Paddy Cole, R.I.P.

It's not often you meet someone, quite accidentally, enjoy and hour or so with them, and then later discover they're really quite famous. Now Paddy Cole might not have been a leading celebrity here in the USA, but in Ireland he was well known across multiple generations. Of course, when Diane and I met him, under the most casual of circumstances, we simply thought he was wonderfully pleasant, a kind and humble man, far more interested in learning about us than telling us about himself. 

Back in September 2012, Diane and I traveled to Ireland to spend a week or so with our dear friends, Nancy and Dave Lee. The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Navy-Notre Dame football game being played in Dublin that year. (Dave and I are both Naval Academy graduates.) I won't discuss the game, which was more than a little one-sided, but still made for an enjoyable day.

While Diane and I stayed at a local B&B, the Lees had booked a room at one of Dublin's nice hotels. As it turned out their hotel happened to be hosting a fundraising event for a Catholic parish, complete with food, drink, entertainment, and dancing. 

Before the festivities began, Diane allowed me to quench my thirst, and we sat down at a one of the hotel's outdoor tables. As I sipped my Guinness, a man approached and asked if he could join us. Of course we agreed. And thus, we met Paddy Cole.

Here's a photo I took that day as Paddy played his saxophone and entertained an enthusiastic crowd: 

Paddy Cole Entertaining us in Dublin

It was obvious Paddy knew we were Americans and just launched into a subtle Q&A about our lives. When we asked about his, he mentioned he was there to play the sax, sing, and otherwise entertain for the parish fundraiser. This led us to ask more about his music and background, and we soon discovered he'd had quite a history as an entertainer not only in Ireland, but also in Las Vegas. After a few years, however, he decided Vegas was no place to raise a family and wisely returned to Ireland.

Before he left us to take the stage, we swapped email addresses and phone numbers. As you'd expect, I googled him that evening and learned all about this remarkable man who was a legendary showband superstar in Ireland.

Although we met him only once, I did go on to correspond with him occasionally over the years, usually just brief emails. We'd write about things he'd mentioned on his radio show (I was able to listen to it online) or he'd mention something I wrote about in my blog. Ours was by no means a close friendship, and in the years since our first meeting in 2012, we might have swapped about a dozen emails. 

I hadn't heard from Paddy in a year or so, but given all the busyness of my life, I thought little of it. Then a few days ago, looking for something else, I accidentally stumbled on an obituary in the Irish Times.

Paddy Cole died in January at the age of 85 as a result of lung cancer, diagnosed several years before. It was an honor to know this man, if only briefly and certainly not deeply. As a man of faith, he is surely safely held in our merciful God's loving embrace. 

Rest in peace, Paddy. It was great knowing you.

Notre Dame

Because I'm tasked with preparing our parish's liturgies, especially during the annual Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil, I've been more than a little snowed under lately. With lots of liturgy guides to prepare and a rehearsal to plan, there's much to do and little time to do it. I must also practice the Exsultet which I will chant at the start of our Easter Vigil Mass this Saturday evening. And in the midst of it all, I had to meet with my tax guy. I haven't received a refund in years, and have always owed the U.S. Treasury more than a few dollars. I believed it was better that I, rather than the government, be able to use what little money I had. But thanks to the recent tax cut, this year I will actually see a modest refund  What a pleasant surprise. My thanks to the president.

And so today, after completing most of these liturgical preparations, I had intended to post a few comments on current issues facing our nation. But then this afternoon Dear Diane told me of the fire that apparently is destroying Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. Sitting here in my comfortable easy chair, I am filled with sorrow as I watch the flames consume virtually all of this magnificent structure that has graced God's earth for almost a millennium. 

The Cathedral of Notre Dame Ablaze

Let me share with you a personal irony of sorts. On the table next to my easy chair sits a stack of about a half-dozen books I am currently reading. I suspect Diane has always considered this unusual. My guess is she would prefer I read only one at a time thus eliminating this small pile of books that disturbs her sense of order and neatness. As for me, I find my reading of multiple books comforting, allowing me to adjust my reading to my state of mind. Sometimes I need good fiction, sometimes a little theology, and sometimes a dose of history, whatever... 

Anyway, among these few books on the end table is a delightful history written (and autographed) by Robert Gordon Anderson, and first published in 1944, the year of my birth. The book's title? The Biography of a Cathedral and, yes, it describes the construction of Notre Dame this iconic Gothic church, but more than that, it offers a wonderful history of Paris from the days of Julius Caesar to Saint Louis. I have already read 90% of the book, and tonight will turn sadly to those final pages.

I visited the cathedral twice, once in the summer of 1965, 54 years ago when I was a Naval Academy midshipman, and again 20 years later on a business trip in 1985. On this latter trip I took many photographs inside and outside the church -- all Kodachrome slides -- but the Kodak processor somehow managed to destroy many of the photos, leaving me with only a few dozen slides from the many rolls of film I had taken. But at least I have these few, even though most of them were also badly processed. In reparation, I thought Kodak should finance a return trip to Paris, but no, they decided an apology and five or six new rolls of film were sufficient. 

One of my few photos of Notre Dame (1985)

Like many of Europe's great cathedrals, Notre Dame is filled with magnificent works of art. On that first visit in July 1965, my 20-year-old predecessor was touched most deeply by a beautiful Medieval sculpture in wood. It depicts St. Thomas, the doubter, as he places his hand in the wound in the side of the risen Jesus. Gazing at the sculpture those many years ago, I could hear Thomas' words calling to us and echoing through the ages: "My Lord and my God." 

Thomas and the risen Jesus

The memory of this sculpture hit me today as I realized it had likely been destroyed. This was followed by the thought that Thomas might actually foreshadow today's Western Europe, a collection of nations that has largely rejected its Christian roots and lost its faith in a cloud of self-absorbed, fact-seeking, materialistic doubt. 

Perhaps by allowing the destruction of her cathedral, our Blessed Mother is giving Europe, and all of us, a not too subtle wake-up call that will lead many doubters back to the faith. Moment ago, I watched thousands of secular Parisians standing in the streets, tears flowing down their cheeks, as they witnessed the cathedral's destruction. I could only hope and pray that they would come to realize that the true cause of those tears is not the burning of a building, but the lost faith the destruction of that cathedral represents. How did St. Paul put it?

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" [Rom 8:28].

Habemus Episcopum!

As of yesterday, October 23, the Diocese of Orlando has a bishop. Archbishop Thomas Wenski left us in June and was installed as Archbishop of Miami. Since then we've been without a bishop. But yesterday we learned that Bishop John Noonan will leave his position as an auxiliary bishop in Miami to become our shepherd here in Orlando. Click here to read the official announcement. This is wonderful news. No diocese should be without a shepherd for very long.  (It seems, then, we made a kind of trade with Miami, sending them an archbishop and getting a bishop in return. Hmmm...I wonder if we'll get some additional draft choices, perhaps a priest and a few deacons to be named later??) Sorry, it's Sunday afternoon and I've been happily watching the Patriots beat (barely) San Diego, so my mind is not completely focused on things ecclesiastical.

I don't know very much about Bishop Noonan, but I like what I just read in the online edition of the Orlando Sentinel in which the reporter briefly described the bishop's first homily in the newly renovated St. James Cathedral. He seems to be a humble man and happy to be here. From the little I've been able to learn about him, he is 59 years old, was born in Limerick, Ireland, and was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1983. Our diocesan website provided a brief biography of our new bishop. He will be installed on December 16.

Here's a link to a video of Bishop Noonan during the announcement of his appointment by the Holy Father. (Just scroll down to the bottom of the linked page.)

Our prayers are with Bishop Noonan as he takes on this challenging assignment. We wish him well.

In other completely unrelated news, Navy (my alma mater) handily beat Notre Dame yesterday 35-17. (That's Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs in the photo at left.) So very, very sad for all you fans of the Irish, but after all those years -- 43 to be exact -- of consecutive losses to Notre Dame, I am thoroughly enjoying Navy's recent victories: three out of the last four. I remember well the 1963 game in which Roger Staubach led Navy to a 35-14 win. I was a plebe (freshman) that year, which was the last Navy victory until 2007. Of course, there are far more important things in life than Navy beating Notre Dame in football: Go Navy, Beat Army!

Three Cheers for Bishop Wenski

Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of the diocese of Orlando (and my bishop), has responded to the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama in about the best way possible. He celebrated a Mass of Reparation last week for the sins committed against the sacredness of human life. In his homily he specificaly mentioned the decision by Notre Dame. One can only hope that all our bishops would do likewise and storm heaven with the prayers of the Catholic Church in America.

If you would like to read Bishop Wenski's homily, click here. And to read the bishop's latest column on the same issue, click here.

Notre Dame Revisited

Some weeks ago I briefly addressed the ongoing debate about the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Obama as a commencement speaker and to award him an honorary law degree.

An interesting development relates to the decision of another honoree, Mary Ann Glendon. Ambassador Glendon, an eminent law professor at Harvard Law School, served as ambassador to the Vatican from 2007 to 2009. (See the photo of her and Pope Benedict.) She, too, had been invited to receive an award and speak at this year's commencement; however, in the face of the invitation extended to the President, she subsequently decided not to participate. Her letter to Fr. Jenkins, President of Notre Dame, is well worth reading. Here it is in its entirety:

Dear Father Jenkins,

When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the medal, and of your students and faculty.

Last month, when you called to tell me that the commencement speech was to be given by President Obama, I mentioned to you that I would have to rewrite my speech. Over the ensuing weeks, the task that once seemed so delightful has been complicated by a number of factors.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:

• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”

• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.

Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

In order to avoid the inevitable speculation about the reasons for my decision, I will release this letter to the press, but I do not plan to make any further comment on the matter at this time.

Yours Very Truly,

Mary Ann Glendon

One can only hope that Fr. Jenkins will come to his senses, pay attenton to Ambassador Glendon's words, and remember that he leads an ostensibly Catholic University.