EDITORIAL

The padre’s final jump

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Archbishop Philip Hannan died last week at the age of 98. He leaves behind a legacy of service to the church, the nation and most especially, the poor.

As a young priest he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Second World War and became a paratrooper chaplain in the famous 82nd Airborne. He soon became known as the Jumping Padre who went on to become the Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C. where he became the confidant of presidents and congressional leaders. He delivered eulogies at both President John F. Kennedy’s Funeral Mass and later at his brother Robert F. Kennedy’s Funeral Mass.

He would be named the Archbishop of New Orleans in the 1960’s where he was a popular churchman. When he arrived in New Orleans, he soon learned that public swimming pools were not open to African-Americans, so he integrated the pool at the archdiocese’s Notre Dame Seminary for the children of the city. He would partner with the federal government to establish a vast network of services for the poor of New Orleans including affordable housing, day care for children, medical services, and literacy programs. In the 1970’s he welcomed thousands of Vietnamese families fleeing the fall of Saigon and helped to relocate them to the region. In the 1980’s he established Project Lazarus, a home and hospice for gay men suffering from AIDS. He also helped in the naming of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. His service as archbishop knew no boundaries and had few limits.

After three days of wake services, the late archbishop is to be laid to rest today in the Cathedral of St. Louis de France. Thousands of the faithful from New Orleans and beyond are expected to pay their respects. He appropriately entitled his autobiography the “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots.” After nearly a century of serving as a soldier for Christ, his boots are indeed well-worn from building up the kingdom of God. Archbishop Philip Hannan now goes to his eternal reward. Requiescat in pace.