Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Catholic prelate who served Archbishop of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from March 1958 until his death two months later.

[7] He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales in Toledo on November 30, 1921, from Archbishop Henry K. Moeller, with Bishops John Morris and Thomas Molloy serving as co-consecrators.

[7] Stritch suffered from periods of depression early in his tenure as archbishop, but joined nationwide feelings of optimism with the 1932 election of US President Franklin D.

Due to the economic downturn, he refused to spend money restoring the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, which was heavily damaged by fire in 1935, or St. Francis de Sales Seminary.

Stritch in December 1939 wrote a letter to a Milwaukee rabbi that rebuked those who,"...gain and hold a popular audience, degrade themselves and abuse the trust reposed in them by misquoting, half-quoting, and actually insinuating half-truths.

"[5] Despite Stritch's protests,[2][page needed] Pope Pius XII appointed him the fourth archbishop of Chicago, Illinois, on December 27, 1939.

[7] Stritch was the personal choice of Apostolic Delegate Amleto Giovanni Cicognani for the post, although Roosevelt reputedly wanted Bishop Bernard Sheil instead.

[5] In 1943, during World War II, Stritch signed a peace program developed by American Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish leaders.

[1] As archbishop of Chicago, Stritch oversaw the establishment of the first American chapter of the organization Opus Dei, the launching of the Christian Family Movement, and an outreach program to the Puerto Rican community.

In 1952, Stritch delivered the invocation at the opening session of the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, saying "Today we face a crisis as grave as that of Valley Forge."

[18] After lying in state at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and then at the Cathedral of the Holy Name in Chicago,[6] Stritch's remains were interred in the Bishops' Mausoleum at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, on June 3rd.