Archbishop Joseph Schrembs and the twentieth century Catholic Church in Cleveland, 1921-1945

This dissertation examines the rise of Archbishop Joseph Schrembs and his place in the American Catholic hierarchy as it concentrates on his administration in the Diocese of Cleveland between 1921 and 1945, an important time in the history of the American Catholic Church generally and the Cleveland Church in particular. Special attention is given to Schrembs' efforts to obtain public assistance to maintain and operate the parochical schools for the Cleveland Diocese as well as the parochical schools in the State of Ohio. Other important questions that are addressed concern Schrembs' relationships with Cleveland's ethnic white and black communities as he faced the issues of assimilation, racism, and cultural acceptance. The moral, economic, and social impacts of the Depression on the Schrembs administration are also discussed, underscoring how the Cleveland prelate promoted Catholic social thought and action in dealing with labor-management relations, the rise of communism, and the polarities of the Catholic Worker movement and Coughlinism.; Other aspects of this paper investigate Schrembs' role in resurrecting the National Catholic Welfare Conference and how Schrembs expanded this organization and utilized its influence in confronting the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico and the recognition of the Soviet Union. Schrembs and the NCWC also reinforced traditional Catholic morality and family life in conjunction with the growth of the motion picture industry and the rise of the birth control movement. Schrembs played a significant role in establishing the Legion of Decency to monitor the motion picture industry and emerged as a steadfast opponent to the birth control movement.; The concluding pages feature Schrembs as the man, priest, and prelate, portraying the human and spiritual attributes of this religious leader.