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PDF versionMemories of my brother, Andrew Greeley
by Eugene Cullen Kennedy on Oct. 25, 2010
Perhaps the best news for American Catholics this past week is that of the publication of Fr. Andrew Greeley’s Chicago Catholics and the Struggles Within Their Church, an analysis that reaffirms the strength of the faith in the archdiocese of Chicago that Greeley has served as a priest and scholar for more than fifty years.
The book was completed by Greeley’s colleagues after he sustained serious head injuries two years ago when he was dragged along the ground after his coat got stuck in a taxi door.
Writing in The New York Times, James Warren notes that there “has been some improvement in his condition, but no notion of significant recovery.” Greeley looks at the newspapers and scans e-mails, but this man whose drive always matched midday, lives now in twilight and visitors report that they are not sure what he sees or hears.
This is like a biblical incident in which a good man is suddenly and tragically blinded or made mute so that only the touch of Jesus’ hand can set him free again.
There is no doubt that the Lord’s hand rests on Andrew’s wounded forehead.
We are in fact the blind ones here because we cannot read the truth of what is happening. Andrew sees past us now, freed from the grip of time that holds us stiffly in place, into the depths of the eternal that was the subject of his life’s work and the glory of his destiny.
In this quiet interval I count the many years and the many ways I knew Andrew and of how I finally got to know him best.
It was hard not to know him, of course, because of his achievements as a priest, writer, teacher, and, as he confessed to me his ambition just before we both turned 40, savant -- a word that means a learned scholar and wise man. It’s a title he has long since earned.
How did you know Andrew Greeley?
As a successful novelist who instructed and entertained millions of readers? As a sociologist of religion who always found the glass of data half filled when so many others saw it half empty? As a public speaker with enough Irish charm to turn the Chicago river green without any help from the men who pour dye into it every March 17th? As a columnist with ideas about men and events that alternately inspired and infuriated you? As a frequent guest on radio and television whenever a sensible opinion on things Catholic was needed?
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Remembering his many incarnations, nobody will ever be able to say: “Andy, we hardly knew ye.”
It seems only yesterday that he and I were young priests together. And it seems only a little after that when he was celebrating his 25th anniversary of ordination at a great South Side gathering.
Many great people came for that event, including his good friend the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who fixed his blue eyes on my own blue eyes and spoke the only sentence he ever addressed to me: “Where did you get that drink?”
Such was the kind of merriment Andrew longed to provide as a dividend to his friendship.
Andrew and I were born in the same year, along with theologians Hans Kung and Johannes Metz, historian Martin Marty, and, yes, Shirley Temple. Thinking of this group but addressing Greeley, I once quoted Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words to Winston Churchill: “It’s fun being in the same decade with you.”
Many will nod as I describe our relationship as that of Irish brothers.
Irish brothers, as you may know, love each other deeply. They stick together in the long run. The problem, of course, is the short run. For, if in another of Andrew’s favorite quotations, it can be said of the Irish that “all their wars are merry and all their songs are sad,” then it can also be said that the closest of Irish brothers can fall into the deepest of estrangements, the worst of battles, and the stoniest of silences.
And so it came to pass for us.
I will get to that in a moment. First, let me tell you of my memories of my brother Andrew from a thousand adventures.
We were comrades-in-arms in the grand battles for renewal of the church after Vatican II. We took a memorable speaking tour of the Orient in which, among other things, we shared accommodations in a Japanese inn with boiling lava in the backyard and in South Korean digs with a steaming garbage dump in the same place.
For a man who did not disguise his preference for Hiltons, Andrew made an heroic effort to adjust to these missionary environments. I can still see him standing, however, in his Japanese garb and slippers, studying the fifty foot buffet of various kinds of seaweed -- perplexed for one of the first times in his life. He settled for a boiled egg and a glass of milk.
And I recall one special lecture at a Japanese university.
It was June. It was warm and the windows were open. I had lectured first and the sun was just setting as Andrew began to speak. Within a few moments creatures -- everything but Godzilla -- began to fly through the window and attack him. He stared them down, batted them away, waved them off -- somewhat like King Kong under attack on the Empire State Building. And he did it with good humor and an Irish twinkle in his eye.
But let’s get to our falling out for this is the tale I would share with you.
In the tradition of all real Irish brothers we entered a place where the trade winds of friendship died down and we drifted almost out of each other’s sight, if not out of the sound of each other’s voices.
Regrettable, one felt, remembering all the good, but what could or would be done about it?
It was Andrew who did something about it and in that moment I came to see him more clearly than I ever had before.
I do not know how he learned that I had prostate cancer and was in Chicago’s Northwestern Hospital, but I do know that the day after my surgery -- as my wife and I sat quietly in my hospital room, still stunned and sorting out the sudden turn of events -- Andrew appeared at the door and entered with the greatest gift a man could give.
It was one that took a great man to give it. For, it was the healing gift of reconciliation, expressed as the Irish -- usually so in love with words -- express it best: by the deed, by the gift outright of himself, by slaying the dragon of misunderstanding and wordlessly making us brothers again.
How well do you know Andrew Greeley? I thought that I knew him very well until that November morning when I got to know him as I would like to celebrate him now. For Andrew, now sitting quietly gazing beyond time after fifty years a priest and a dozen other callings fulfilled along the way, revealed himself that day as what we would all long to be -- a Christian to his depths and a light to the world.
How well do you know Andrew Greeley, my Irish brother and friend, who remained that all through those years of estrangement that seemed as long and uninviting as that Japanese buffet?
He had driven away the demons as he did the invaders who flew through the window of that university on the other side of the world.
And it is Andrew my brother of whom I sing during this Vesper time in which he is not trapped, but from which he has worked himself free enough to see all the way to the mountain ranges of the Mystery of Eternity -- whose foothills he mapped for the rest of us in his life and work.
[Eugene Cullen Kennedy is emeritus professor of psychology at Loyola University, Chicago.]
Editor's Note: We can send you an e-mail alert every time Kennedy's column, Bulletins from the Human Side," is posted to NCRonline.org. Go to this page and follow directions: E-mail alert sign-up. If you already receive e-mail alerts from us, click on the "update my profile" button to add Kennedy to your list.
I have greatly missed Father
I have greatly missed Father Greeley's articles these past two years, since his unfortunate accident. Fr. Greeley usually hit the nail on the head with his insightful commentary and was able to add some humor to make the read even better.
A sense of humor is an important thing, and all too often people in the Church seem to be lacking in that area today. A wonderful priest and a fine human being. For years, I looked forward to reading his next article. A shame they ended so abruptly.
Thank you for this look at
Thank you for this look at your friendship and view of a special man. May God continue to bless his years with unknown graces.
Gene -- thanks for this.
Gene -- thanks for this.
Dear Eugene Cullen Kennedy,
Dear Eugene Cullen Kennedy, Reading your essay regarding your friend Andrew Greely a Catholic could indeed be puzzled. You claim that you and he were priests together and then when you were hospitalized with prostate cancer Fr. Greely visited you at the hospital and greeted you and your wife. HUH?? Am I missing something? You refuse to be celibate and accepted the Holy Sacrament of Holy Orders? How? Why?
Enough with the naivete. Save
Enough with the naivete. Save that discussion for another time. The Church is loaded with gifted ordained men who live exemplary lives with their wives by virtue of the Sacrament of Marriage. See Gene Kennedy's testimony for what it is. Save your pedantry for a less sacred space.
Thank you.
Thank you.
yes, thanks bob, for
yes, thanks bob, for this.
Tom's speciality is uncaring carping, without any consideration
including for the mourning of this great priest for his brother priest, prophets of peace and justice both
Tom should read in reparation the complete works of Kennedy, beginning with
Sheed and Ward's best selling
Fashion Me a People: Man, Woman, and the Church
(ASIN: B001EDR09Q)
by a certain very distinguished Maryknoll priest
Dear Brother Charles, I will
Dear Brother Charles, I will continue to carp as you call it when scandal is given as in the essay by Gene.
Holy Orders is a sacrament in which men take vows. One of these vows is Celibacy. Vows to GOD are serious and not to be taken lightly.
For many reasons we humans choose to set aside our vows to GOD. All Catholics should be upset and express their opinions in place of the ho-hums expressed on this board.
Dear Tom Warren: Obviously
Dear Tom Warren: Obviously you are unfamiliar with Eugene Kennedy. He was a priest. He left the priesthood. He married. What's so hard to understand about that? We have lost far too many good priests for no good reason. And now our Church welcomes to our priesthood married Anglican priests? How does this make any sense?
"What's so hard to understand
"What's so hard to understand about that?"
Well, for one thing, he took vows at his ordination.
Tom: It is necessary to
Tom: It is necessary to accept the reality that spiritual, religious and psychological life is a very complex issue for many human beings. Eugene C. Kennedy is a human being who went through an interior transformation after serving the Church many years as a priest. He was laicized in the late 70's and got married in 1977 with a long time psychiatrist nun friend.
His life of service, as well as that of Fr. Greely, are precious gifts to our Church from whichever religious status and position within Catholicism they may provide it.
Many, and it seems you too, may disagree with his views and his life. I believe God loves and blesses him now as much as before. Diversity of theological thought in the Church enriches us, and provides resources for our personal spiritual introspection during our life journey.
But, most importantly,"let's love each other without judging". Let God be the Judge.
Seriously? "Am I missing
Seriously?
"Am I missing something?" Well, it would seem that you forgot to even so much as to check things out before you jumped to the judgment the Jesus calls you not to do anyhow.
Yeah, you missed something.
I donot agree! Mr Warren has
I donot agree! Mr Warren has every right to be concerned -when a priest leaves to get married. I had a granduncle who fulfiiled 50 years as a priest -never thought of "leaving".
"Concern" was not expressed.
"Concern" was not expressed. Judgment was. Read it again.
Dear Annie O, One does not
Dear Annie O, One does not judge when using a writer's own words. Vows to GOD should not be taken lightly.
Judge not . . .
Judge not . . .
What in God's name are you
What in God's name are you talking about? Thousands of priests have left the priesthood, always has happened and always will. Dr. Kennedy was formally dispensed from his state of priesthood by the Vatican. So what's your problem with it?
folks like tom believe they
folks like tom believe they know better than the Vatican . . .
My comment above is directed
My comment above is directed to CA Stewart.
Mr. Warren, I don't
Mr. Warren, I don't understand how you could say he refused to be celibate and accepted the Holy Sacrament of Holy Orders. At some point he left the priesthood. Do you have knowledge or evidence he was not celibate when a priest? If a man leaves the priesthood, and is dispensed from vows if in religious orders, I believe he is free to marry as thousands of former priests have. Is your statement bordering on rash judgment?
Tom Warren, Read your e-mail
Tom Warren,
Read your e-mail again after you reread the article. Gene Kennedy left the active ministry and married. He did NOT refuse to be celibate and then accept ordination. The catholics who would be puzzled would be those who have no connection with priests or who have just come back from a long period away from civilization.
Tom W: Gene was a priest for
Tom W: Gene was a priest for many years. Then he left the active priesthood but continued his work as a psychologist, professor, commentator, and writer.
Tom Warren is a fine example
Tom Warren is a fine example of why his brand of religion ie faux christianity should be flat out rejected!
Thanks Eugene Kennedy for a very warm and eloguent description of the "human side" of a wonderful sociologist, Irish catholic novelist ... your friend, Father Andrew Greely. Is there any hope at all that he could recover? I truly miss his wonderous sociological imagination and wit!
Tom Warren, no doubt there
Tom Warren, no doubt there are in your parish priests who've been dispensed from their vows and left consecrated ministry "to marry." Do you, in front of their wives and children, mock them the way you have Mr. Kennedy?
Apparently you are just a bully.
please do not see how tom
please do not see how tom speaks of the Reverend Sister Joan Chittister OSB, past president of American Benedictine Prioresses!
Regarding Tom Warren I would
Regarding Tom Warren I would suggest that in the future ALL HIS COMMENTS ARE IGNORED AND NOT, ABSOLUTELY NOT RESPONDED TO OR COMMENTED ON IN ANY WAY.
Eugene,I am shedding tears of
Eugene,I am shedding tears of joy that you and Andrew Greeley are reconciled.I have learned much from both of you and it pained me to see you two at odds with each other. You both have courageously defended the vision of Vatican II against a hierarchy that resembles the Vandals sacking Rome more than it does successors of the Apostles of the Roman Catholic Church.
Being Irish myself I'm all too familiar with fraternal estrangement and my heart overflows to see you reconciled.
Got to be one of the best
Got to be one of the best pieces I've ever read. Speechless here. Thanks.
Thanks Eugene! Thanks for
Thanks Eugene! Thanks for bringing tears of joy from your loving memories of Father Andrew Greeley, one of my favorite writers. He has always been on the enlightened edge.
I remember Eugene Kennedy as
I remember Eugene Kennedy as a Maryknoll priest. I have followed him being dispensed from the priesthood and religious life and getting married.
Dear Gene, I met you once at
Dear Gene, I met you once at a Call to Action Conference. You spoke at one of the break-out sessions. I was impressed, as I am now as I read of your friendship with Andrew Greeley. Thank you for this tribute to your friendship and to two great men.
Thank you for a beautiful
Thank you for a beautiful reminiscence! Many years ago I missed the abrupt ending of Andrew Greeley's syndicated column in the Catholic press, though I knew the contract for it would not be renewed in my diocesan paper. I do enjoy very much you regular column in NCR. I'm in the middle of reading Andrew Greeley's novel, The Bishop Goes to The University.
Thank you for this article.
Thank you for this article. Your comments reflect what I had suspected of this brillant man--- that he truly knows how to be a friend and man of God in the strictest sense. It was so generous of you to share this personal story with all of us. Thank you for this window into Fr. Greeley's life and confirmation of my thoughts.
For some reason, I did not know what happened to Fr. Greeley. I noticed his absence but didn't know what happened to him. I read many of his articles and books and agreed whole heartily with his views. But on a personal note, I truly enjoyed his novels. I moved from Chicago to San Diego, CA at age 12. My memories, now at age 62, are spotty of my life there. His novels brought the feel, flavor and memories of those 12 years back to me. I loved his books. It was like going home. Actually, I did e-mail him to thank him for this gift. I feel Fr. Greeley feed me in the spirit and the soul in many ways. Bless him.
Two of the greatest
Two of the greatest Christians and prolific minds of our 20th century Church!
I pray for Andrew daily and commend Eugene for his honesty and integrity. They surely rank among the Vatican II geniuses -- most of whom have now disappeared from the scene...
Andrew predicted the present state of affairs and the reasons behind the crisis that is engulfing the Church as Jesus intended it to be. Gene is the poetic expression of the reality of life as Jesus experienced and lived it.
May God bless them both with what will ultimately prevail as our Church continues to live the Mystery of Christ in and among us.
Pax. Aristophilos
I wish I had read Andrew
I wish I had read Andrew Greeley's take on the changes that he predicted were going to happen and have now engulfed the church. Can you give this group of people who have read this column a bit or a lot of what Andrew said about all the stuff that is going on now?
I for one would sure like to know how to counter act these power hungry men in the heirachy. It sure seems like most of the priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago would not think of standing up to the Cardinal of Chicago like the priests of Ireland did a few weeks ago. Bravo to those priests that have the courage to stand up! The lay people also have to respond and stand up to these changes and quit walking away and/or acting like sheep.
Thanks for the kind article and sharing of a dear Irish friendship.
Thanks Gene. I had not been
Thanks Gene. I had not been aware of Andrew's accident. I would guess that your estrangement might have had something to do with your getting married? Glad he was finally able to get over whatever it was.
wonderful column about a
wonderful column about a wonderful priest......I have many warm memories from his days at Christ the king parish....and favors done.....
Gene, most of what you said
Gene, most of what you said about Andrew ccould be said about you!
Thank you!6RRXU
Thank you very much for this
Thank you very much for this story.I have never met Fr. Greeley in person.But I have learned much from him. I believe he would love being known as a man of faith, a teacher and a "a Christian to his depths". For me, he has been and remains a precious gift from our Creator. He is a true priest.
My late husband, a Permanent
My late husband, a Permanent Deacon , was an avid fan of Andrew Greeley and read all of his books. How he would have loved this beautiful tribute. Thank you for sharing it with us. I look forward to your weekly columns in NCR.
I also am a Permanent Deacon
I also am a Permanent Deacon and have read every one of Greeley's novels and many of his other books. I think his novels are modern parables and certainly reach many people with the essence of what Christian love should be. I sent Fr. Greeley an email years ago concerning my aged uncle and aunt who had attended Mass in Arizona where they were retired at a church where Fr. Greeley regularly said Mass. I had been reading them one of Greeley's book, The Cardinal Sins I believe and my uncle loved it while my aunt left the room in shock that a priest should know so much about sex. Of course I caught her reading the book later and she responded by saying,"Poor Fr. Greeley; he thinks sex is so important." She was 86. Of course my uncle responded, "Well it is." He was 89. Fr. Greeley responded to my email. He found great humor in the exchange and remembered both old folks. After this he often responded to questions and requests in emails to him. He was truly an Irish savant as Mr. Kennedy points and I thank him for his touching portrait of one of the great people of the last eighty years in the Chicago archdiocese. I miss him and pray for him every day.
it would help us to know more
it would help us to know more precisely rather than so "discreetly" what the "falling out" was between Greely
and Eugene: it has to be something about public criticism--and both men have a reputation about granite
honesty to maintain==we only learn deeply when we learn the actual truth and its chuncky rocks just like
Japanese lava gardens. This was a fine tribute--and we must recall that Greely wrote shortly before the accident
that Vatican II had been dismantled, and that Renaissance prelates were picking over the ruines--he opined
well that nothing would change that much in our life-spans--those of us who did the 6 0's with these two
guru's==he only urged that we recall that lay people had gained a real place--maybe the sex scandals gave a
definite doorway for that--and that the real interpretation of Vataican II is pending another decade for others
to share. What a space of time that will be--as I tend my memoirs and hope for the best since my absolute
denial of plenary indulgences (a hoax that built St.Peter's==not a dime from my paltry estate!!) James Mc a mere
Christian aspiring to the promises of grace.
Regarding the post from tom
Regarding the post from tom warren: funny the things we choose to focus on - sad really!
Dear Bob J, Why is it that we
Dear Bob J, Why is it that we Catholics choose to praise all that is wrong with the Church in it's dissident priests? If one reads all of Kennedy's and Greeley's books it does not take much imagination to understand that both men are angry and arrogant and took their spite out on the Catholic Church for no good reason. The problems with the Catholic Church do not lie in the Hierarchy although they too are imperfect as all of us are. Most leave and are critical of the Catholic Church because as weak humans we want the Church to change God's Laws to suit our own whims as did the people who followed Moses! If we do not get our own way we are like cantankerous little kids and scream and holler until we do get our way. Read " Confessions of a Parish Priest " by Andrew Greeley and you come away from the writings contained within the covers as an individual who is unsatisfied with everything about the Priesthood and the Church Authority in the Diocese of Chicago and the Vatican! He even brags about all the salacious books he has written and the many dollars he has received from the publication of these books. We were not taught to aspire for this type of life in our formative years and certainly should not glorify this type of life because we were taught to do better.
so, read them, Tom, starting
so, read them, Tom, starting with
Fashion Me a People: Man, Woman, and the Church
ASIN: B001EDR09Q
from that ancient traditional Roman CAtholic publishing house, Sheed and Ward
By "dissident priests" do you
By "dissident priests" do you include priests in good standing? Talk about confusing thinking!
"Salacious books?" If by
"Salacious books?" If by salacious you mean that they speak frankly of sex, I suppose I can understand why you think Fr. Greeley somewhat less than priestly. Certainly he does not fit the stereotype of the asexual Catholic priest. But I have read many of his books and have never found them to contain gratuitous sex or to glorify sex divorced from genuine love. I think you need to separate Fr. Greeley's fiction from his actual life.
For those not familiar with his writing, I would add that Greeley's famous "Fr. Blackie" character defends the importance of staying faithful to the vow of celibacy in the face of temptation, and that many of his lay characters struggle--successfully--with chastity before marriage.
I, for one, truly miss Fr. Greeley's writing. The beauty of Catholicism and the divine love behind our faith shine brightly there. Patently! 8)
My prayers go out to him, his friends, and his family--and to you as well, Tom Warren.
Peace,
--MB
It is obvious to me that Mr.
It is obvious to me that Mr. Warren has not read books, fiction and nonfiction, by Fr. Greeley. His books are full of the love of God, Church and God's people, a loving and forgiving God.
You ought to read confessions
You ought to read confessions of a parish priest again with your brain in gear and without your stiff necked pride. It is obvious that Greeley loves his priesthood. It is also obvious that he loves God and the people he serves. What he doesn't love? Well sir, that too is obvious.
Thank you for this story. I
Thank you for this story. I never had the privilege of meeting Fr. Greeley in person. But I have learned much about faith, love and courage from him. No doubt you are correct when you describe him as "a Christian to his depths and a light to the world". He has been a treasured gift and a sign of the Presence of God among us. For me, he is an example for all. He is truly a Catholic priest.
Gene, thank you very much for
Gene, thank you very much for this article. I enjoy your articles. I too miss Fr Greeley's homilies. You are blessed to be able to count him as a friend.
Dear Tom Warren, Eugene
Dear Tom Warren, Eugene Cullen Kennedy is a priest forever according to the order of Melkisedek. Though he and more more of us no longer toil in the ex opere operato world of the only priesthood that you know and accept, we do reach far and deep into the vineyard of the Lord doing His work as He teaches us to do. Know, Mr. Warren, that we have never left the priesthood that was bestowed upon us. Know that our anointed hands still sustain the widows and the orphans, still feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Open your heart and your eyes, sir, and you will see and feel the power of the depth of our priesthood in your very own parish, for we are everywhere and God knows how to bless the work He asks us to do.
Paul, don't get injured
Paul, don't get injured patting yourself on the back ... perhaps a little dose of humility is in order?
Submitted by t faranda on
Submitted by t faranda on Oct. 25, 2010.
You stated:
"Paul, don't get injured patting yourself on the back ... perhaps a little dose of humility is in order?"
----------------------------------------
Paul isn't patting himself on the back. He is stating a fact, and is doing it most modestly.
yes, t, a small dose of
yes, t, a small dose of humility would hepl you very much
me too
what Father Paul shares here so openly and painfully requires great humility, and I am very grateful to him for this blessing, and wisdom, and compassion and for his etenal service to the poor and abandoned
where is the love, t?
where the reverence due?
where the humility?
read
The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century (Spiritual Legacy Series)
and discover the meaning and depth of humility, once even a CAtholic virtue, so little developed today in tis divided anglo-american institution
Gene, just as it took
Gene, just as it took Christian courage for Andy to visit you with the gift of reconciliation, it takes courage for you to write so beautifully about your friendships, estrangement and then give Andy the credit for coming to you. I thank God for both of you and what you have both contributed to the Church and to society. Peace!
Dear Gene, How inspiring you
Dear Gene,
How inspiring you article on Andrew Greely! I was your student at Loyola (Lewis Towers) in 1966. As missionary in Taiwan I was the one (together with Bernard Chu SJ) to welcome both you and Andrew in Taiwan for your talks. Your "reconciliation" story inspires me since reconciliation is now the KEY of my work serving the Church in China.
Jeroom Heyndrickx cicm
This is a wonderful tribute.
This is a wonderful tribute. Thank you for sharing it.
" he now sees beyond the
" he now sees beyond the depths of the eternal." He has often taken me there. God Bless you both.
Very well said.
Very well said. Reconciliation is part of our mission as Christians. What a grace that you name this as the measure of the man that is Andrew Greely. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful part of your journey
what a beautiful
what a beautiful tribute.
Thank you, Gene.
Maybe one of these days, even people as hardened as "tom warren", will realize the power of love over judgment and condemnation.
Thanks.
"Hardness of heart" : yes, to
"Hardness of heart" : yes, to thus trivilize the sacred ground of brotherly love is an affront to the Spirit that constantly seeks to unite us in Her love.
We may not always have
We may not always have Andrew, but we will forever have his foil, Bp. Blackie Ryan to bring a smile to our faces.
I am sorry that Andrew's
I am sorry that Andrew's family did not seek to avail themselves of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment available in nearby Bollinbrook. It was a great help to my nephew even 24 years after he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in an auto wreck so I wrote to his family about it. As far as I know it was ignored.
Whether it would help now or not would depend on how many brain cells are dead and how many just seriously injured as my cousin, a MD and former Captain in the USN Navy who also worked for NASA, explained to me.
He is in my prayers.
I write now so that any others who have a loved one with TBI can investigate the efficacy of this treatment. Google Dr. Harch+HBO
Liam Clancy would end his
Liam Clancy would end his shows with "The Parting Glass" and send his audience home with "Good Night, Safe home, God Bless." I can think of no better wish for Fr. Greeley and his great friend Mr Kennedy.
Thank you for this beautiful
Thank you for this beautiful tribute -- I, too have learned so much from Andrew Greeley, from his fiction works and his other writings. What a blessing to us all.
Gene: Once again you prove to
Gene:
Once again you prove to be one of the most inspirational people in my life. Another is Andrew Greeley. I have read all of your works as I have of Andrews, both fiction and non-fiction. I am moved by each. In my humble opinion, I am proud to say that I know you and that I have come to know Andrew better through you and his books. You are and always will be priests, both holy and whole people and the Church continues to be blessed by your presence. Would that anyone who would dare to cast aspersions at either one of you, my brothers, might repent by reading your work: " Unhealed Wound." I would like to send a copy to each rectory in America.
Peace, love and blessings on each of your ministries!
Leo McIlrath
Father Gene, of course thank
Father Gene,
of course thank you for your own memories which triggered all mine from those heyday of the church's spiritual/cultural renaissance as it hit Chicago. As a Jesuit scholastic at St. Ignatius high school I taught whole groups of students from his parish of Christ the King...Then I met him when I bought the school's Melody Knights out to play at the parish dances. And we would argue and rant about all the variant new and exciting thelogical/pastoral/liturgical work we were both into (him) and myself just beginning. His enthusiasm for the discovery of new thought no matter where he found it was catching and enriching -- he was a great teacher for me -- esp. when confronting tough church issues. For me he will always be one of the church's great leaders of the 20th century church struggling to be truly self-critical and open the window to let the spirit in.
John Kysela
Mr. Kysela, I doubt that you
Mr. Kysela,
I doubt that you will remember me, but I was a trumpet player who attended St. Ignatius High School '57 - '61 and was in the "Melody Knights". I have many fond memories of the school, the band, YOU, and Jack Gannon (the director).
One night (when I could not sleep) I was on the internet and your name poped up. Just had to say "Hi" and thank you for being there for all us kids. I remember how you used to bring all the equipment to our "jobs"!
Again, thanks!
Joe Chobot
Thank you for sharing news
Thank you for sharing news about Fr. Greeley. I was not aware that his condition was so severe. I miss his powerful intelligence and his clear sense of the value of our religion, particularly when he wrote about God's passionate love affair with us. I miss reading about what he would have thought about the carnival in the Church and U.S. the last two years. I can imagine he'd have some choice opinions about those who elevate dusty dogma above God's love. Let us remember, too, that Fr. Greeley is on record as warning the bishops (back in 1970s I think) that the abuse scandal, left unaddressed, would become the greatest damaging event to the Church in its history.
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