archbishop bishop Catholic priest
James Lyke was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of seven children of Amos and Ora (née Sneed) Lyke. His father abandoned the family, and his mother was left to raise the children in impoverished surroundings, relying on welfare checks. His mother, a Baptist, sent James to a Catholic school in the fourth grade in order to keep him out of trouble, and did the church"s laundry to help pay the tuition.
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Quincy (Illinois) College, 1963; Master of Divinity in Theology, St. Joseph Seminary, Teutopolis, Illinois, 1967; Doctor of Theology, Union Graduate School, Cincinnati, 1981.
He served as Archbishop of Atlanta from 1991 to 1992. The family lived in a flat, where there were no beds and the only source of heat was a coal stove, before moving to Wentworth Gardens, a Chicago housing project He held a master"s of divinity from Saint Joseph Theological Seminary in Teutopolis and received a Doctor of Philosophy in theology in 1981 from the Union Graduate School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland
While serving as Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of Cleveland, Bishop Lyke coordinated the hymnal project which produced Lead Maine, Guide Maine: the African American Catholic Hymnal in 1987.
Apostolic Administrator of Atlanta
After the resignation of Archbishop Eugene Marino due to scandal in 1990, Bishop Lyke was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Archbishop of Atlanta
He was then appointed archbishop there, and was installed as such on June 24, 1991.
Lyke died of cancer in 1992. At the time of his death, he was the highest-ranking black Catholic clergyman in the nation.
Lyke House - the Catholic (Newman) Center in the Atlanta University Center - is named for him.
Archbishop Lyke Catholic Elementary School in Cleveland-Garfield Heights is named after him. In 1994, Saints Catherine and Henry in Cleveland and Saint Timothy in Garfield Heights which are predominantly African-American Catholic parishes merged their grade schools into Archbishop Lyke Elementary. They have a two campus system in which Street.Henry has grades k-4 and Saint Timothy grades 5-8.
Member Guide to Black Resources in Greater Cleveland, 1990-1992. Member National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Conference Catholic Bishops (migration committee, black liturgy subcommittee of bishops committee on liturgy), United States Catholic Conference, National Black Catholic Clergy Conference, Ohio Catholic Conference, Urban League, Southern Poverty Law Center, Bread for the World, National Black Evangelist Association, Pax Christi United States of America, National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (president 1977-1979), Pontifical Council COR UNUM, National Advisory Board, Success Guide. Lodges: Knights St. Peter Claver, Knights of Columbus (4th degree).
