Roach Raymond Alphonse Lucker Paul Vincent Dudley John Francis Kinney William Henry Bullock James Richard Ham Robert James Carlson Joseph Charron Lawrence Welsh Frederick F. Campbell Richard Pates Lee A. Piché Andrew H. Cozzens Joseph Andrew Williams Michael Izen Kevin Kenney
Churches	Cathedrals Cathedral of Saint Paul Basilica of Saint Mary Former cathedrals First Second Third Parishes Guardian Angels Church, Chaska St. Peter's Church, Mendota Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Minneapolis Church of St. Stephen, Minneapolis Church of St. Wenceslaus, New Prague Church of St. Mark, Saint Paul Church of St. Mary, New Trier Church of St. Michael, St. Michael Church of the Assumption, St. Paul Church of St. Agnes, St. Paul Church of St. Bernard, St. Paul Church of St. Casimir, St. Paul St. Mary's Church of the Purification, Marystown Church of the Annunciation, Webster Township Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Wheatland Township Historic Church of St. Hubertus, Chanhassen Chapel Our Lady of Victory Chapel
Education	Higher education St. Catherine University University of St. Thomas Seminaries Saint John Vianney College Seminary Saint Paul Seminary Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (defunct) High schools Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield Benilde-St. Margaret's, St. Louis Park Bethlehem Academy, Faribault Chesterton Academy, Edina Convent of the Visitation, Mendota Heights Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis Hill-Murray School, Maplewood Holy Family Catholic High School, Victoria Providence Academy, Plymouth Saint Agnes School, St. Paul Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights Totino-Grace High School, Fridley
Priests	Joseph Francis Busch Peter F. Christensen Alexander Christie Jozef Cieminski James Louis Connolly Timothy J. Corbett Donald DeGrood James Albert Duffy Hilary Baumann Hacker Patrick Richard Heffron Patrick J. Hessian Michael Joncas James Keane Kevin Kenney John M. LeVoir James McGolrick Francis Missia Thomas O'Gorman Augustin Ravoux James Michael Reardon James O'Reilly Jakub W.J. Pacholski John A. Ryan Patrick J. Ryan Francis Joseph Schenk Alphonse James Schladweiler John Shanley Paul Sirba John Stariha Tim Vakoc Thomas Anthony Welch
Cemeteries	Calvary Cemetery Resurrection Cemetery
Other	The Catholic Spirit Ninth National Eucharistic Congress
Catholicism portal

• 1872 births
• 1963 deaths
• 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
• Canadian emigrants to the United States
• Catholics from Minnesota
• Colony of Prince Edward Island people
• Officers of the Order of Leopold II
• People from Charlottetown
• Religious leaders from Minnesota
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• Saint Paul Seminary alumni
• Université Laval alumni
• Burials at Resurrection Cemetery