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Cardinal O Connor remembered
Thursday, May 18, 2000
The Southern Cross, Page 4
A patient priest
By Susan Polonus Mucha
hen Cardinal John O’Connor
died, I heard him described
as out-spoken, intelligent, compas
sionate, courageous, tough-as-nails,
aggressive, strong, fair. I would
have added humble.
I had had Cardinal O’Connor on
my mind ever since the news
reports said he was at the hour of
death, succumbing to brain cancer.
I thought of my brother Jack who
died a year ago at the age of 47 of
the same disease as Cardinal
O’Connor. When it was reported
that the cardinal could no longer
communicate, I understood exactly
what that meant. If his last weeks
had been anything like Jack’s, he
slowly lost his coordination and
then his ability to move at all.
Maybe he would be able to hold a
hand before the last days, and with
determination give that hand a
squeeze. When his speech left him,
he might have felt panic. But
maybe not. If his illness progressed
like Jack’s, his eyes probably would
have communicated better than
most of us speak. At the end, his
eyes might have closed to the out
side world and his breaths might
have come shallow and fast. And if
his very last breath was anything
like my brother’s, his sisters and
brother (in Jack’s case his mother,
too) might have stood at his bed
side with their hands on his chest
and would have felt his spirit leave
his body. It would have been a
peaceful moment.
Because of the news of the cardi
nal’s death, I thought of another but
different kind of peaceful moment
and how Cardinal O’Connor de
monstrated his humility and the
way in which he communicated
that virtue to me.
I was in New York City with my
husband while he attended a con
ference. The first morning in Man
hattan, as my husband went off to
his meeting, I left the hotel early
and walked two blocks to Saint
Patrick’s Cathedral. I had no idea
what time daily Masses were, but I
thought I’d at least stop in for a
prayer. I pulled open the massive
door, entered the church, and from
the very back I saw the last few
people in line approach the altar to
receive the Eucharist. I genuflected
on both knees and as quickly as
possible walked the length of that
great church. The celebrant stood
patiently watching me as I came
nearer. Lay ministers on either side
of the priest turned away from him
and left his side, much like dancers
in a choreographed routine. But still
the priest waited. When I looked at
him, I expected to see maybe a hint
of impatience. But I saw only the
face of a kindly parish priest. Until
I looked in his eyes, I had felt self-
conscious. Who did I think I was,
keeping the priest waiting for me?
Goodness, not only was I late for
Mass, I was holding up the service
for everyone in the church, and
they had arrived on time. Of course
I didn’t know that if I had arrived
ten minutes later, another Mass
would be starting.
But still the priest waited. I final
ly reached the altar and held out my
hands and received Holy Commu
nion. And then, only then, did Car
dinal O’Connor turn from me and
continue the Mass.
Susan Mucha is a member of
Saint Mary on the Hill Parish,
Augusta.
***
A cherished classmate
By John B. Connor
ohn Cardinal O’Connor, the most
influential figure in our time in
the Catholic Chuch has passed on
to his just reward in heaven. Who
would have thought that a class
mate of mine would aspire to to
become the Archbishop of New
York with 2.4 million parishioners.
Other than the same name, except
for the “O”, we have many things
in common. We were both bom in
Philadelphia, are the same age,
attended West Catholic High
School for Boys, Class of ‘37—he
left in our sophomore year for the
Seminary, both of us were in the
military service for 27 years, he in
the Navy as a Chaplain and me in
the Air Force as a flying officer. I
crossed paths with Cardinal O’Con
nor when he was a Captain (Chap
lain) in the Navy when he was vis
iting in Port Layauty, Morocco, a
Navy base and I was stationed in
Sidi Slimani, Morocco, an Air
Force Base.
He retired from the Navy and
became Bishop of Scranton, Penn
sylvania, and I retired to civilian
industry. I have followed his career
since high school never suspecting
that he would become an intellectual
leader which made him the Vatican’s
most visible leader in the U.S.
As he stated during his illness, he
wanted to be remembered as a sim
ple priest who did a good job. He
did and more. I will always remem
ber how fortunate I am to have had
him for a classmate if only for a
brief time.
Col. John B. Connor, USAF
(Ret.), is a member of Saint James
Parish, Savannah.
i
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA
31401-5196
Opus Dei
Dear Editor:
In the Q & A section of the April 27th issue,
James Knapp Jr. discussed the Opus Dei organi
zation; its founding, mission, and operating
characteristics.
Having known a number of Opus Dei mem
bers and counting them as friends, Mr. Knapp’s
comments struck me as factual and unbiased. As
he pointed out, it’s up to the individual to deter
mine if total commitment to the way of Opus
Dei is God’s way for them. But there is another
aspect of the various Opus Dei apostolates that
can benefit everyone independently of becoming
a member.
They publish a rich variety of writings to help
people in their efforts to sanctify their lives in
the ordinary course of everyday living—from
devotionals to catechetical instruction, from
daily meditations to guidebooks about character
building, marriage, and family.
Two examples stand out in my mind. The first
is the Navarre Bible. Each volume of the New
Te .lament is self-contained and includes com
mentaries explaining the doctrinal and practical
meaning of the text—from Sai : Augustine to
Pope John Paul II. Thus, the reader is introduced
to two thousand years of Christian thought and
living of the sacred word.
The other example is the series titled In Con-
Letters
versation with God. These short, daily readings
relate to the themes of the Mass readings for
each day of the liturgical season and feast days.
They are filled with powerful and prayerful
thoughts of how we can try to translate every
moment of our lives into a unique unity with the
will of God. To accomplish this, they draw upon
the eloquence of the saints, the Church Fathers,
councils, and popes.
I’ve seen some of these publications in local
Catholic bookstores or their Web site (www.
scepterpub.org) can be accessed or a pocket-
folder listing can be obtained by calling Scepter
Publishers in Princeton, NJ at 1-800-322-8773.
Lee Robey
Savannah
In appreciation
Dear Editor:
Another very interesting article by Rita De-
Lorme, this time about the Trappists at Conyers
(May 4). The picture brought back fond memo
ries. In approximately 1947-48 a group of
Newman Club members from Georgia Tech
made the first of the three retreats I made there.
I do not recall if we were the first group of
retreatants ever, or if we were the first Georgia
Tech group. After meandering over many miles
of unpaved roads leaving Atlanta—no 1-20
then—we arrived at the sight shown in the pic-
FAX: (912) 238-2339
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ture—a complex of old Army barracks. The
main building shown in front is where we slept
in one- or two-person rooms, In the back part
was the chapel, which I believe we were in
about 5:30 a.m. plus other times during the day.
Off to the right of the picture, down a small hill
was an old bam, and that is where the priests
and brothers originally lived.
Silence was the order for everyone, except the
priest or brother who met us (maybe in the little
building to the left) and the retreat master. At
meals, if not all, at least lunch, the main meal,
scripture was read to us. My memory was the
droning voice of the reader, this was the only
time he spoke and with no change in tone.
I do not recall when they built the large con
crete structure with the church/chapel, living
quarters, etc. But I did go back for a few hours
visit after my 1949 graduation and I do not
believe it was as yet complete. I hope to make at
least one more retreat there and I wonder if any
present Southern Cross readers were with me
then. Thank you, Rita.
Bill Bennett
Savannah
***
Dear Editor:
I am writing to express appreciation for Rita
DeLorme’s article on Richard Reid, which ap-
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