John Joseph Krol (October 26, 1910 – March 3, 1996) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961 to 1988, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland (1953–1961), and was elevated as a cardinalate in 1967 by Pope Paul VI. Early life and education Krol was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the fourth of eight children of John and Anna (née Pietruszka) Krol. His parents were Polish immigrants who were originally from the Tatra Mountains. Krol's father held various occupations, working as a machinist, barber, carpenter, plumber and electrician; his mother worked as a maid at a hotel in Cleveland. At age 2, he and his family returned to Poland, but returned to Cleveland within a year. Krol received his early education at the parochial school of St. Hyacinth Church. At age 9, he went to work part-time as a butcher's helper. He later worked as a maker of wooden boxes. Krol attended Cathedral Latin High School, graduating at age 16 in 1927. He then took a job as a butcher at a Kroger grocery store in Cleveland, where he became manager of the meat department at age 18. Religious questions from a Lutheran co-worker prompted Krol to more deeply study Catholic theology and eventually decide to enter the priesthood. He began his studies at St. Mary's College in Orchard Lake, Michigan. He later enrolled at St. Mary's Seminary in his native Cleveland. At St. Mary's, he also operated a small tobacco business, receiving shipments of defective cigars and then selling them to his fellow seminarians. Priesthood On February 20, 1937, Krol was ordained a priest by Bishop Joseph Schrembs at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. His first assignment was as a curate at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Cleveland, where he remained for one year. In 1938, he was sent to continue his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1940. He received a Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Catholic University of America School of Canon Law in Washington, D.C., in 1942. Following his return to Cleveland, Krol served as professor of canon law at St. Mary's Seminary from 1942 to 1943. He served as vice-chancellor (1943–51) and chancellor (1951–54) of the Diocese of Cleveland. He was named a papal chamberlain in