Memoir details an 'Extraordinary Life'

Intermountain Catholic

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Archbishop Philip Hannan’s long life was filled with more excitement, liveliness, joy and sorrow than most of us would see in two lifetimes. On the cover of the book are photos of the bishop, Jacqueline and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and a large pair of well-worn combat boots that the bishop wore as a chaplain in Vietnam, as he buried his friends, like our late, assassinated president, and as he, at the age of 92, steered a motor boat along the rooftops to help rescue his parishioners from Hurricane Katrina.

Serving first in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Bishop Hannan went on to become the Archbishop of the rapidly changing Archdiocese of New Orleans, La., and retired due to age and ill health from his ministry out of his home in Covington, Ky. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council (as did Diocese of Salt Lake City Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal), got to know popes from Pius XII to "Pope John Paul the Great," and played a large part in each pope’s visit to the United States from formal meetings with the presidents and First Ladies to the excitement of World Youth Days.

On Nov. 26, 1963, Archbishop Hannan delivered the eulogy at the funeral of John F. Kennedy at the request of Jacqueline Kennedy. The book includes the text of the eulogy. He adds to his memories copies of letters from presidents, senators, and other important people (though I recommend the use of a magnifying glass to read most of these.) The book is honest about the flaws of those about whom he wrote, whether it be the Kennedys or the gifts of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Archbishop Hannan was born May 20, 1913, in Washington, D.C., of poor, Irish immigrants. He was the fifth of eight children. His much-loved sister, Mary, was the first woman to graduate from the Catholic University of America in Washington with a doctorate in mathematics, Greek and Latin. Philip and Mary Hannan had six brothers, each with his own gifts and devotions to the family. Together they could all be rowdy and loud; alone they had their own personalities and roles in the large family. Their dad was "the Boss," always.

Archbishop Hannan’s priesthood ranged from the groundbreaking of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1920. His desire to go to the seminary came as an utter surprise to the rest of his family. He joined the Sulpician Order, and shared the intimate process through which he developed a religious vocation. From his time in the seminary to recent days the world seemed to be at war, and Archbishop Hannan was always ready, combat boots in hand, to serve his country. Each day he wakes up knowing that his first responsibility is to love those around him.