About Archbishop John J. Myers

The Most Reverend John J. Myers, fifth Archbishop of Newark, after receiving his degree from the Pontifical North American College in Rome, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on Dec. 17, 1966, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. He then received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Gregorian University, Rome, in 1967; and in 1977, received a Doctorate in Canon Law from Catholic University of America.

On September 3, 1987, Bishop Myers was installed as Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria, and acceded to the See of Peoria on January 23, 1990. Later, on July 24, 2001, His Holiness, Blessed Pope John Paul II, chose Bishop John J. Myers to serve as the fifth Metropolitan Archbishop of Newark, N.J., being installed as Archbishop on October 9, 2001.

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, a post he held until 2011. As a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Myers helped draft the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a document dealing compassionately with victims of abuse, and openly with civil authorities.

Archbishop Myers has, since 2001, served as President of the Board of Regents, and Chair of the Board of Trustees, of Seton Hall University. He has chaired and served in various capacities both at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and the Pontifical North American College, Rome, including as Chair of the North American College's Board of Governors. Currently, he serves as Trustee of the Papal Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation, Inc., as well as serving as a member of the Episcopal Advisory Board of the Theology of the Body Institute; and, as a member of the Bishops Advisory Board of the Pope Paul VI Institute.
Archbishop Myers has also served from 1998 until 2008 as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts. In 2008, he was named a Member of this Pontifical Council.

Archbishop Myers’ motto, Mysterium Ecclesiae Luceat (“Let the Mystery of the Church shine forth”) is a succinct summary of the central theme of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. He has 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.”