[Magdalen] R.I.P. Daniel Berrigan

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/1/2016 3:30:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jay.weigel at gmail.com writes:

Daniel  Berrigan, one of the heroes of the anti-Vietnam War movement, one of
my  heroes, and I would venture to say one of the heroes of not a few of us
on  this list, died yesterday at the age of 94. May he rest in peace and
rise  in glory.>>>>>>>>>>
 
 
He was preceded in death by an old, wonderful friend of mine,
Steve Hartwell.  Steve was a native of Eau Claire who enlisted in  the
US Navy during the Viet Nam War.  He was posted to one of the
Iowa Class Battleships involved in shelling the shores of contested
coastal areas in Viet Nam.
 
One day, and fortunately near the time of his discharge, he  experienced
an epiphany:  Despite not seeing his adversaries (the warships  were
5 miles off shore) he realized those guns were killing real people on  
shore.
 
He rapidly became an anti-war radical, and joined the Berrigan  Brothers
for several years.  Always highly spiritual, he then joined the  Anglican
Franciscans, and was stationed at San Damiano Priory in San Francisco
for a spell.  He also was highly involved in the Bishop's Ranch  facility in
the Napa Valley.
 
While there, he found his beloved friend, Ray Miller, a legal 
assistant for one of the big Seattle legal firms, and they had a  grand
life together there.  I hosted them here in Pennsylvania twice  during
those years.
 
Then it was liver cancer.  Steve had never been a drinker and  never
had hepatitis.  He called me and we had a long, last chat about a  month
before he died.  The measure of how the Seattle Diocese  (?Olympia)
valued him was evident in the presence of 4 Episcopal bishops at his
funeral Requiem.
 
I'm sure there have been some grand times with the Berrigans
beyond the Gates.
 
 
 
David Strang.