'Bishop and Missionary'

In St. Patrick's Cathedral and on the street, New York remembers Cardinal O'Connor

By CLAUDIA McDONNELL

On the first anniversary of Cardinal O'Connor's death May 3, New Yorkers paid loving tribute to him as a great spiritual leader, a proud son of his adopted city and a champion of human rights.

To ensure that he won't be forgotten, the city officially added his name to the section of East 50th Street that borders St. Patrick's Cathedral and the residence where he lived and died. The block between Fifth and Madison avenues now is known as "John Cardinal O'Connor Way," with new street signs proclaiming the name in the city's traditional white lettering on green.

Cardinal Egan offered a Memorial Mass in the cathedral and delivered the homily in which he compared Cardinal O'Connor to the Apostles whose feast it was: St. Philip, a tireless missionary, and St. James, who cared for the Church of Jerusalem as its first bishop. He also thanked the City of New York for the new street name and remarked that the block alongside the cathedral "used to be called a street."

"Now it's called a way," he said. "The word 'way' means street, but it also means a manner, a style, a way of life." Cardinal O'Connor, he continued, was both "a Philip and a James," whose life is best defined as "the way of a missionary and the way of a bishop."

"What an honor for me to walk in the steps of this man who was so much a part of New York," Cardinal Egan said.

Some 1,500 attended, including members of Cardinal O'Connor's family and the families of his immediate predecessors, Cardinal Terence Cooke and Cardinal Francis Spellman; the Sisters of Life, the congregation he founded; archdiocesan officials who worked with him; Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Mayor Edward I. Koch and other dignitaries.

Mary Ward and Dorothy Hamilton, Cardinal O'Connor's sisters, sat in the first row. Mrs. Ward said in an interview that "it's a time of mixed emotions."

"I just hope that he's looking down at us and is proud of anything we're doing for him," she said. She added that when her family reminisces about the cardinal, they remember "the times we had together and the fun that we had," and the cardinal's patience and acceptance during his illness.

Early that morning she attended a Mass offered for the Sisters of Life by Auxiliary Bishop James F. McCarthy, vicar of Northern Westchester and Putnam and pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Shrub Oak, who was the cardinal's secretary for 12 years. She said she remarked to the bishop, who also concelebrated at the cathedral, "I wonder what it's like to be in heaven for a year."

Also at the Mass in the cathedral were Mrs. Ward's son Hugh and daughter Mary Thomas and Mrs. Hamilton's son Thomas, as well as other relatives of the cardinal's.

"We miss him very much," said Ward, of Oak Ridge, Tenn. He added, "It's good to be back here."

Cardinal Egan, welcoming the congregation, said that the Mass was a celebration of Cardinal O'Connor's life. In his homily he reflected on the ways in which the cardinal followed in the footsteps of SS. Philip and James.

"He was first and foremost a bishop," in the military, as head of the Diocese of Scranton, Pa., "and finally here in his beloved Archdiocese of New York," Cardinal Egan said. He remarked that Cardinal O'Connor tried to visit two parishes each week, was strongly committed to Catholic schools and the archdiocesan seminary system, defended the rights of working people, oversaw the development of lowand moderate-income housing--as at Highbridge in the Bronx-and was deeply concerned about the poor and the sick. He noted the cardinal's "charity toward children," born and unborn, his love for the elderly and his "heroism" in providing care for those with "the terrible disease of AIDS."

He also observed that Cardinal O'Connor's missionary zeal was manifested in his travels throughout the world as a military chaplain and as archbishop.

"He was a Philip of our day," Cardinal Egan said.

He concluded with a special request.

"I ask everyone here to make a commitment to keep this wonderful missionary and bishop in your prayers for many years to come," he said.

That request was "a beautiful, loving gesture," said Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., superior general of the Sisters of Life. The congregation will mark its 10th anniversary this year. Nearly all 40 members attended the Mass, and Mother Agnes said that the sisters "recall the greatness of the man, and miss terribly his voice on behalf of the vulnerable unborn."

But with unmistakable joy she added that they are filled with "gratitude to God" for his life, the vocations he inspired, their own vocations and their religious community.

The sisters attended a special Memorial Mass earlier that morning at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Manhattan. They live in the parish convent, where they shelter needy mothers and babies.

Concelebrating at the cathedral, in addition to Bishop McCarthy, were New York Auxiliary Bishops Robert A. Brucato, vicar general; Patrick J. Sheridan, retired as vicar general; Anthony F. Mestice, vicar of Central Westchester and pastor of Resurrection parish in Rye, and William J. McCormack, who is assisting Cardinal Egan after having retired as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

Among 39 other concelebrants was Father Robert P. Henry, pastor of St. Ann's parish in Nyack and grand-nephew of Cardinal Spellman.

In his remarks at the Mass, Cardinal Egan reported that a marble coat of arms of Cardinal O'Connor's was being prepared for the cathedral near the baptistry and that the coat of arms that had been on Cardinal O'Connor's throne was being installed in the cathedral's Lady Chapel along with that of Cardinal Cooke's.

The official street-naming ceremony took place on the cathedral terrace on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 50th Street, where dignitaries were seated and the public filled the sidewalk. Police had closed the street to traffic. Cardinal Egan greeted the guests and told them that the event was "a special occasion not just for the Archdiocese of New York" but also for New York City. He noted that the late cardinal loved his adopted city and referred to it as "the capital of the world."

"The Holy Father repeated that expression, and Mayor Giuliani never stops saying it," Cardinal Egan said as the crowd laughed appreciatively.

The mayor said in his remarks, "It was a year ago today that our city lost a great man and a great friend of New York. New York City will always be in the debt of John Cardinal O'Connor." He said that the cardinal contributed to the city in many ways, including its hospital and educational systems. But perhaps his greatest contribution was "the tone that he set for the city," Giuliani said.

"He had an exceptional ability to reach everyone because they respected him," Giuliani said. The cardinal won respect because "his opinions, ideas, thoughts and prayers all came from his deep belief and his faith in God, and his love and concern" for all, he said.

"I thank his family for allowing New York to have him," Giuliani said.

Mrs. Ward told the crowd, "There is no way to express how proud the family is to know that the New Yorkers embraced a Philadelphian and took him to their hearts as he took them to his heart."

Previously Mrs. Ward had told CNY, "I think that New York needed him more than we needed him in Philadelphia."

Mayor Koch and the cardinal shared a close friendship despite differences on some major public issues. Koch regularly attended Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and other special occasions, and the two wrote a book together, "His Eminence and Hizzoner."

In brief remarks, Koch said that he recalls times he spent with the cardinal in New York, Rome and Ireland, "and then I always weep, because he's gone."

"I loved him, as I know each of you did, and do...We are so lucky that His Eminence, John Cardinal O'Connor, came our way," Koch said.

Cardinal Egan and Mrs. Ward pulled the cord that unveiled the sign marking "John Cardinal O'Connor Way."

Attending the Mass and street-naming ceremony was Rosemary Curry of the Bronx, a cathedral volunteer. She recalled that when Pope John Paul II visited in 1995, Cardinal O'Connor held a lunch for all the volunteers involved in the visit.

"He came around to every table and put his hand on our shoulders and said, 'Are you having a good time?' " she recalled.

She said that her brother, John Curry, is hospitalized with terminal cancer. "I pray to Cardinal O'Connor to look out for my brother and make sure he's peaceful and comfortable," she said.

Laura Watkins Kauffmann of Brooklyn is an O'Connor family friend; the late cardinal, former U.S. Navy chief of chaplains, served with her father, Adm. James Watkins. She recalled that Cardinal O'Connor "took a lot of hits" from the media, especially in the early years of his tenure in New York. One night she called her father and lamented, "The things they're saying are terrible." He replied, "And John wouldn't have it any other way."

The cardinal drew criticism because he was "waking people up," and letting them know that "there are no hazy areas, there's right and wrong," Mrs. Kauffmann said.