Edward William O'Rourke

"[1] After attending Downs High School (1931–1935) and St. Henry College (1935–1938), he studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois.

[1] He also helped find housing and employment for hundreds of people fleeing Communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

[1] He helped establish hundreds of economic development committees, cooperatives and other self-help programs in the United States and abroad.

[2] Later that year, O'Rourke sold the episcopal residence on Glen Oak Avenue and moved to a one-bedroom brick ranch house near St. Mary's Cathedral, donating the money to the diocesan fund for retired priests.

[3] He was offered a chance to leave the plane but declined; he led the passengers in prayer and tried to persuade the hijackers to surrender.

[1] On January 22, 1990, Pope John Paul II accepted O'Rourke's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Peoria.

"[5]In 1967, O'Rourke issued a critique of industrial agriculture, saying, "It neglects entirely the spiritual, social and cultural values of rural living.