The funeral Mass of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan

Archbishop Philip Hannan lauded as 'God's gift to New Orleans'

Published: Thursday, October 06, 2011, 4:40 PM     Updated: Thursday, October 06, 2011, 6:41 PM

By John Pope, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune

Describing former Archbishop Philip Hannan as "God's gift to New Orleans," the priest who delivered the sermon at his funeral Thursday said the prelate was "a man of God with a will of iron" who let nothing interfere with his service to his flock. Speaking to nearly 1,000 people who jammed St. Louis Cathedral, as well as 300 more who watched the Mass on a giant TV screen in Jackson Square, Monsignor Clinton Doskey, former director of the archdiocese's Social Apostolate, traced Hannan's long career as a priest, an Army chaplain known as "the Jumping Padre" in World War II, a confidant of the Kennedys and, finally, a bishop and archbishop.

Enlarge Ted Jackson, The Times-Picayune TED JACKSON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Archbishop Gregory Aymond, right reaches into the casket of Archbishop Philip Hannan before the lid is put in place at the beginning of the funeral at the St. Louis Cathedral, Thursday, October 6, 2011. The Funeral of Archbishop Philip Hannan gallery (66 photos)

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"The words of Scripture became alive and incarnate through the working of Archbishop Hannan," Doskey said.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the principal celebrant, described Hannan -- the man who ordained him -- as "a faithful leader, a dedicated priest and a good shepherd."

The Mass, which drew such luminaries as Mayor Mitch Landrieu, former U.S. Rep. and Ambassador Lindy Boggs and Jefferson Parish President John Young, was awash in the pomp of the church, with the St. Louis Cathedral choir, 16 musicians and caped members of organizations such as the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Order of St. Lazarus and the Knights of Malta.

It culminated a period of mourning that began when Hannan died Sept. 29 at age 98. After lying in repose at Notre Dame Seminary earlier this week, his earthly remains were borne in a horse-drawn hearse to St. Louis Cathedral in a 4 1/2-mile procession Wednesday afternoon.

Thousands gathered along the route, and hundreds showed up at the cathedral Thursday, even though only three pews in the 960-seat church were available for the general public.

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Those who sat in Jackson Square and in front of the Cabildo quickly fell into the spirit of the somber ceremony, joining in the hymns and prayers and standing and sitting as the worshippers did inside the church.
Much of Doskey's eulogy was solemn, especially when he was describing the destruction Hannan faced when he came to New Orleans in 1965 as the Catholic Church's new leader in the wake of Hurricane Betsy's deadly assault.
His experiences, especially the suffering he saw in the concentration camps he visited at the end of World War II, "moved him from vision to action," Doskey said.
He slashed through red tape, Doskey said, and he made a point of being wherever there might be a need.
"Archbishop Hannan was there," he said.
But there was humor, too. Doskey described Hannan's ritual of loading the dishwasher just so after Doskey cooked when the men shared a house.
And he recounted Hannan's joy in the New Orleans Saints, reciting Hannan's prayer for the team, in which he prayed for "the demise of Bears, Lions and Rams with the Saints marching to victory."
After the Mass, Hannan was interred beneath the cathedral floor, near the altar, joining many of his predecessors.