The Most Reverend John J. Myers, J.C.D., D.D.

Archbishop Emeritus of Newark ~ Fifth Archbishop of Newark

Biography

The Most Reverend John J. Myers, J.C.D., D.D., Archbishop Emeritus of Newark, entered into eternal life on Thursday, September 24, 2020. He was 79 years old.

Archbishop Myers, fifth Archbishop of Newark, was born in Ottawa, IL on July 26, 1941 to M. W. “Jack” and Margaret Donahue Myers. He was the eldest of seven children.

The Archbishop’s family traces its roots to Ireland, England and France; relatives settled in northern Illinois in the late 1800s.

Earlier ancestors of Mrs. Myers (Spaulding was the family name) served in the Revolutionary War.

The Myers family farmed near Earlville, IL, a town of 1,400 located 20 miles north of Ottawa. The Myers children all worked with their father and shared the family chores; prayer was very much a part of their everyday routine. Young John Myers was an altar server in his parish, St. Theresa, from an early age.

John Myers attended public grammar and high schools in the Earlville, IL area. While completing studies at Loras College in Dubuque, IA (1959–1963), Bishop John B. Franz offered him the opportunity to prepare for the priesthood in Rome and continue his seminary education through the Pontifical North American College, the national seminary in Rome for the formation of candidates for priesthood from the United States. Father Myers was ordained a priest for service to the Diocese of Peoria by Bishop Francis Reh on Dec. 17, 1966 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. He then received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Gregorian University, Rome in 1967. He later earned a Doctorate in Canon Law from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in 1977.

Father Myers’ first assignment was as assistant pastor at Holy Family Parish, Peoria in 1967. He then served in the Department of International Affairs of the United States Catholic Conference from 1970 to 1971. His next assignment was as associate pastor of St. Matthew Parish, Champaign, IL from 1971 until 1974.

Among the administrative positions Father Myers held in the Diocese of Peoria were: Administrator of St. Mary Cathedral (1977-1978 and 1984); diocesan Vice Chancellor (1977-78); Vocations Director (1977-1987); diocesan Chancellor (1978-1987); and diocesan Vicar General (1982– 1990). He also served as a Member of the diocesan Presbyteral Council

(1968–1970 and 1984–1990) and Board of Consultors (1978–1990).

On September 3, 1987, Bishop Myers was installed as Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, and acceded to the See of Peoria on January 23, 1990.

On July 24, 2001, His Holiness, Saint John Paul II, called then-Bishop Myers to serve as the fifth Metropolitan Archbishop of Newark, NJ. He was installed as Archbishop of Newark on October 9, 2001. His Holiness conferred the Pallium on Archbishop Myers on June 29, 2002.

In addition to his responsibilities as Metropolitan Archbishop of Newark, Archbishop Myers also served as the Ecclesial Superior, missio sui iuris, of the Turks & Caicos Islands. In 2005, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Myers to the post of Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision for admitting married former Anglican clergy in the United States to the Catholic priesthood.

He held this post until 2011.

During the 12 years as Chief Shepherd in Newark, Archbishop Myers shepherded the people of the Local Church of Newark through numerous significant events and challenges. Assuming his responsibilities almost immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks, he visited Ground Zero and sought to ease the sorrow of rescue and recovery workers there.

He officiated at numerous funeral and services for those who perished in the World Trade Center attacks, and published a pastoral message, “If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?” – A Reflection on Faith and Terrorism.

As a Member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Myers helped draft the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the linchpin document that guides the Church in dealing compassionately with victims of abuse and openly with civil authorities.

Archbishop Myers also oversaw the celebration in 2003 of the 150th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Newark, including publication of a history book, Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope.

In recognition of the need to address the future of the Archdiocese and its institutions, Archbishop Myers launched two studies in 2002, the New Energies Parish Transition Project and the Strategic Plan for Catholic Schools. These two initiatives, which concentrated on parish and community participation, provided valuable ideas and solutions to help parishes and schools strengthen their presences and provide a way for parishes to adapt to demographic shifts that had occurred in northern New Jersey in recent decades. Further strengthening of Catholic elementary schools began in 2011 through a Catholic Education Commission. The Archdiocese implemented the Commission’s recommendations and a new roadmap for Catholic elementary education during the 2014-2015 school year.

Archbishop Myers also helped raise awareness both in New Jersey and nationally to the sin of human trafficking, and worked with local, regional and national agencies to implement programs to provide assistance to the victims of these crimes and stronger enforcement of laws to punish perpetrators.

Through his work as President of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in New Jersey, Archbishop Myers and his brother bishops were instrumental in addressing such important public issues as the abolition of the death penalty, affordable housing, poverty, and charity care.

A reflection of his episcopal responsibilities as an authentic teacher of the Faith, Archbishop Myers served as President of the Board of Regents and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University, the archdiocesan university. In addition, he chaired the Academic Affairs Committee and Finance Committee of Catholic University of America, Washington, DC; was a Member of the Seminary Committee of Catholic University, and; was a Member of Catholic University’s Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. Further, from 2003 until 2008 he was a Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the Pontifical North American College, Rome and Chair of its Finance Commitee. He also served as Chair of the North American College’s Board of Governors.

He previously served as a Member of the Seminary Board of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and Mount St.Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD. He also was a founding Member and Member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Catechumenal Ministry.

Throughout his 25 years as bishop and Member of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Myers served on or chaired numerous committees, initiatives and task forces, including: Canonical Affairs; Shrines and Pilgrimages; Vocations; Hispanic Affairs; Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse; Task Force on Catholic Colleges and Universities; Aid to the Church in Eastern Europe; Ad Hoc Committee on the Revision of the Conference By-Laws; Restructuring; and Domestic Policy.

He also served as Trustee of the Papal Foundation and Chair of the Foundation’s Investment Committee; as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation, Inc.; as a Member of the Episcopal Advisory Board of the Theology of the Body Institute; and Member of the Bishops Advisory Board of the Pope Paul VI Institute.

Archbishop Myers participated extensively in numerous Canon Law projects, and produced scholarly writings on a range of topics including diocesan finance, ecclesial ministries, the rights of unborn children, the Eucharist, human trafficking, and the family. In recognition of this extensive experience in Canon Law projects, Archbishop Myers served from 1998 until 2008 as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts. In this capacity he would assist this arm of the Roman Curia that interprets the laws of the Church. In 2008, he was named a Member of this Pontifical Council.

A Third-Degree Knight of Columbus, Knight Commander with Star of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Knight Commander-Grand Cross of the Sovereign Constantinian Order of the Martyr St. George, and Conventual Chaplain of the Order of Malta, Archbishop Myers also was awarded Doctorates of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Mt. St. Mary University, Emmitsburg, MD, from Loras College, Dubuque, IA, and from St. Peter’s University, Jersey City; a Juris Doctor, honoris causa, from Seton Hall University Law School; and Doctorate in Theology, honoris causa, from Catholic University of America.

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Archbishop Myers submitted his letter of resignation as Archbishop of Newark. His resignation was accepted on November 7, 2016. Upon the installation of Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., as Archbishop of Newark on January 6, 2017, Archbishop Myers was granted the title Archbishop Emeritus of Newark.

Archbishop Myers’ motto, Mysterium Ecclesiae Luceat (translated:“Let the Mystery of the Church Shine Forth”) is a summary of the central theme of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. He often said, “I cannot make someone believe. I can, however, explain what the Church teaches and the reasons for that teaching, and then invite him or her to be open to that teaching and embrace it.”

Coat of Arms

Archbishop John J. Myers’ motto is: Mysterium ecclesiae luceat – “Let the mystery of the Church shine forth!”

His personal coat of arms, represented by the right side of the shield, consists of a green background on which is charged an eagle’s head enhaloed and tinctured in gold. In the upper portion of the shield are two silver crescents and in the base is a silver roundel.

The eagle’s head is the traditional symbol of St. John the Evangelist, honoring the baptismal patron of the archbishop’s father and the Archbishop. The eagle’s head represents the higher vision which faith brings to life and the hope we should have in the face of difficulties.

The silver roundel in the base is a symbol of the Gospel, the “pearl of great price,” and our striving for the Kingdom of Heaven as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 12:45-46. As the eagle’s head honors the archbishop’s father, the pearl honors his late mother Margaret, whose name means pearl.

The two silver crescents in the chief, or upper part of the shield, honor the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the “Immaculate Conception,” patroness of the North American College in Rome where Archbishop Myers prepared for ordination, and the Catholic University of America, where he earned his doctorate in Canon Law, and the United States of America. These crescents memorialize the Archbishop’s devotion to Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church. The green surface of the shield recalls the verdant fields of his birthplace and his Irish heritage.

The Archbishop chose the motto, “Mysterium Ecclesiae Lu-ceat: translated, “Let the Mystery of the Church shine forth,” as a succinct summary of the central theme of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. The first chapter of the document is entitled “The Mystery of the Church” and begins with the proclamation that Christ is the light of humanity,” and continues to state: “The Church – that is the kingdom of Christ – already present in mystery, grows visibly through the power of God in the world. All people are called to union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live and toward whom our whole life is directed!” The first encyclical of Pope Paul VI, “Ecclesiam Suam,” states that the Church “is a storehouse of God’s hidden counsels which the Church must bring to light!” Pope John Paul II also states in his first encyclical, “Redemptor Hominis,” that “The Church’s fundamental function in every age and particularly ours is to direct man’s gaze, to point the awareness and experience of the whole of humanity towards the mystery of God.” These papal encyclicals inspired Archbishop Myers’ choice of motto.

The external ornaments are composed of the green pontifical hat with its 10 tassels on each side, disposed in four rows, and a gold processional cross.

The left side of the shield displays the jurisdictional arms of the Archdiocese of Newark, based on the coat of arms of Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, to reflect the origins of the name of the See City. The upper portion of the arms of the Archdiocese includes a silver crescent between two silver trefoils (heraldic shamrocks). The crescent is to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Archdiocese, the United States of America and the major seminary of the Archdiocese. This ancient symbol of Mary is derived from the Book of Revelations 12:1: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” The shamrocks are to honor St. Patrick, titular patron of the Pro-Cathedral; and the red background of the chief is to signify the blood coming forth from Christ’s Sacred Heart, the title of the Cathedral-Basilica of Newark.

Newark Archdiocese is Diverse and Densely Populated

Archbishop John J. Myers is moving from the plains of Illinois to the geographically smallest diocese in the United States; but its 513-square miles encompass about 1.3 million Catholics. It is one of the busiest, largest and most diverse dioceses in the nation.

The Archdiocese of Newark encompasses the northeastern New Jersey counties of Bergen, Essex, Union, and Hudson and the population totals 2.8 million people. The Archdiocese maintains 235 Catholic parishes, 139 elementary schools, 37 high schools, one university and three colleges – educating a total of almost 120,000 students. There are another 57,000 students enrolled in parish religious education programs.

Eight Catholic hospitals function within the four counties, 114 health care service centers, seven homes for the aged and invalid and almost 400 centers for other human services are guided or sponsored by the archdiocese.

Mass is celebrated in 15 different languages each Sunday. There are more than a thousand priests and about 250 permanent deacons. There are almost 1,400 Religious Sisters and about 100 Religious Brothers that minister within the Archdiocese.

When informed of his appointment to Newark by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the Ambassador of the Apostolic See to the United States, Archbishop Myers said he was “surprised, honored and humbled.” He expressed deep gratitude “for the trust which the Holy Father has shown.”

Mass is celebrated in 15 different languages each Sunday. There are more than a thousand priests and about 250 permanent deacons. There are almost 1,400 Religious Sisters and about 100 Religious Brothers that minister within the Archdiocese.

When informed of his appointment to Newark by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the Ambassador of the Apostolic See to the United States, Archbishop Myers said he was “surprised, honored and humbled.” He expressed deep gratitude “for the trust which the Holy Father has shown.”

His predecessor, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, called Archbishop Myers “a very goodpriest, a loving and warm shepherd and a man totally dedicated to the Church and to the Holy Father.”

At a Newark press conference, after his appointment was announced, Archbishop Myers said it was “a special honor to succeed” the Cardinal “for whom I have deep admiration and sincere friendship and affection.” He also thanked and warmly embraced Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety, who served as Newark’s Archbishop before the Cardinal.

Newark’s new Archbishop comes from a rural Illinois town. He was born in Ottawa, Ill., on July 26, 1941 to MelvinWayne (Jack) and the late Margaret Myers. He is the oldest of seven children. He is remembered as an outstanding student; and he completed studies at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He said he discerned a call to the priesthood while in college. He entered the seminary and went on to Rome for further studies. He was ordained by Bishop Francis Reh on Dec. 17, 1966 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. He earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from the North American College, Gregorian University in Rome in 1967, and a doctorate in Canon Law from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in 1977.

He returned to Peoria for parish work; then went on to serve in the Department of International Affairs of the U.S. Catholic Conference. He left the conference in 1971 to return to the Peoria Diocese where he served at St. Matthew Parish in Champaign, Ill., for three years.

Archbishop Myers held many positions of responsibility in the Peoria Diocese, including that of Vocations Director, Chancellor and Vicar General. He was a member of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council and the Board of Consultors there.

The Archbishop was named Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria in 1987 and acceded to the See of Peoria on Jan. 23, 1990. He serves on the Board of Governors at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston, the Board of Trustees of Catholic University of America and was vice-president of the Illinois Catholic Health Association. He has participated extensively in Canon Law projects and has produced scholarly writings on a range of topics, including diocesan finance, ecclesial ministries, the rights of unborn children and the family.

Archbishop’s History has East Coast Chapter

The family history of Archbishop John J. Myers runs parallel to the history of the United States.

He can trace his genealogy back to the Revolutionary War era and focus on the more recent history of his immigrant great-grandparents who came from Ireland and Alsace to settle in Illinois.

The family name on his mother’s side was Spaulding.

The British and early American history is contained in an edition of “The Spaulding Memorial” and includes accounts of service in the Revolutionary War when, the family name having been changed to Spalding, many “marched to Cambridge” or “marched for the relief of Boston in the Lexington alarm” of 1775.

Edward Spalding, whose death is recorded on June 17, 1775, was “last seen in the trenches of Bunker Hill.” Another was “shot from his horse.” Still another, Joseph, who died in 1820, was “among the brave asserters and defenders of the liberties of his country at Bunker Hill, where he opened the battle by firing upon the enemy before orders were given”— possibly the first shot fired at that famous site.

Still another relative provided quarters for General Lafayette on his farm in Plainfield, Conn., and another gave his house over for use as “a retreat for sick and wounded soldiers.”

The Spalding colonists had names long since gone out of fashion – Simeon, Zebulon, Mercy, Phineas, Moses, and Abigail. There was a Priscilla, a Mehitable, and many women named Thankful. There were large families, with often as many as 10 children. They died of smallpox and yellow fever. Some died at the hands of Indians.

The Spaldings worked at various trades. One, Francis, born in 1824, had a string of occupations: he measured cloth in a dry goods store, wielded a pen in the counting room of a first-class city journal, peddled milk, chopped wood, caught shad in the Merrimac, taught school on the Illinois prairie, studied and practiced medicine, crossed the plains as a surveyor in 1850, prospected for gold, kept a drug store and hotel, ran a ranch, was a government contractor, U.S. marshal, and a county judge. He also earned many graduate degrees.

Blacksmith, General…

The Spaldings espoused various religions – some were Unitarians, Presbyterians, members of the Society of Friends; some were Methodists, “preachers of the Gospel” and one, Asa, was an ordained evangelist with the Baptist denomination.

More recently the family history has focused on his great-grandparents in Illinois, and specifically on the southern edge of Adams Township, Lasalle County, where John Meyer (later spelled Meyers and still later changed to Myers) brought his family from Alsace in 1891.

Here his son Emil, born in Alsace and then 11 years old, grew up and helped in the family blacksmith and woodworking shop, and a general store later converted into an ice cream parlor.

At the age of 30, Emil married Laura May Spray of Earlville, the only child of George and Ellen Corcoran Spray. George Spray was a son of John Spray, born in Derbyshire, England, and Emily Jane Sumpter, reputedly a descendant of General Sumpter of Revolutionary War fame.

Emil and Laura, grandparents of Archbishop-designate Myers, had seven children, among them Melvin Wayne (Jack), the father of the archbishop-designate.

The Spaulding side of the Myers family came to the United States from England in 1614 and settled in Pittsfield, Mass. George Henry Spaulding, an ancestor of Archbishop-designate Myers, was a ninth generation Spaulding. He made his home in Waltham, married in 1850, and became father of 10 children; the oldest, Anna, became the great-grandmother of the archbishop-designate.

Archbishop’s “roots”

Patrick Donahue, the archbishop-designate’s great-grandfather, was born in County Clare, Ireland, and came to America at the age of 16. He married Anna Findora Spaulding in 1868.

The family includes another Irish ancestor, Michael Moriarty Sr., who came from Ireland during the potato famine in 1846 and settled in Springfield, Mass. He worked in the cranberry fields, then moved near Boston, then to the midwest where he worked on the Illinois-Michigan canal.

With his family, including his wife Johanna McDonald, and son Michael Jr., who had been born near Boston in 1855, Michael Moriarty relocated once again, this time to Illinois.

Young Michael Moriarty married Elizabeth Brady, who was to become the archbishop-designate’s maternal great-grandmother, in 1882. She was the daughter of James Brady and Catherine Rehil, who had come to Ottawa, Ill., from Fermanaugh County, Ireland.

The Moriartys became parents of five children, among them Catherine, who married Henry Donahue and became mother of Margaret Louise, who became the wife of Jack Myers and mother of the new archbishop-designate.

Archbishop-designate Myers is the oldest of seven children. His brothers are Lawrence of Earlville, William of Ottawa and Don of Bloomington, and three sisters, Mary Margaret Didier of Sugar Grove, Elizabeth Myers of East Peoria and Loretta Malley of Plano, and ten nieces and nephews.

Through the Years…

Curriculum Vitae

Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria, Announced July 14, 1987
Consecrated and Installed Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria, September 3, 1987
Acceded to See of Peoria, January 23, 1990 – July 24, 2001
Installed as Fifth Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, October 9, 2001

BORN:
July 26, 1941, Ottawa, Illinois

EDUCATION:

College:
Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa (1959-1963)

Seminary:
North American College, Rome (1963-1967).

Theology:
Licentiate in Sacred Theology, Gregorian University, Rome (June, 1967)

ORDAINED PRIEST:
Ordained a priest on December 17, 1966, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

GRADUATE SCHOOL:
Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. (1974-1977)

J.C.D. (May, 1977)

Seton Hall University Law School, South Orange, NJ (2003)

Juris Doctor, honoris causa

Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmetsburg, MD (2007)

Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

Loras College, Dubuque, IA (2012)

Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ (2013)

Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

APPOINTMENTS:

Assistant Pastor, Holy Family Parish, Peoria, Illinois (1967-1970)

United States Catholic Conference, Department of International Affairs (1970-1971)

Associate Pastor, St. Matthew Parish, Champaign, Illinois (1971-1974)

Administrator, St. Mary Cathedral, Peoria, IL (1977-78 and 1984)

Vice-Chancellor, Diocese of Peoria (1977-1978)

Director of Vocations, Diocese of Peoria (1977-1987)

Chancellor, Diocese of Peoria (1978-1987)

Presbyteral Council, Diocese of Peoria (1968-70 & 1984-90)

Board of Consultors, Diocese of Peoria (1978-1990)

Vicar General, of the Diocese of Peoria (1982-1990)

Appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria on July 14, 1987.

Ordained as Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria On September 3, 1987

Acceded to the See of Peoria on January 23, 1990.

Announced Archbishop Designate of Newark, New Jersey on July 24, 2001.

Installed as Archbishop of Newark on October 9, 2001

Ecclelsiastical Superior, Missio Sui Iuris of the Turks and Caicos Islands (2001 – )

Ecclesiastical Delegate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the Pastoral Provision for admitting married former Anglican clergy to the Catholic priesthood in the United States (2005 — 2011)

Knight Commander with Star, Knights of the Holy Sepulchre

Knight Commander, Grand Cross, of the Sovereign Constantinian Order of the Martyr St. George

Knight of Malta

BOARDS/COMMITTEES:

President, Board of Regents, Seton Hall University, (2001 – )

President, Board of Trustees, Seton Hall University (2001 – )

Chair, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad-Hoc Committee on the Revision of the Conference By- Laws (2007 – 2011)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Restructuring (2006 – 2011)

Consultor, Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts (1996 – 2008)

Member, Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts (2008 – )

Chair, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Canonical Affairs, (2005 – 2008)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Budget and Finance (2006 – 2009)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops – Canonical Affairs Committee (1988-99/2002-2005/2008 – )

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Task Force on Catholic Colleges and Universities (2010 – )

Board of Governors – National Catholic Bioethics Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1988- 2004)

Seminary Board Member, Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland (1989-1994)

Seminary Board Member, Kenrick-Glennon, Archdiocese of St. Louis (1994-2001)

National Conference of Catholic Bishops – Committee on Shrines and Pilgrimages (1990 – )

National Conference of Catholic Bishops – Committee on Vocations (1995-1998)

Vice President, Illinois Catholic Health Association (1997-2001)

Executive Committee, Board of Trustees – Catholic University of America (2004 – 2012)

Seminary Committee – Catholic University of America (1999 – 2003)

Chair, Finance Committee – Catholic University of America (2003 – 2009)

Chair, Academic Affairs Committee – Catholic University of America (2009 – 2011)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Aid to Eastern Europe (1999- )

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse (2002)

Board of Governors of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC. (2002- )

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Hispanic Affairs (2002 – 2005)

Consultor, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Domestic Policy (2001-2004)

Chair, Board of Governors, North American College, Rome (2008 – 2012)

Member, Executive Committee, Board of Governors, North American College, Rome (2003 – 2008)

Chair, Finance Committee of the North American College, Rome (2003- 2008)

Trustee, The Papal Foundation (2002- )

Chair, Investment Committee of the Papal Foundation (2010 – )

Founding Member, Association for Catechumenal Ministry (1998 – 2000)

Member, Board of Directors, Association for Catechumenal Ministry (2000 – 2011 )

Member, Board of Directors, John Paul II Cultural Center (2001 – 2011)

Member, Board of Directors, Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation, Inc. (2012 – )

Member, Episcopal Advisory Board, Theology of the Body Institute (2009 – )

Member, Bishops Advisory Board, Pope Paul VI Institute (2012 – )

CANON LAW PROJECTS:

National Council of Catholic Bishops: Faculty, Canon Law Workshops for Bishops of Regions I, IV, V.

Workshops on the Revised Code, Teaching Team (1982)

Seminar on Diocesan Fiscal Officer, National Convention (1982)

Member Research and discussion Committees (1980-1983)

Press Officer, National Convention (1981, 1982)

Seminar on Lay Ministry, National Convention (1985)

Symposium on Diocesan Governance (1982-1985)

Canon Law Society Board of Consultors (1985-1987)

International Canon Law Symposium, Vatican City (April 19-24, 1993)
“The Law in the Life and Mission of the Church.”

PUBLICATIONS

“Sanity from the Sea?” America, Volume 23, No. 12 (October 24,1970, 318-319)
“Ocean Space and World Justice,” Chicago Studies, Volume 11, No. 2 (Summer, 1972) 159-172
“The Trullan Controversy: Implications for the Status of Orthodox Christians in Roman Catholic Law,” Canon Law Studies No. 491. Washington, D.C. Catholic University of America, 223 Pages (Doctoral Dissertation.
“The Diocesan Fiscal Officer and the Diocesan Finance Council,” Proceedings of the Forty-fourth Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America, Washington, D.C.: CLSA, 1983, 181-188.
“Church Finances: Responsibility and Consultative Structures in the Revised Code,” New Catholic World Volume 226, No. 1353 (May/June, 1983), pp. 132-135.
“The Temporal Goods of the Church,” in the Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary. J. Coriden et al, ed. New York: Paulist Press, 1985, 857-890.
“Ecclesial Ministries Within the Diocese: Development and Integration,” Proceedings of the Forty-seventh Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America. Washington, D.C.: CLSA, 1986, 66-83.
A series of articles on the 1983 Code of Canon Law for diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Post, which were also printed elsewhere.
Pastoral letter: “The Obligations of Catholics and the Rights of Unborn Children,” issued June 3, 1990.
Pastoral letter: “The Eucharist: Sacrifice of Love,” issued on December 2, 1990.
A Letter to Health Care Administrators, issued on September 23, 1991.
Pastoral letter on Religious Education: “To Reach Full Knowledge of the Truth (I Timothy 2:24),” issued on January 31, 1993.
International Canon Law Symposium, The Law In The Life And Mission Of The Church, Vatican City, April, 19-24, 1993.
“Vocations to the Sacred Priesthood,” National Catholic Register, September, 1993.
Pastoral Letter: “Make Yours A Holy Family,” issued December, 1993.
Symposium on the “Participation of the Laity in the Pastoral Ministry of Priests,” Vatican City, February, 1994.
Pastoral Letter to the Young of Our Church and Community and a separate letter to Parents, Pastors, and Adults in the Church and Community on chastity formation: “A Fresh, Spiritual Way of Thinking,” issued on January 20, 1995.
“After My Own Heart,” Sacrum Ministerium, Congregation for the Clergy, November, 1995.
Pastoral Letter on Fatherhood: “Fathers Make Known to Children Your Faithfulness,” issued on March 19, 1997.
“Vocations,” Our Sunday Visitor Press, (1997) pp 694-699.
“Divorce, Remarriage and the Reception of the Holy Eucharist,” The Jurist, 1997: 2, pp. 489-516.
“Letter to Senior Priests,” issued June 17, 2001.
Pastoral Letter on Faith and Terrorism: “If God is With Us, Who Can Be Against Us,” issued October 11, 2001.
Pastoral Letter on the Church: “A Reason for the Hope That Lies Within Us,” issued December 2, 2001.
Mass of Chrism: Text of Homily, issued March 25, 2002.
Letter to Parishioners on the subject of Sexual Abuse, appearing in the April 24, 2002 edition of The Catholic Advocate.
“An Examination of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body,” keynote speech, Conference on Christian Sexuality, Family Honor, July 19, 2002.
Pastoral Letter reflecting on the Theology of the Body, “And the Word Became Flesh,” issued December 8, 2002.
“A Meditation on Pope Paul VI’s ‘Humanae Vitae’,” issued August 13, 2003.
“The Archdiocese of Newark’s historical accounting of Clergy sexual abuse of minors,” appearing in the February 25, 2004 edition of The Catholic Advocate.
Pastoral Statement reflecting on a Catholic’s responsibilities for receiving The Eucharist, “A Time for Honesty,” issued May 5, 2004.
“Our obligation to rescue and restore,” dealing with the issue of human trafficking, appearing in the May 19, 2004 edition of The Catholic Advocate.
Keynote address at the National Conference on Human Trafficking Sponsored by the US Department of Justice, Tampa, Florida, July 16, 2004.
Op-ed piece on Catholics’ responsibilities as voters, “A Voter’s Guide,” appearing in the September 17, 2004 edition of The Wall Street Journal and the October 6, 2004 edition of The Catholic Advocate.
Op-Ed piece on the role of a bishop in educating his flock on issues of public policy, “A Right and a Duty to Speak Out on Moral Issues,” appearing in the November 5, 2004 edition of The Newark Star-Ledger.
Pastoral statement on Evangelization, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” issued March 10, 2005.
Pastoral letter on death and dying, “Whether in Life or in Death, We are the Lord’s,” issued September 8, 2005.
Op-ed piece on the need to reform charity care formula in New Jersey, “Urban Hospitals Need a Transfusion,” appearing in the August 3, 2006 edition of The Newark Star-Ledger.
Question and Answer column, “Catholics Quiz Myers,” on Catholic teaching and issues facing the Church today, responding to inquiries from readers, appearing in the Perspectives section of the April 24, 2007 edition of The Newark Star-Ledger.
“The Bishops’ Far-Reaching Call,” op-ed on US Bishops’ Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship document, in the March 5, 2008 edition of The Newark Star-Ledger.
Pastoral Statement, “When Two Become One: A Pastoral Teaching on the definition, Purpose and Sanctity of Marriage,” issued September 14, 2012

Revised April 17, 2013