Philip Hannan
Encyclopedia
Philip Matthew Hannan was an American Roman Catholic Archbishop
. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
and later as the Eleventh Archbishop
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
from September 29, 1965 to December 6, 1988.
in northwest Washington, D.C, where he was a leader in both scholastic work and sports activities. He captained the winning cadet company in his senior year there. Before high school graduation, he surprised his family by saying that instead of taking the entrance exam to gain admittance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he would become a priest. He then began college studies at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland
, and then at the Sulpician Seminary (known now as Theological College) affiliated with The Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
Following his studies at The Catholic University of America, where he received a Master's Degree, Hannan studied from 1936 to 1939 as a major seminarian
at the North American College
in Rome, where he personally witnessed the rise of fascism
in Italy
and Germany
. He would later write a biographical account, Rome: Living under the Axis, detailing his experiences in Rome. He received a Licentiate
in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome and later earned a Doctorate in Canon Law
from Catholic University. Hannan was ordained
a priest
of the Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington
by His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Ralph Hayes, Rector of the Pontifical North American College (and later Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport
, Iowa
)
on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
, December 8, 1939.
The newly-ordained Father Hannan remained in Rome until the following summer (1940), when all American seminarians were ordered to leave by the U.S. Secretary of State to maintain their personal safety. He returned to the United States (celebrating his first Mass in the States at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. on June 16, 1940), and spent the next two years as a curate
(assistant pastor, or parochial vicar) at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
and the United States' entry into World War II
, then-Father Hannan enlisted in the United States Army
, where he served as a chaplain to the 82nd Airborne Division
. Father Hannan parachuted
into Europe with the rest of his division and ministered to the paratroopers during the Ardennes Offensive
. Father Hannan was also with American soldiers during the ending of the European War and afterward, as they began to uncover the Nazi horrors during the liberation of starved prisoners at the Wöbbelin
concentration camp
.
After the war, Hannan served briefly as pastor of the Cologne Cathedral
during the American occupation of Germany.
and in 1948 was appointed vice chancellor of that Archdiocese.
In 1951, Hannan established the Catholic Standard
newspaper in Washington and served as its editor-in-chief. Later that same year he was named chancellor
of the Archdiocese, and Pope Pius XII
honored Father Hannan in 1952 by naming him a Monsignor
. On June 16, 1956, Hannan was named Titular Bishop
of Hieropolis and Auxiliary Bishop
of Washington, and was consecrated in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
on August 28.
As Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Hannan was part of the U.S. delegation to the Second Vatican Council
, where he served as a press officer. Until his death in 2011, Hannan was one of two living United States bishops to have attended all four sessions of Vatican II, along with Raymond Hunthausen
, Archbishop Emeritus of Seattle, Washington.
During his 9 years as Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, and because of his skills as a press officer in both Baltimore and Washington, Hannan became acquainted with several prominent politicians, especially the Kennedy family
. It was his familiarity with the Kennedys that would move Hannan into the national spotlight.
Hannan was in Rome for meetings of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council in November 1963 when news reached him concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
, which forced his immediate return to Washington. At Kennedy's state funeral
mass, Richard Cardinal Cushing
, Archbishop of Boston, served as the principal celebrant. Cushing was a close friend of the family who had witnessed and blessed the marriage of Senator Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, baptized two of their children, given the invocation at President Kennedy's inauguration, and officiated at the recent funeral of the President's infant son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy. Hannan, however, was asked by the Kennedy family to deliver the homily at the Requiem Mass, which substituted for a formal eulogy, since a traditional eulogy was not permitted by the Catholic Church. This responsibility normally would have fallen to the Archbishop of Washington at the time, Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle
, but he generously allowed his assistant to do so. In 1968, he returned to Washington from New Orleans to deliver the graveside eulogy for Senator Robert F. Kennedy
, and in 1994, he offered graveside prayers at the interment of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in Arlington National Cemetery.
, succeeding Archbishop John Cody
(later Cardinal), who had been transferred to Chicago. He moved to New Orleans only weeks after Hurricane Betsy
hit the city, and he became a spiritual leader during the rebuilding of both the city and the archdiocese.
He presided over the New Orleans archdiocese during a time of great change. The Second Vatican Council concluded on December 8, 1965, and Archbishop Hannan led the effort to implement the Council's policies of reform within the archdiocese. Hannan instituted a Social Apostolate program in 1966 which now provides over 20 million pounds of free food each year to 42,000 needy women, children and elderly. He also reformed the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities system, which now serves as the largest non-governmental social service agency in the New Orleans metropolitan area
.
At the same time, the demographics of the city were changing, as Catholic
whites moved to the suburbs
, while Orleans Parish
became increasingly Protestant
. New churches and parish
es were being built throughout the city, while attendance in inner-city churches declined.
As for his political views, Archbishop Hannan was known to be a staunch anti-Communist, and was one of the leaders of a moderate minority of bishops who opposed the May 3, 1983 pastoral letter of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response
, which came out strongly against the notion of deterrence and advocated a nuclear freeze with the Soviet Union
.
Hannan was archbishop when Blessed Pope John Paul II made his Apostolic Visit to New Orleans between September 11 and 13, 1987, the first ever Papal Visit
to the city. Hannan, who considered the visit the highlight of his tenure as Archbishop, was the Pontiff's personal guide throughout his three day tour of the city.
In May 1988, upon reaching his 75th birthday and in accordance with Canon Law
, Archbishop Hannan submitted his resignation. This resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on December 6, 1988, when Hannan was succeeded as Archbishop by Francis Schulte
, then Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
, West Virginia
.
, in June 2011; he had grown increasingly frail in recent months because of a series of strokes and other health problems. At the time of his death, he was the third-oldest Catholic Bishop in the United States (after Newark's Archbishop Emeritus Peter Leo Gerety
, who turned 99 on July 19, 2011, and Buffalo Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Bernard J. McLaughlin, who will turn 99 on November 19, 2011).
Accolades and statements of condolence came from New Orlean's current Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond
, both Archbishops Emeritus of New Orleans (his immediate successor, Francis Bible Schulte, and Alfred Clifton Hughes
), Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal
, both of Louisiana's U.S. Senators, and many of its Representatives and state government officials.
Archbishop Aymond received the body of the late Archbishop at 5:00 p.m. Monday, October 3, 2011, at the Notre Dame Seminary Chapel. A special evening of prayer, with the recital of the Liturgy of the Hours, was celebrated by the Archdiocese's priests, followed by a wake service and public viewing. Public viewings took place at the chapel all day Tuesday, October 4, and until noon, Wednesday, October 5, when a horse drawn funeral procession went to St. Louis Cathedral. Additional public viewings were held at the Cathedral. Archbishop Aymond, along with other U.S. Bishops, celebrated a Funeral Mass for Archbishop Hannan on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at the Cathedral, followed by his burial in a crypt beneath the sanctuary.
.
In 1996, Hannan was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award
. It was named after a 1963 encyclical
letter by Pope John XXIII
that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in Terris
is Latin
for 'Peace on Earth.'
Also in 1996, Hannan, as a retired archbishop, publicly opposed the election of Democrat Mary Landrieu
, a Roman Catholic whose family had been Hannan's longtime friends, to the United States Senate
. Although stopping short of endorsing (or even mentioning) Landrieu's Republican opponent, Woody Jenkins
, the retired archbishop had become concerned, as he explained, by the endorsement of Landrieu by Emily's List
, an organization devoted to pro-choice
candidates on the issue of abortion
. Emily's List later ceased its support of Senator Landrieu prior to her 2002 reelection because of her congressional opposition to intact dilation and extraction
(partial-birth abortion). Hannan's 1996 declaration has been cited as influential on later Catholic prelates injecting themselves into politics by issuing warning statements about pro abortion rights Catholic politicians and in barring them from communion.
At the age of 92, Hannan was still in the news when it was revealed that, during Hurricane Katrina
, he courageously remained at a studio in a Catholic television station he had founded in Metairie, in order to protect it from looting. In the aftermath of Katrina, Hannan continued in the effort to revive New Orleans, by both inspiring residents spiritually and pitching in to the clean-up effort physically.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008, from his home in Covington
, the retired archbishop published his "Thanksgiving and Christmas Blessings" in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The full-page announcement was mostly a pro-life
appeal expressing particular concern over the potential threat that the "evil" Freedom of Choice Act
might be passed into law by the incoming United States Congress
and the Presidential administration of Barack Obama
. The ad cited the 1973 Supreme Court
decision Roe v. Wade
and, quoting the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, warns that "a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the decision itself."
In May 2010, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing published Hannan's memoirs in The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots - From Combat, to Camelot, to Katrina: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Life by Archbishop Philip Hannan with Nancy Collins and Peter Finney, Jr., hardcover, 457 pages, ISBN 978-1-59276-697-0.
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
and later as the Eleventh Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
from September 29, 1965 to December 6, 1988.
Education and ordination
Hannan attended high school at St. John's College High SchoolSt. John's College High School
St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., established in 1851, is the second oldest Catholic Christian Brother's school in the United States, and the oldest JROTC school. It was founded by Brother John of Mary, F.S.C., and two other Christian Brothers in St. Matthew's parish, 15th and G...
in northwest Washington, D.C, where he was a leader in both scholastic work and sports activities. He captained the winning cadet company in his senior year there. Before high school graduation, he surprised his family by saying that instead of taking the entrance exam to gain admittance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he would become a priest. He then began college studies at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland
St. Charles College, Maryland
St. Charles College was a seminary college in Catonsville, Maryland, originally from Ellicott City, Maryland.- 1776:Charles Carroll of Carrollton signs the Declaration of Independence for Maryland. One of the wealthiest men in the Americas, Carroll staked his fortune on the American Revolution...
, and then at the Sulpician Seminary (known now as Theological College) affiliated with The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C.
Following his studies at The Catholic University of America, where he received a Master's Degree, Hannan studied from 1936 to 1939 as a major seminarian
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
at the North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
in Rome, where he personally witnessed the rise of fascism
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Italy
History of Italy as a monarchy and in the World Wars
This articles covers the history of Italy as a monarchy and in the World Wars.-Italian unification :Modern Italy became a nation-state during the Risorgimento on March 17, 1861 when most of the states of the Italian Peninsula and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were united under king Victor...
and Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He would later write a biographical account, Rome: Living under the Axis, detailing his experiences in Rome. He received a Licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome and later earned a Doctorate in Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
from Catholic University. Hannan was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore as well as Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington Counties in Maryland...
by His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Most Reverend
The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church , all bishops are styled "The Most Reverend", as well as monsignors of the rank of protonotary apostolic de numero.*In the Roman Catholic Church , archbishops are styled "The...
Ralph Hayes, Rector of the Pontifical North American College (and later Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
)
on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and the Republic of the...
, December 8, 1939.
The newly-ordained Father Hannan remained in Rome until the following summer (1940), when all American seminarians were ordered to leave by the U.S. Secretary of State to maintain their personal safety. He returned to the United States (celebrating his first Mass in the States at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. on June 16, 1940), and spent the next two years as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
(assistant pastor, or parochial vicar) at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
World War II
After the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and the United States' entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then-Father Hannan enlisted in the United States Army
Chaplain Corps (United States Army)
The Chaplain Corps of the United States Army consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned Army officers as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious services, counseling, and moral support to the armed forces, whether in peacetime or at war.-Army...
, where he served as a chaplain to the 82nd Airborne Division
U.S. 82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute landing operations. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps....
. Father Hannan parachuted
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
into Europe with the rest of his division and ministered to the paratroopers during the Ardennes Offensive
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. Father Hannan was also with American soldiers during the ending of the European War and afterward, as they began to uncover the Nazi horrors during the liberation of starved prisoners at the Wöbbelin
Wöbbelin
Wöbbelin is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality has a seat in the office of Ludwigslust from where it is administered...
concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
.
After the war, Hannan served briefly as pastor of the Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
during the American occupation of Germany.
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C.
He returned to the United States and served for a time as an assistant priest at St. Mary Mother of God parish in Chinatown in the Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington.http://www.cathstan.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=26&ArticleID=4799 When the archdiocese of Washington was split from the archdiocese of Baltimore on November 15, 1947, with separate archbishops being appointed for them, Hannan became a priest of the Archdiocese of WashingtonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
and in 1948 was appointed vice chancellor of that Archdiocese.
In 1951, Hannan established the Catholic Standard
Catholic Standard
The Catholic Standard, founded in 1951, is the official weekly newspaper for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.In print and on-line, the Catholic Standard continues its work of communicating the teachings of Jesus Christ and showing how the Catholic faith is being lived in the...
newspaper in Washington and served as its editor-in-chief. Later that same year he was named chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
of the Archdiocese, and Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
honored Father Hannan in 1952 by naming him a Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
. On June 16, 1956, Hannan was named Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Hieropolis and Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Washington, and was consecrated in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St...
on August 28.
As Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Hannan was part of the U.S. delegation to the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, where he served as a press officer. Until his death in 2011, Hannan was one of two living United States bishops to have attended all four sessions of Vatican II, along with Raymond Hunthausen
Raymond Hunthausen
Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen is a retired American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Helena from 1962 to 1975 and as Archbishop of Seattle from 1975 to 1991.-Early life and education:...
, Archbishop Emeritus of Seattle, Washington.
During his 9 years as Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, and because of his skills as a press officer in both Baltimore and Washington, Hannan became acquainted with several prominent politicians, especially the Kennedy family
Kennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
. It was his familiarity with the Kennedys that would move Hannan into the national spotlight.
Hannan was in Rome for meetings of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council in November 1963 when news reached him concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
, which forced his immediate return to Washington. At Kennedy's state funeral
State funeral of John F. Kennedy
The state funeral of John F. Kennedy took place in Washington, DC during the three days that followed his assassination on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas....
mass, Richard Cardinal Cushing
Richard Cardinal Cushing
Richard James Cushing was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970, and was created a cardinal in 1958.-Early life and education:...
, Archbishop of Boston, served as the principal celebrant. Cushing was a close friend of the family who had witnessed and blessed the marriage of Senator Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, baptized two of their children, given the invocation at President Kennedy's inauguration, and officiated at the recent funeral of the President's infant son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy. Hannan, however, was asked by the Kennedy family to deliver the homily at the Requiem Mass, which substituted for a formal eulogy, since a traditional eulogy was not permitted by the Catholic Church. This responsibility normally would have fallen to the Archbishop of Washington at the time, Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle
Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle
-External links:*...
, but he generously allowed his assistant to do so. In 1968, he returned to Washington from New Orleans to deliver the graveside eulogy for Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, and in 1994, he offered graveside prayers at the interment of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in Arlington National Cemetery.
Archbishop of New Orleans
During the Fourth Session of Vatican II, specifically on September 29, 1965, Hannan was appointed as the eleventh Archbishop of New OrleansRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
, succeeding Archbishop John Cody
John Cardinal Cody
John Patrick Cardinal Cody was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. A native of St. Louis, he served as Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph , Archbishop of New Orleans , and Archbishop of Chicago . He was created a cardinal in 1967.-Early life and education:John Cody was born in St...
(later Cardinal), who had been transferred to Chicago. He moved to New Orleans only weeks after Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
hit the city, and he became a spiritual leader during the rebuilding of both the city and the archdiocese.
He presided over the New Orleans archdiocese during a time of great change. The Second Vatican Council concluded on December 8, 1965, and Archbishop Hannan led the effort to implement the Council's policies of reform within the archdiocese. Hannan instituted a Social Apostolate program in 1966 which now provides over 20 million pounds of free food each year to 42,000 needy women, children and elderly. He also reformed the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities system, which now serves as the largest non-governmental social service agency in the New Orleans metropolitan area
New Orleans metropolitan area
New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner, or the Greater New Orleans Region is a metropolitan area designated by the United States Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans...
.
At the same time, the demographics of the city were changing, as Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
whites moved to the suburbs
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
, while Orleans Parish
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
became increasingly Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. New churches and parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es were being built throughout the city, while attendance in inner-city churches declined.
As for his political views, Archbishop Hannan was known to be a staunch anti-Communist, and was one of the leaders of a moderate minority of bishops who opposed the May 3, 1983 pastoral letter of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response
The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response
The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response is a pastoral letter of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which applies the Just War Theory to the moral problem of nuclear proliferation in the era of the Cold War, issued in 1983. It is part of the Catholic social teaching...
, which came out strongly against the notion of deterrence and advocated a nuclear freeze with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Hannan was archbishop when Blessed Pope John Paul II made his Apostolic Visit to New Orleans between September 11 and 13, 1987, the first ever Papal Visit
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
to the city. Hannan, who considered the visit the highlight of his tenure as Archbishop, was the Pontiff's personal guide throughout his three day tour of the city.
In May 1988, upon reaching his 75th birthday and in accordance with Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, Archbishop Hannan submitted his resignation. This resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on December 6, 1988, when Hannan was succeeded as Archbishop by Francis Schulte
Francis B. Schulte
Francis Bible Schulte is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston from 1985 to 1988, and Archbishop of New Orleans from 1989 to 2001.-Biography:...
, then Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the state of West Virginia. It is a conjoined diocese with two centers of worship, one day expected to be split into two separate...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
Death
Archbishop Hannan died on Thursday, September 29, 2011, at the age of 98. He died at Chateau de Notre Dame, a senior apartment complex and elder care facility that he first envisioned and then dedicated in 1977 to provide for seniors in the Archdiocese. He had moved there, from his private residence in Covington, LouisianaCovington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, in June 2011; he had grown increasingly frail in recent months because of a series of strokes and other health problems. At the time of his death, he was the third-oldest Catholic Bishop in the United States (after Newark's Archbishop Emeritus Peter Leo Gerety
Peter Leo Gerety
Peter Leo Gerety is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Newark from 1974 to 1986, having previously served as Bishop of Portland...
, who turned 99 on July 19, 2011, and Buffalo Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Bernard J. McLaughlin, who will turn 99 on November 19, 2011).
Accolades and statements of condolence came from New Orlean's current Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond
Gregory Michael Aymond
Gregory Michael Aymond is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourteenth and current Archbishop of New Orleans...
, both Archbishops Emeritus of New Orleans (his immediate successor, Francis Bible Schulte, and Alfred Clifton Hughes
Alfred Clifton Hughes
Alfred Clifton Hughes is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th Archbishop of New Orleans, having previously served as Bishop of Baton Rouge from 1993 to 2002. On June 12, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Gregory M...
), Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, both of Louisiana's U.S. Senators, and many of its Representatives and state government officials.
Archbishop Aymond received the body of the late Archbishop at 5:00 p.m. Monday, October 3, 2011, at the Notre Dame Seminary Chapel. A special evening of prayer, with the recital of the Liturgy of the Hours, was celebrated by the Archdiocese's priests, followed by a wake service and public viewing. Public viewings took place at the chapel all day Tuesday, October 4, and until noon, Wednesday, October 5, when a horse drawn funeral procession went to St. Louis Cathedral. Additional public viewings were held at the Cathedral. Archbishop Aymond, along with other U.S. Bishops, celebrated a Funeral Mass for Archbishop Hannan on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at the Cathedral, followed by his burial in a crypt beneath the sanctuary.
Legacy
Archbishop Hannan was the Archbishop of New Orleans for over twenty years, during which he became one the city's most recognized and popular residents. He has received numerous civic honors including the most prestigious award presented to a New Orleans civic leader, The Times-Picayune Loving Cup. In 1987, The Catholic University of America honored him by naming its new science center Hannan Hall and conferring upon him the honorary Doctor of Laws Degree. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
.
In 1996, Hannan was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award
Pacem in Terris Award
The Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award is a Catholic peace award which has been given annually since 1964, in commemoration of the 1963 encyclical letter "Pacem in Terris" of Pope John XXIII...
. It was named after a 1963 encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
letter by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in Terris
Pacem in Terris
Pacem in Terris was a papal encyclical issued by Pope John XXIII on 11 April 1963. It was the last encyclical drafted by John XXIII, who died from cancer two months after its completion ....
is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for 'Peace on Earth.'
Also in 1996, Hannan, as a retired archbishop, publicly opposed the election of Democrat Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, a Roman Catholic whose family had been Hannan's longtime friends, to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Although stopping short of endorsing (or even mentioning) Landrieu's Republican opponent, Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
, the retired archbishop had become concerned, as he explained, by the endorsement of Landrieu by Emily's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
, an organization devoted to pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
candidates on the issue of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. Emily's List later ceased its support of Senator Landrieu prior to her 2002 reelection because of her congressional opposition to intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction is a procedure done in late term abortion. It is also known as intact dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction , intrauterine cranial decompression and, vernacularly in the United States, as partial birth abortion...
(partial-birth abortion). Hannan's 1996 declaration has been cited as influential on later Catholic prelates injecting themselves into politics by issuing warning statements about pro abortion rights Catholic politicians and in barring them from communion.
At the age of 92, Hannan was still in the news when it was revealed that, during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, he courageously remained at a studio in a Catholic television station he had founded in Metairie, in order to protect it from looting. In the aftermath of Katrina, Hannan continued in the effort to revive New Orleans, by both inspiring residents spiritually and pitching in to the clean-up effort physically.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008, from his home in Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, the retired archbishop published his "Thanksgiving and Christmas Blessings" in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The full-page announcement was mostly a pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
appeal expressing particular concern over the potential threat that the "evil" Freedom of Choice Act
Freedom of Choice Act
The Freedom of Choice Act was a bill in the 110th United States Congress which "declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child; terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or terminate a pregnancy after viability when...
might be passed into law by the incoming United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the Presidential administration of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. The ad cited the 1973 Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decision Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
and, quoting the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, warns that "a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the decision itself."
In May 2010, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing published Hannan's memoirs in The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots - From Combat, to Camelot, to Katrina: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Life by Archbishop Philip Hannan with Nancy Collins and Peter Finney, Jr., hardcover, 457 pages, ISBN 978-1-59276-697-0.
General references
- Hannan, Philip, with Nancy Collins and Peter Finney, Jr. The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots - From Combat, to Camelot, to Katrina: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Life, hardcover, 457 pages, May 2010. Our Sunday VisitorOur Sunday VisitorOur Sunday Visitor is a Roman Catholic publishing company in Huntington, Indiana which prints the American national weekly newspaper of that name, as well as numerous Catholic periodicals, religious books, pamphlets, catechetical materials, inserts for parish bulletins and offertory envelopes....
Publishing (Huntington, Indiana). ISBN 978-1-59276-697-0. - Hannan, Philip. Rome: Living Under the Axis. May 2003. ISBN 1-891903-32-2.
- Nolan, Charles E. A History of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. "The Post-Vatican II Years 1965-1989". May 2001.
Further reading
- Finney, Peter. Clarion Herald. "Archbishop Hannan credits active aging to 'good genes'". Nov. 25, 1999.
- Finney, Peter. Clarion Herald. "Archbishop Hannan, 'Bearer of the Eucharist,' celebrates 60 years". Dec. 23, 1999.