[Magdalen] RIP Chicago's Cardinal George

[Joseph Cirou]

Hi Scott,

I had an extra few minutes, but I didn't finish what I was trying to say. I
knew Cardinal George's mother, I knew he was an oblate, but he wan't even a
bishop when my mother knew his mother. I think he became a bishop in the
80's and went on to become Archbishop of Yakima Wa and then Chicago.  He
was relatively unknown when he came to Chicago and I was already down in
Atlanta and I believe the new Archbishop Supich was also on the West Coast,
altho he is from Omaha. I was thinking that "we've" had a Cardinal since
1922 and with Francis new policy on Cardinals, there is a chance that
Archbishop Supich will be the first non cardinal in close to 95 years. I
forget maybe he spells him name Cupich, the Slavs use the soft c. When
Cardinal George came to Chicago, my mother had already died, but one of the
women in her group was still alive.She was Fr Tom Franzman's mother (who is
also an organist) and she got a short feature in the Chicago Catholic about
knowing his mother the same way the rest of our class. Actually Tom is the
class behind me. Cardinal George's home parish is St Pascal's. He is also
the longest living Archbishop of Chicago and the first to retire.
(willingly) there is one who became insane( certifiably) He lived a very
long life; dying in 1899 after being succeeded by an administrator. They
eventually got an ordinary,  but they say that one of the reason's Chicago
became an archdiocese around 1880 Is that it was the only way not to have
an administrator. I think it was Bishop Foley, but I am not sure, but he
lived through most of the tenure of Archbishop Feehan, the first Archbishop
of Chicago.

Cardinal George was a good man and a brilliant theologian, but he was not
loved by the clergy as was Cardinal "brother Joseph" Bernardin. He wasn't
hated as was Cody or feared as was Cardinal Mundelein. Everyone liked
Cardinal Stritch but he is largely viewed as either out of it or
incompetent.

Too bad Dick Proulx isn't around to do his funeral Cardinal Strich's
funeral was something else, glorious music by Perosi and Palestrina--the 5
absolutions. I was a freshman in highschool and we lined Superior in
cassock and surplice as the procession entered. I think we stayed for the
entire funeral; I don't remember being tired, but I also don't remember any
chairs.

The last person I remember who was entitled to the 5 absolutions was
President Kennedy, but he didn't get them at St. Matthew's Cathedral but at
a later service

Joe

On Fri, Apr 17, 2015 at 3:03 PM, Joseph Cirou <romanos at mindspring.com>
wrote:

> Thank you. Cardinal George's path and mine were like ships passing in the
> night.
> Both of our mothers were active in a prayer group that prayed for the
> perseverance of their priest sons in the miistry. It was called the Mother
> of Priests Society. It met at Christ the Redeemer for many years and then
> the chapel of the Catholic Hospital nearby
>
> Joe
>
> On Fri, Apr 17, 2015 at 2:21 PM, Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The Chicago Tribune is reporting the death of former Chicago archbishop
>> Francis Cardinal George, from cancer. Rest eternal and light perpetual.
>>
>
>