Remembering Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque after 320 years

Marguerite Marie Alacoque or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (22 July 1647, Verosvres – 17 October 1690) was a French Roman Catholic nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.

Sainr Margaret Mary Alacoque:remembering you after 320 years, may you rest in peace!
Happy feast day also!

SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN—1690
Feast: October 17

In seventeenth-century France the faith of the people had been badly shaken; there was rebellion against the Church and neglect of its teachings; the rise of Protestantism and the spread of the heresy of Jansenism[1] both had a part in the weakening of the structure built up through the ages. But as every threat brings its response, so now there rose up fresh, strong forces to counter these trends. Three famous religious, who are today venerated as saints, were particularly effective: John Eudes and Claude de la Columbiere were French Jesuit priests and writers; Margaret Mary Alacoque was a simple nun of the order of the Visitation. Their special work was to popularize the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To represent this trio and this movement, we have chosen Margaret Mary Alacoque.
She was born in 1647 at Janots, a small town of Burgundy, the fifth of seven children, of Claude and Philiberte Alacoque. Her father was a prosperous notary; the family owned a country house and farmland, and had some aristocratic connections. Margaret's godmother was a neighbor, the Countess of Corcheval. As a small child Margaret spent a great deal of time with her, but these visits were brought to a sudden end by the death of the countess. The father died of pneumonia when Margaret was about eight, and this was another severe shock to the little girl. Claude had loved his family dearly but had been short-sighted and extravagant. His death put them in hard straits. However, Margaret was sent to school with the Urbanist Sisters at Charolles. She loved the peace and order of the convent life, and the nuns were so impressed by her devotion that she was allowed to make her First Communion at the age of nine. A rheumatic affliction kept her bedridden for four years. During this time she was brought home, where some of her father's relatives had moved in and taken over the direction of the farm and household. She and her mother were disregarded, and treated almost as servants. This painful situation grew more acute after Margaret's recovery, for the relatives tried to regulate all her comings and goings. Not allowed to attend church as often as she pleased, the young girl was sometimes seen weeping and praying in a corner of the garden. It grieved her deeply that she could not ease things for her mother. Her eldest brother's coming of age saved the day, for the property now reverted to him, and the family again had undisputed possession of their home.

Philiberte expressed a hope that Margaret would marry; the girl considered the step, inflicting severe austerities upon herself during a period of indecision. At the age of twenty, inspired by a vision, she put aside all such thoughts and resolved to enter a convent. While awaiting admission, she tried to help and teach certain neglected children of the village. At twenty-two she made her profession at the convent of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial. The nuns of the Order of the Visitation, founded in the early years of the seventeenth century by St. Francis de Sales, were famed for their humility and selflessness. As a novice Margaret excelled in these virtues. When she made her profession, the name of Mary was added and she was called Margaret Mary. She began a course of mortifications and penances which were to continue, with more or less intensity, as long as she lived. We are told that she was assigned to the infirmary and was not very skillful at her tasks.

Some years passed quietly in the convent, and then Margaret Mary began to have experiences which seemed to be of supernatural origin. The first of these occurred on December 27, 1673, when she was kneeling at the grille in the chapel. She felt suffused by the Divine Presence, and heard the Lord inviting her to take the place which St. John had occupied at the Last Supper. The Lord told her that the love of His heart must spread and manifest itself to men, and He would reveal its graces through her. This was the beginning of a series of revelations covering a period of eighteen months. When Margaret Mary went to the Superior, Mother de Saumaise, with an account of these mystical experiences, claiming that she, an humble nun, had been chosen as the transmitter of a new devotion to the Sacred Heart, she was reprimanded for her presumption. Seriously overwrought, Margaret Mary suffered a collapse, and became so ill that her life was despaired of. Now the Mother Superior reflected that she might have erred in scorning the nun's story and vowed that if her life were spared, she would take it as a sign that the visions and messages were truly from God. When Margaret Mary recovered, the Superior invited some theologians who happened to be in the town -they included a Jesuit and a Benedictine-to hear the story. These priests listened and judged the young nun to be a victim of delusions. Their examination had been a sheer torture to Margaret Mary. Later a Jesuit, Father Claude de la Columbiere, talked to her and was completely convinced of the genuineness of the revelations. He was to write of the nun and to inaugurate this devotion in England.

For many years the nun suffered from despair, from self-inflicted punishments, and also from the slights and contempt of those around her. In 1681 Father Claude returned to the convent and died there the following year. Margaret Mary was appointed assistant and novice-mistress by a new Mother Superior who was more sympathetic towards her. Opposition ceased-or at least was restrained-after an account of Margaret Mary's visions was read aloud in the refectory from the writings left by Father Claude, who had taken it upon himself to make known to the world the nun's remarkable experiences. That she was finally vindicated was to her a matter of indifference. When she was forty-three, while serving a second term as assistant superior, Margaret Mary fell ill. Sinking rapidly, she received the Last Sacraments, saying, "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."

Although the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was practiced before this time, it now gained a strong new impetus through the work of Father John Eudes and the writings of Father Claude. The Sacred Heart is regarded as "the symbol of that boundless love which moved the Word to take flesh, to institute the Holy Eucharist, to take our sins upon Himself, and, dying on the Cross, to offer Himself as a victim and sacrifice to the eternal Father." The cult first became popular in France, then spread to Poland and other countries, including, at a later period, the United States. The first petition to the Holy See for the institution of the feast was from Queen Mary, consort of James II of England. The month of June is appointed for this devotion, and since 1929 the feast has been one of the highest rank.





In these visions Our Lord promised St. Margaret Mary that in response to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart:



1 He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2 He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
3 He will establish peace in their homes.
4 He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5 He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6 Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7 Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8 Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9 He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored.
10 He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11 Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
12 In the excessive mercy of His Heart, His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.



Beatification
After Margaret Mary's death, on 17 October 1690, the devotion to the Sacred Heart was fostered by the Jesuits and the subject of controversies within the Church. The practice was not officially recognized till 75 years after her death.


Painting of Jesus appearing to Saint Margaret Mary at the Church of San Michele, Cortemilia, in Italy.The discussion of her own mission and qualities continued for years. All her actions, her revelations, her spiritual maxims, her teachings regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which she was the chief exponent as well as the apostle, were subjected to the most severe and minute examination, and finally the Sacred Congregation of Rites passed a favourable vote on the heroic virtues of this "servant of God". In March 1824, Pope Leo XII pronounced her Venerable (the first step on the path to canonised sainthood), and on 18 September 1864 Pope Pius IX declared her Blessed. When her tomb was canonically opened in July 1830, two instantaneous cures were recorded to have taken place. Her incorrupt body rests under the altar in the chapel at Paray-le-Monial, and many striking blessings have been claimed by pilgrims attracted there from all parts of the world.

She was canonised by Benedict XV in 1920, and in 1929 her liturgical commemoration was included in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints for celebration on 17 October, the day of her death. In 1969, this date was assigned to a saint of the Apostolic Age, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, and the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary was moved to the previous day, 16 October.

In his 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI affirmed the Church's position regarding the credibility of her visions of Jesus Christ by speaking of Jesus as having "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret Mary and having "promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces".

Her short devotional writing, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), was published posthumously by J. Croiset in 1698, and has been popular among Catholics.

Quote:

"And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which His heart is the source." — from Revelations of Our Lord to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque


Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may first have been championed by St. Gertrude the Great, but it is most commonly associated with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who had a vision of Christ in 1675. In this prayer, we ask St. Margaret Mary to intercede for us with Jesus, that we may obtain the graces of the Sacred Heart.

Prayer to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret;
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to blessed Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen

Happy 120th birthday to Michael Collins

Great Uncle" Mick: happy 120th birthday the family misses you here in America and Ireland, you are truly a great role model for me!
- MFPS





~ Michael Collins Quotes ~
"To me the task is a loathsome one. I go, I go in the spirit of a soldier who acts against his best judgement at the orders of his superior." - Michael Collins on being sent to the Treaty negotiations by De Valera.

“The course of life and labour reminds me of a long journey I once took on the railway. Suddenly, there was a breakdown ahead, and passengers took the event in various ways. Some of them sat still resignedly, and never said a word. Others again, went to sleep. But some of us leaped out of that train, and ran on ahead to clear the road of all obstructions.” Michael Collins, Clearing the Road

"To go for a drink is one thing. To be driven to it is another." - Michael Collins in a letter during the treaty negotiations.

"When you have sweated, toiled, had mad dreams, hopeless nightmares, you find yourself in London's streets, cold and dank in the night air. Think - what have I got for Ireland? Something which she has wanted these past 700 years. Will anyone be satisfied with the bargain? Will anyone? I tell you this -early this morning I signed my own death warrant. I though at the time how odd, how ridiculous -a bullet might just as well have done the job 5 years ago." - Michael Collins in a letter to John O'Kane after the Treaty.

"In my opinion it gives us freedom, not the ultimate freedom that all nations desire ... but the freedom to achieve it." - Michael Collins on the Treaty in debates.




"It is my considered opinion that, in the fullness of time, history will record the greatness of Michael Collins, and it will be recorded at my expense." ~ Eamon de Valera!


Michael "Mick" Collins (Irish: Mícheál Ó Coileáin; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and MP for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the Old IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the Provisional Government and Commander-in-chief of the National Army. Throughout this time, at least as of 1919, he was also President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Collins was shot and killed in August 1922, during the Irish Civil War.

Although most Irish political parties recognise his contribution to the foundation of the modern Irish state, supporters of Fine Gael hold his memory in particular esteem, regarding him as their movement's founding father, through his link to their precursor Cumann na nGaedhael.

Early years
Born in Sam's Cross, West Cork, Collins was the third son and youngest of eight children. Most biographies state his date of birth as 16 October 1890; however, his tombstone gives his date of birth as 12 October 1890. His father, also named Michael, had become a member of the republican Fenian movement, but had left and settled down to farming. The elder Collins was 60 years old when he married Marianne O'Brien, then 23, in 1875. The marriage was apparently happy and they raised eight children on their 90-acre farm in Woodfield. Michael was the youngest child; he was only six years old when his father died.

On his death bed his father (who was the seventh son of a seventh son) predicted that his daughter Helena (one of Michael's elder sisters) would become a nun (which she did, known as Sister Mary Celestine, based in London). He then turned to the family and told them to take care of Michael, because "One day he'll be a great man. He'll do great work for Ireland."

Collins was a bright and precocious child, with a fiery temper and a passionate feeling of nationalism. This was spurred on by a local blacksmith, James Santry, and later, at the Lisavaird National School by a local school headmaster, Denis Lyons, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB).

After leaving school aged 15, Collins took the British Civil Service examination in Cork in February 1906, and was then employed by the Royal Mail from July 1906. In 1910, he moved to London where he became a messenger at a London firm of stock brokers, Horne and Company. While in London he lived with his elder sister, and studied at King's College London.

He joined the London GAA and, through this, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret, oath-bound society dedicated to achieving Irish independence. Sam Maguire, a Church of Ireland republican from Dunmanway, County Cork, introduced the 19-year-old Collins into the IRB. In 1915, he moved to the Guaranty Trust Company of New York where he remained until his return to Ireland the following year.

Easter Rising

Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read by Pádraig Pearse outside the GPO at the start of the Easter Rising, 1916.Michael Collins first became known during the Easter Rising in 1916. A skilled organiser of considerable intelligence, he was highly respected in the IRB, so much so that he was made financial advisor to Count Plunkett, father of one of the Rising's organisers, Joseph Mary Plunkett, whose aide-de-camp Collins later became.

When the Rising itself took place on Easter Monday, 1916, he fought alongside Patrick Pearse and others in the General Post Office in Dublin. The Rising became (as expected by many) a military disaster. While some celebrated the fact that a rising had happened at all, believing in Pearse's theory of "blood sacrifice" (namely that the deaths of the Rising's leaders would inspire others), Collins railed against it, notably the seizure of indefensible and very vulnerable positions such as St Stephen's Green that were impossible to escape from and difficult to supply. (During the War of Independence he ensured the avoidance of such sitting targets, with his soldiers operating as "flying columns" who waged a guerrilla war against the British, suddenly attacking then just as quickly withdrawing, minimising losses and maximising effectiveness.)

Collins, like many of the other participants, was arrested, almost executed[7] and was imprisoned up at Frongoch internment camp. By the time of the general release, Collins had already become one of the leading figures in the post-rising Sinn Féin, a small nationalist party which the British government and the Irish media wrongly blamed for the Rising. It was quickly infiltrated by survivors of the Rising, so as to capitalise on the "notoriety" the movement had gained through British attacks. By October 1917, Collins had risen to become a member of the executive of Sinn Féin and director of organisation of the Irish Volunteers; Éamon de Valera was president of both organisations.

Death

Michael Collins' funeral in the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin (contemporary newspaper depiction of the state funeral).The last known photograph of Collins alive was taken as he made his way through Bandon, County Cork in the back of an army vehicle. He is pictured outside White's Hotel (now Munster Arms) on 22 August 1922. On the road to Bandon, at the village of Béal na mBláth (Irish, "the Mouth of Flowers"), Collins' column stopped to ask directions. However the man whom they asked, Dinny Long, was also a member of the local Anti-Treaty IRA. An ambush was then prepared for the convoy when it made its return journey back to Cork city. They knew Collins would return by the same route as the two other roads from Bandon to Cork had been rendered impassable by Republicans. The ambush party, commanded by Liam Deasy, had mostly dispersed to a nearby pub by 8:00 p.m., when Collins and his men returned to Béal na mBlath but the remaining five ambushers on the scene opened fire on Collins' convoy. The ambushers had laid a mine on the scene, which could have killed many more people in Collins' party, but they had disconnected it by the time the firing broke out.


Kitty Kiernan, Collins' fiancée.Collins was killed in the subsequent gun battle, which lasted about 20 minutes, from 8:00 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. He was the only fatality. He had ordered his convoy to stop and return fire, instead of choosing the safer option of driving on in his touring car or transferring to the safety of the accompanying armoured car, as his companion, Emmet Dalton, had wished. He was killed while exchanging rifle fire with the ambushers. Under the cover of the armoured car, Collins' body was loaded into the touring car and driven back to Cork. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Kitty Kiernan.

There is no consensus as to who fired the fatal shot. The most recent authoritative account suggests that the shot was fired by Denis ("Sonny") O'Neill, an Anti-Treaty IRA fighter and a former British Army marksman who died in 1950.

This is supported by eyewitness accounts of the participants in the ambush. O'Neill was using dum-dum ammunition, which disintegrates on impact and which left a gaping wound in Collins' skull. He dumped the remaining bullets afterwards for fear of reprisals by Free State troops.

Collins' men brought his body back to Cork where it was then shipped to Dublin because it was feared the body might be stolen in an ambush if it were transported by road. His body lay in state for three days in Dublin City Hall where tens of thousands of mourners filed past his coffin to pay their respects. His funeral mass took place at Dublin's Pro Cathedral where a number of foreign and Irish dignitaries were in attendance. Some 500,000 people attended his funeral, almost one fifth of the country's population.


Collins' grave.Collins' shooting has provoked many conspiracy theories in Ireland, and even the identity and motives of the assassin are subject to debate. Some Republicans maintain that Collins was killed by a British "plant". Some Pro-Treaty accounts claim that de Valera ordered Collins' assassination. Others allege that he was killed by one of his own soldiers, Jock McPeak, who defected to the Republican side with an armoured car three months after the ambush.[31] However, historian Meda Ryan, who researched the incident exhaustively, concluded that there was no real basis for such theories. "Michael Collins was shot by a Republican, who said [on the night of the ambush], 'I dropped one man'". Liam Deasy, who was in command of the ambush party, said, "We all knew it was Sonny O'Neill's bullet."

Happy 90th Birthday to Mario Puzo

the true collection of all of his works!

Mario Puzo: a good picture of him!

One of my favorite movies and books of all time!

Mario Puzo: thanks for your talent in the world of
writing especially the Godfather, Remembering you today, happy 90th birthday!
- MFPS

Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a film with Francis Ford Coppola. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in both 1972, and 1974.


Puzo was born in a poor family of Neapolitan immigrants living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage. After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955.

At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company. Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action.

Puzo's most famous work, The Godfather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much.

As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.

Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather: Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 movie A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola movie The Cotton Club.

Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis -- that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."

Puzo died of heart failure on July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York.

Works:
The Dark Arena (1955)
The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965)
The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw (1966)
Six Graves to Munich (1967), as Mario Cleri
The Godfather (1969)
Fools Die (1978)
The Sicilian (1984) sequel to The Godfather
The Fourth K (1991)
The Last Don (1996)
Omerta (2000)
The Family (2001) (completed by Carla Gino)
[edit] Nonfiction
The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions (1972)
Inside Las Vegas (1977)
[edit] Short Stories
"The Last Christmas" (1950)
[edit] Screenplays
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Earthquake (1974)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Superman II (1980)
The Godfather Part III (1990)
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)

20 years ago the world lost a great composer, Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein: a truly unqiue man who composed some wonderful music!remembering you after 20 years, may you rest in peace!





Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim. He was probably best known to the public as the longtime music director of the New York Philharmonic, for conducting concerts by many of the world's leading orchestras, and for writing the music for West Side Story, Candide, Wonderful Town, and On the Town. Bernstein was the first classical music conductor to make numerous television appearances between 1954 and 1989. He had a formidable piano technique[2] and as a composer also wrote symphonies and other concert music. According to The New York Times, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history.

Bernstein received the Kennedy Center Honors award in 1980.

On PBS in the 1980s, he was the conductor and commentator for a special series on Beethoven's music, which featured the Vienna Philharmonic playing all nine Beethoven symphonies, several of his overtures, one of the string quartets arranged for the full string section of the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Missa Solemnis. Actor Maximilian Schell was also featured on the program, reading from Beethoven's letters. This series has since been released on DVD.

In 1982, he and Ernest Fleischmann founded the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, where he served as Artistic Director through 1984.

Leonard Bernstein was a regular guest conductor of The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. In the 1980s, he recorded, among other pieces, Mahler's First, Second, Fourth, and Ninth Symphonies with them.

In 1985, he conducted a complete recording of his score for West Side Story for the first and only time. The recording, much criticized for featuring what critics felt were miscast opera singers such as Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, and Tatiana Troyanos in the leading roles, was nevertheless a national bestseller.

In 1989, Bernstein again conducted and recorded another complete performance of one of his musicals, again featuring opera singers rather than Broadway stars. This time it was Candide, and because the show was always intended to be an operetta, the recording made from it was much more warmly received. The performance was released posthumously on CD (in 1991). It starred Jerry Hadley, June Anderson, Adolph Green, and Christa Ludwig in the leading roles. The Candide recording, unlike the West Side Story one, included previously discarded numbers from the show.


Bernstein's grave in Green-Wood CemeteryA TV documentary of the West Side Story recording sessions was made in 1985, and the Candide recording was made live, in concert. This concert was eventually telecast posthumously.

On Christmas Day, December 25, 1989, Bernstein conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in East Berlin's Schauspielhaus (Playhouse) as part of a celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The concert was broadcast live in more than twenty countries to an estimated audience of 100 million people. For the occasion, Bernstein reworded Friedrich Schiller's text of the Ode to Joy, substituting the word Freiheit (freedom) for Freude (joy).

Bernstein, in the introduction to the program, said that they had "taken the liberty" of doing this because of a "most likely phony" story, apparently believed in some quarters, that Schiller wrote an "Ode to Freedom" that is now presumed lost. Bernstein's comment was, "I'm sure that Beethoven would have given us his blessing."

Bernstein conducted his final performance at Tanglewood on August 19, 1990, with the Boston Symphony playing Benjamin Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes, and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

He suffered a coughing fit in the middle of the Beethoven performance which almost caused the concert to break down. The concert was later issued on CD by Deutsche Grammophon.

He died of pneumonia and a pleural tumor just five days after retiring.[3] A longtime heavy smoker, he had battled emphysema from his mid-50s. On the day of his funeral procession through the streets of Manhattan, construction workers removed their hats and waved, yelling "Goodbye, Lenny."[26] Bernstein is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Influence
Bernstein was highly regarded as a conductor among many musicians, including the members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, evidenced by his honorary membership; the London Symphony Orchestra, of which he was President; and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he appeared regularly as guest conductor. He was considered especially accomplished with the works of Gustav Mahler; with his own compositions; and with American composers Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, William Schuman, and George Gershwin. His recordings of Rhapsody in Blue (full-orchestra version) and An American in Paris with the Philharmonic, released in 1959, are considered definitive by many, although for reasons unknown Bernstein always cut the Rhapsody slightly.

Unfortunately, he never conducted a performance of Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, nor did he ever conduct Porgy and Bess. However, he did discuss Porgy in his article, Why Don't You Run Upstairs and Write a Nice Gershwin Tune?, originally published in The New York Times and later reprinted in his 1959 book The Joy of Music.

He had a gift for rehearsing an entire Mahler symphony by acting out every phrase for the orchestra to convey the precise meaning and by emitting a vocal manifestation of the effect required.

Bernstein had a notably exuberant conducting style. He strayed far from classic conducting techniques, using his whole body to coax the best out of his orchestra, and had evident fun doing so.

Bernstein influenced many conductors who are performing now, such as Marin Alsop, Alexander Frey, John Mauceri, Seiji Ozawa, Carl St.Clair, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Ozawa made his first network television debut as the guest conductor on one of the Young People's Concerts.

"Leonard Bernstein" is famously one of the only lines of the verses of R.E.M.'s single It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) which can easily be heard.

Today is the 120th birthday of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David Eisenhower: thank you sir for serving this nation as both a 5 star general in World War II and the nation's 34th president, remembering you today, happy 120th birthday!
- MFPS

President Truman awards Ike with Medal at Ceremony: Eisenhower was awarded not only with army medals, but was named President of Columbia University too.

Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was a five-star general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961, and the last to be born in the 19th century. During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45,from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO.

A Republican, Eisenhower entered the 1952 presidential race to counter the isolationism of Sen. Robert A. Taft, and to crusade against "Communism, Korea and corruption". He won by a landslide, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson and ending two decades of the New Deal Coalition holding the White House. As President, Eisenhower concluded negotiations with China to end the Korean War. He maintained pressure on the Soviet Union during the Cold War, gave priority to inexpensive nuclear weapons and reduced the other forces to save money. He had to play catch-up in the Space Race after the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957.

On the domestic front, he helped remove Joseph McCarthy from power but otherwise left most political actions to his Vice President, Richard Nixon. Eisenhower did not end New Deal policies, and in fact enlarged the Social Security, and signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. He was the first term-limited president in accordance with the 22nd Amendment. His two terms were peaceful, and generally prosperous except for a sharp economic recession in 1958–59. Historians typically rank Eisenhower among the ten greatest U.S. presidents.


Early life and family
Eisenhower was born David Dwight Eisenhower on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas, the third of seven boys born to David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover, of German, English and Swiss ancestry. The family moved to Abilene, Kansas, where he grew up.

He was called Dwight so he reversed the order of his given names when he enrolled at West Point Military Academy.

Eisenhower's paternal ancestors can be traced to Hans Nicolas Eisenhauer, whose surname is German for "iron worker"; in his autobiographic book, At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends, Dwight thought the name to mean "iron craftsman". Hans Eisenhauer and his family emigrated from Karlsbrunn (now Saarland), Germany, to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1741. Hans's descendants traveled west; Eisenhower's family settled in Abilene, Kansas, in 1892. His father, David Eisenhower, was a college-educated engineer but had trouble making a living and the family was poor. Dwight graduated from Abilene High School in 1909.


Eisenhower with his wife Mamie on the steps of St. Mary's University of San Antonio, Texas, in 1916, where Eisenhower was at the time a football coach.Eisenhower married Mamie Geneva Doud of Boone, Iowa, on July 1, 1916. The couple had two sons. Doud Dwight Eisenhower was born September 24, 1917, and died of scarlet fever on January 2, 1921, at the age of three.Their second son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, was born on August 3, 1922; John served in the United States Army, retiring as a brigadier general, became an author, and served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971

John, coincidentally, graduated from West Point on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He married Barbara Jean Thompson on June 10, 1947. John and Barbara had four children: Dwight David II "David", Barbara Ann, Susan Elaine and Mary Jean. David, after whom Camp David is named, married Richard Nixon's daughter Julie in 1968.


Death and funeral
Eisenhower died of congestive heart failure on March 28, 1969, at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. The following day his body was moved to the Washington National Cathedral's Bethlehem Chapel where he lay in repose for twenty-eight hours. On March 30, his body was brought by caisson to the United States Capitol where he lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. On March 31, Eisenhower's body was returned to the National Cathedral where he was given an Episcopal Church funeral service. That evening, Eisenhower's body was placed onto a train en route to Abilene, Kansas. His body arrived on April 2, and was interred later that day in a small chapel on the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Eisenhower is buried alongside his son Doud who died at age 3 in 1921, and his wife, Mamie, who died in 1979.

Richard Nixon, by this time himself President, spoke of Eisenhower's death, "Some men are considered great because they lead great armies or they lead powerful nations. For eight years now, Dwight Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation; and yet he remained through his final days the world's most admired and respected man, truly the first citizen of the world."

Legacy
After Eisenhower left office, his reputation declined and he was seen as having been a "do-nothing" President. This was partly because of the contrast between Eisenhower and his young activist successor, John F. Kennedy. Despite his unprecedented use of Army troops to enforce a federal desegregation order at Central High School in Little Rock, Eisenhower was criticized for his reluctance to support the civil rights movement to the degree which other activists wanted. Eisenhower was also criticized for his handling of the 1960 U-2 incident and the international embarrassment, the Soviet Union's perceived leadership in the Arms race and the Space race, and his failure to publicly oppose McCarthyism. In particular, Eisenhower was criticized for failing to defend George Marshall from attacks by Joseph McCarthy, though he privately deplored McCarthy's tactics and claims.[71] Such omissions were held against him during the liberal climate of the 1960s and 1970s. Since that time, however, Eisenhower's reputation has risen. In recent surveys of historians, Eisenhower often is ranked in the top 10 among all US Presidents.

Although conservatism was riding on the crest of the wave in the 1950s, and Eisenhower shared the sentiment, his administration played a very modest role in shaping the political landscape. "Eisenhower's victories were," according to Hans Morgenthau, "but accidents without consequence in the history of the Republican party."

Eisenhower was the first President to hire a White House Chief of Staff or "gatekeeper" – an idea that he borrowed from the United States Army, and that has been copied by every president after Lyndon Johnson. (Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter initially tried to operate without a Chief of Staff but both eventually gave up the effort and hired one.)

Eisenhower founded People to People International in 1956, based on his belief that citizen interaction would promote cultural interaction and world peace. The program includes a student ambassador component which sends American youth on educational trips to other countries.

Eisenhower described his position on space and the need for peace during his General Assembly of the United Nations, New York City, 22 September 1960.

"The emergence of this new world poses a vital issue: will outer space be preserved for peaceful use and developed for the benefit of all mankind? Or will it become another focus for the arms race – and thus an area of dangerous and sterile competition? The choice is urgent. And it is ours to make. The nations of the world have recently united in declaring the continent of Antarctica 'off limits' to military preparations. We could extend this principle to an even more important sphere. National vested interests have not yet been developed in space or in celestial bodies. Barriers to agreement are now lower than they will ever be again." [74]

Eisenhower was the first president to appear on color television. He was videotaped when he spoke at the dedication of WRC-TV's new studios in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1958. The tape has been preserved and is believed to be the oldest surviving color videotape.


Criticism
In the book Other Losses (1989), the Canadian writer James Bacque controversially claims that Eisenhower deliberately caused the death of 790,000 German captives in internment camps through disease, starvation and cold from 1944 to 1949. In similar French camps some 250,000 more are said to have perished. The International Committee of the Red Cross was refused entry to the camps, Switzerland was deprived of its status as "protecting power" and POWs were reclassified as "Disarmed Enemy Forces" in order to avoid recognition under the Geneva Convention. Bacque argued that this alleged mass murder was a direct result of the policies of the western Allies, who, with the Soviets, ruled as the Military Occupation Government over partitioned Germany from May 1945 until 1949. He laid the blame on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, saying Germans were kept on starvation rations even though there was enough food in the world to avert the lethal shortage in Germany in 1945–1946.

In 1990, invited historians, including Stephen Ambrose and Günter Bischof, gathered in the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans for an academic conference to examine such charges as Bacque had put forth. The conference concluded that there may have been mistreatment of German prisoners in 1945 but not as a result of any order from Eisenhower. The material that Bacque gathered was said to have been taken out of context and was careless scholarship as such. In 1992 a book with the conference's results was edited by Ambrose and Bischof and published.

Tributes and memorials

Dollar coin issued by the United States Mint from 1971 to 1978 commemorating EisenhowerEisenhower's picture was on the dollar coin from 1971 to 1978.

Nearly 700 million of the copper-nickel clad coins were minted for general circulation, and nearly 50 million uncirculated and proof issues (in both copper-nickel and 40% silver varieties) were produced for collectors. He reappeared on a commemorative silver dollar issued in 1990, celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth, which with a double image of him showed his two roles, as both a soldier and a statesman.

The reverse of the commemorative depicted his home in Gettysburg. As part of the Presidential $1 Coin Program, Eisenhower will be featured on a gold-colored dollar coin in 2015.

He is remembered for his role in World War II, the creation of the Interstate Highway System and ending the Korean War. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the second Nimitz-class supercarrier, was named in his honor.

The bronze statue of Eisenhower that stands in the rotunda as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. He is depicted wearing an "Ike Jacket".

The Interstate Highway System is officially known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways in his honor. Several highways are also named for him, including the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) near Chicago and the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 west of Denver.

The British A4 class steam locomotive No. 4496 (renumbered 60008) Golden Shuttle was renamed Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1946. It is preserved at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Eisenhower College was a small, liberal arts college chartered in Seneca Falls, New York in 1965, with classes beginning in 1968. Financial problems forced the school to fall under the management of the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1979. Its last class graduated in 1983.

Eisenhower Hall, the cadet activities building at West Point, was completed in 1974. In 1983, the Eisenhower Monument was unveiled at West Point.

The Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California was named after the President in 1971.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, located at Fort Gordon near Augusta, Georgia, was named in his honor.

In February 1971, Dwight D. Eisenhower School of Freehold Township, New Jersey was officially opened.

In 1983, The Eisenhower Institute was founded in Washington, D.C., as a policy institute to advance Eisenhower's intellectual and leadership legacies.

In 1989, U.S. Ambassador Charles Price and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dedicated a bronze statue of Eisenhower in Grosvenor Square, London. The statue is located in front of the current US Embassy, London and across from the former command center for the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II, offices Eisenhower occupied during the war.

In 1999, the United States Congress created the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, to create an enduring national memorial in Washington, D.C. In 2009, the commission chose the architect Frank Gehry to design the memorial. The memorial will stand near the National Mall on Maryland Avenue, SW across the street from the National Air and Space Museum.

On May 7, 2002, the Old Executive Office Building was officially renamed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. This building is part of the White House Complex, west of the West Wing. It currently houses a number of executive offices, including ones for the Vice President and his or her spouse.

A county park in East Meadow, New York (Long Island) is named in his honor. In addition, Eisenhower State Park on Lake Texoma near his birthplace of Denison is named in his honor; his actual birthplace is currently operated by the State of Texas as Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site.

Many public high schools and middle schools in the U.S. are named after Eisenhower.

There is a Mount Eisenhower in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

A tree overhanging the 17th hole that always gave him trouble at Augusta National Golf Club, where he was a member, is named the Eisenhower Tree in his honor.

The Eisenhower Golf Club at the United States Air Force Academy, a 36-hole facility featuring the Blue and Silver courses and which is ranked #1 among DoD courses, is named in Eisenhower's honor.

The 18th hole at Cherry Hills Country Club, near Denver, is named in his honor. Eisenhower was a longtime member of the club, one of his favorite courses.

In front of City Hall in Chula Vista, California a tree was dedicated to Eisenhower for the anniversary of his visit to Chula Vista. He is currently the only President to visit Chula Vista. He was at the golf course in Chula Vista.



David and Julie Eisenhower Help Celebrate President Eisenhower's Birthday
ABILENE, Kan. - Dwight D. Eisenhower's 120th birthday will be marked this year with a number of activities at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene.

Chapman and Abilene 7th graders will be immersed in 1950s culture on Oct. 6 and 7 respectively. As part of their day they will meet President Eisenhower as portrayed by Bruce Hoff of the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio. Hoff will also portray General Eisenhower and greet visitors in the Museum on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower will debut their new book "Going Home to Glory" on President Eisenhower's birthday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center Auditorium. A reception including birthday cake will follow the book talk and signing. The official release date of the book is Oct. 26; however, a small number of advance copies will be available for purchase in the Presidential Gift Shop the night of the program. In partnership with Abilene Public Library, "Going Home to Glory" is the first of this year's Eisenhower Book Talk Series.

Members of the Kansas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts will begin their annual vigil and stand guard over the final resting place of the President at the Place of Meditation. The vigil will begin at 4:30 p.m. and continue overnight through the early morning hours.

The Annual Legacy Dinner will be held Friday, Oct. 15 in the Library building beginning with a reception at 6:15 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. The featured speaker is Geoff Loftus, author of "Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day." Space is still available for the dinner and costs $60 per person or $75 with a signed copy of "Lead Like Ike." Reservations are required by Oct. 8 and can be made by sending the reservation form and check payable to Eisenhower Foundation, P.O. Box 295, Abilene, Kan. 67410.

A wreath laying ceremony is slated for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Deputy Commanding General Rear BG David Petersen and Division Command Sergeant Major Rear CSM Buddy Wallace will lead a procession and place a wreath at the burial site of President Eisenhower. Following the ceremony, the Kansas American Legion Annual Pilgrimage will be held at the Eisenhower Statue in the center of the campus grounds.


The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. The federal government does not provide funding for our museum, education and public programs. The private Eisenhower Foundation is the primary fund raising support for the Library.


Ike turns 120 today
BY JONATHAN CANNON

HERALD DEMOCRAT

It has been 120 years since the general, who was instrumental in bringing an end to World War II and later became President of the United States, was born in Denison to a humble family.

President Dwight David Eisenhower was born Oct. 14, 1890, in his family's Denison home, where his parents and two older brothers moved earlier.

Sylvia Rushing, the administrator of the Eisenhower Birthplace in Denison, said Eisenhower's father, David Eisenhower, had poured all the family's money into his grocery store in Hope, Kan. Though David Eisenhower had come from a farming family, he thought menial labor was beneath him and wanted a more refined occupation, said Robin Gilliam, the birthplace's site manager. But, he overextended credit to his customers and struggled to pay his suppliers.

The financial troubles put David Eisenhower in need of an immediate job, and he looked to the railroad, a place he knew was always hiring. David moved to Denison before his wife Ida, who was pregnant with the couple's second son, in the late 1880s.

Ten months after Ida Eisenhower and the two eldest boys joined their father in Denison, Ida announced she was pregnant again, Rushing said. It was the boy who would become the five-star general and president.

"From what we gathered, (the Eisenhowers) weren't all that thrilled to be here. They wanted to go back to Kansas," Gilliam said. It was where their families and friends were and where Dwight Eisenhower would spend most of his childhood and teen years.

Eisenhower spent only 18 months of his life in the Denison home and it was assumed he was born in Kansas until he became a war hero, who drew the world's attention. Even Eisenhower didn't know his own birthplace, though he did know he was from Texas.

An early passport of Dwight Eisenhower listed his birthplace as Tyler, Texas, Gilliam said. The confusion probably arose from the fact that his father, in addition to being an engine wiper, would make the round-trip to Tyler as a part of the crew to earn extra money for the family.

While he spent only a short time in Denison -- and likely had no memories of it -- Eisenhower's birthplace and the town in which it is set has become an attraction for those who remember the general and his contribution.

"This has always been meant as a memorial to the general that saved the Western World," Gilliam said. She said his place in history and the site's notoriety was cemented by his two-term presidency, but it was his work as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during WWII that made the world take notice of the Texas-born man.

As the commander, Eisenhower was charged with planning and executing Operation Overlord (better known as D-Day), which helped turn the tide of the war. Eisenhower knew the plan's failure was just as likely as its success. His concern seems evident in a second speech he wrote in case the attempt failed.

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops," the speech says on a handwritten document in the National Archives' digital collection. "My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."

He never had to give the speech, however, and the operation's success bolstered his popularity. Ten years later, he became president. His two terms were marked by Civil Rights legislation and the U.S. Interstate system.

"I would say that the presidency is probably the most taxing job, as far as tiring of the mind and spirit; but it also has, as I have said before, its inspirations which tend to counteract each other," Eisenhower said at a news conference on Jan. 8, 1956.

The celebration

"I come from the very heart of America," Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a London speech on June 12, 1945. It's those roots and that man Denison residents and visitors will celebrate this week.

The celebration begins Thursday, on the Eisenhower's 120th birthday, with a press conference at the birthplace, 609 South Lamar Ave. in Denison. Postage stamps will be unveiled along with a cancellation to commemorate the event. A special U.S. flag will be flown at the birthplace Thursday. It will later be used at the Eisenhower Monument dedication along with flags flown over the United States Capitol, West Point, the USS Eisenhower and Eisenhower's burial site.

Denison Main Street Director Donna Dow said the monument's dedication, which at one point was scheduled for Thursday, is planned for Presidents Day weekend in February. "Due to overwhelming response to the project, it isn't possible for construction to be completed," she said in an e-mail.

The Texas Military Historical Society will erect a World War II field camp in the 700 block of West Main Street on Saturday and remain until the Sunday's parade. Pup tents, a U.S. field kitchen and a weapons demonstration will be among the features.

During lunch Saturday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be serving Ike's Stew at the birthplace from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $4 per person. Proceeds will benefit the organization. From 2 to 4 p.m., birthday cupcakes and cookies will be served in Heritage Park while the Denison Middle School Band plays.

On Sunday, a 2 p.m. parade will march down Main Street.


ABILENE — David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower will be in Abilene next month as part of the celebration of the 120th birthday of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The pair will release and sign advance copies of their new book “Going Home to Glory,” a memoir primarily by David Eisenhower on his grandfather’s life after the presidency.

David Eisenhower is the director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

His wife, the daughter of former President Richard Nixon, is an author and is active in civic causes in the Philadelphia area.

The couple are scheduled to attend a book talk, signing and reception at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 — President Eisenhower’s birthday — in the visitors center at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, 200 SE 4th St., Abilene.

Although the book is not scheduled for release to bookstores until Oct. 26, a limited number of copies will be available for purchase at the museum gift shop, officials said.

The book signing will be one of several events marking the birthday celebration, including:

Wednesday — Bruce Hoff of the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio will portray Eisenhower as he was during his time as a World War II general and greet visitors to the museum.

Oct. 14 — Kansas Veterans of Foreign Wars will stand vigil at Eisenhower’s gravesite at the library complex. The vigil will begin at 4:30 p.m. and continue overnight.

Oct. 15 — The annual Legacy Dinner will be held in the Library building, with reception at 6:15 p.m. and dinner at 7. The featured speaker is author Geoff Loftus. Cost is $60, or $75 including a copy of Loftus’ book, “Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day.” Reservations are required by Oct. 8.

Oct. 16 — Brig. Gen. David Petersen and Command Sgt. Major Darrell “Buddy” Wallace, of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, will participate in a 10:30 a.m. procession and wreath-laying ceremony at Eisenhower’s burial site. The ceremony will be followed by the Kansas American Legion Annual Pilgrimage at the Eisenhower statue in the center of the complex.


Denison to Celebrate President Eisenhower's Birthday

President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 120th birthday will be celebrated this year with a number of activities at the Eisenhower Birthplace and in Downtown Denison, Texas. The events will begin on October 14, his birthday, and conclude on Sunday, October 17 with a parade.

Denison recently broke ground on a monument at Loy Lake Park to commemorate Ike's birth city. The project comes out of a strategic planning process in 2009, and the birthday celebrations will occur annually in the city.

On Thursday, October 14, at 9 a.m., a press conference at Eisenhower's Birthplace will kick off the weekend. Postage stamps will be unveiled along with a cancellation to commemorate the event. A special United States flag will be flown at the birthplace on this day. It will later be used at the monument dedication along with flags flown over the United States Capitol, West Point, the USS Eisenhower, and Eisenhower's Burial site.

A World War II reenactment group will set up in the 700 block of W. Main on Saturday and remain until the parade on Sunday. Visitors will be able to observe an encampment resembling that of wartime courtesy of the Texas Military Historical Society. Pup tents, a US Field Kitchen, and a weapons demonstration will be among the features.

During lunch Saturday, the VFW will be serving Ike's Stew at the Birthplace from 11a.m. until 1 p.m. for only $4 per person. The special recipe comes from Ike the Cook (Russoli) and is based upon 60 pounds of beef. The recipe encouraged the use of beef and was later modified so that homemakers could prepare in smaller, family-sized increments.

Also on Saturday, from 2-4 p.m., birthday cupcakes and cookies will be served in Heritage Park while the Denison Middle School Band plays. Those joining the festivities at 2 p.m. can join in the happy birthday song.

On Sunday, Downtown Denison businesses are being asked to open from 12-4. A special brochure on Eisenhower the Artist is being prepared for distribution. The Denison High School Band will play in Heritage Park before and after a 2 p.m. parade beginning in the 700 block of Main.

Eisenhower's Birthplace, located at 609 S. Lamar Avenue in Denison, Texas, is open Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Tour admission is $4 for adults and $3 for students ages 6-18 with ID. Children 5 and under are free.

Tomorrow would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday!

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY JOHN, YOU ARE GREATLY MISSED!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT YOU GAVE US!!
- MFPS




Birth: Oct. 9, 1940
Death: Dec. 8, 1980

Beatle, Rock Musician. Born John Winston Lennon in Liverpool, UK to merchant seaman Alfred and Julia Stanley Lennon. His parents separated when he was four, and Julia put John in the care of her sister, Mary Smith whom he called Mimi. Although Julia never lived more than 10 miles from him, he would only see her occasionally. As a teenager, he became caught up in the skiffle craze that was sweeping England at that time, and formed a skiffle band he called The Blackjacks, who later became The Quarry Men. It was at a Quarry Men gig in July in 1957 (Woolton Fete) that he was introduced to Paul McCartney. Neither one was initially impressed with the other, until John learned that Paul could actually tune a guitar. A few weeks later, Paul joined The Quarry Men. That same year, John attended the Liverpool College of Art, where he would meet future wife Cynthia Powell along with future band mate Stuart Sutcliffe. Soon after Paul joined the band, he introduced John to a younger schoolmate, George Harrison. John accepted George into the band in 1958. The Quarry Men went through numerous line-up changes as well as name changes in 1959 and 1960. Among those were Johnny and The Moondogs, The Silver Beetles, until finally settling on The Beatles about 1960.

They traveled to Hamburg, Germany's seedy Reperbaun district as a house band at the Indra and Kaiserkeller clubs in grueling 7 to 8 hour sets. The band was eventually forced to leave Hamburg when it was discovered George was underage. Back in Liverpool by early 1961, The Beatles were playing lunch-time sessions at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was at the Cavern in November 1961 that Brian Epstein saw the group perform. Epstein took the mantle of manager and set about sharpening their image He secured an audition with Decca Records in London in 1962. They were finally picked up at Parlophone Records. Drummer Pete Best was replaced with Ringo Starr before their first recording sessions. Their first single, "Love Me Do," reached the top twenty in late 1962 on the British charts; "Please Please Me" in 1963 hit #1.

The Beatles would have 11 consecutive number ones on the British charts from 1963 to 1966. American TV host Ed Sullivan witnessed "Beatlemania" in London's Heathrow Airport and he booked The Beatles to be on his show, "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964. Their performance on the Sullivan show two days later remains one of the most watched shows in television history, with a viewing audience of 73 million people. The Beatles had the Top 5 positions on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 Singles chart for the week of April 4, 1964, in addition to seven other singles, for a total of 12.

The Beatles broke new musical ground with such albums as 1965's "Rubber Soul", and two years later with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," which hit number one. John's single, "All You Need Is Love," debuted on the first global satellite TV program, "Our World," in 1967, where The Beatles were chosen to represent England. Their last concert was held on August 29, 1966 in San Francisco's Candlestick Park. The Beatles started to disintegrate during the sessions for the so-called "White Album" in 1968. At various points, John, George, and Ringo quit the band. At one point, John became so disgusted, he stated he "wanted a divorce" from The Beatles.

John's met Japanese-born Yoko Ono in 1966 at the Indica Gallery in London, while each was married to other people. John and Yoko made their relationship public in 1968. Yoko became John's focal point, going so far as to include her in Beatles studio recordings. They also embarked on various recording and media stunts that included appearing in white bags in public. John and Yoko married on March 20, 1969 at the British Consulate in Gibraltar and spent their honeymoon in bed for the now legendary "bed-in for peace" at the Amsterdam Hilton in The Netherlands. In April of 1969, John changed his middle name to Ono.

In November of that year, John returned his MBE (Member of the British Empire) medal, awarded in 1966, to protest British government policy against Nigeria, the Viet Nam War, and the poor chart performance of his latest single. After settling in Hew York, he released successful solo albums such as "Imagine" in 1971 and "Mind Games" in 1973. John faced deportation proceedings in March 1972, when his visa expired and he was told to leave the country due to his 1968 British drug conviction. During his fight, many people lined up in support of John, including New York mayor John Lindsay.

From 1972 until two days before his second son's birth in 1975, John faced a few deportation threats, but on October 7, 1975 the New York State Senate reversed the deportation order and John received his Green Card in July of 1976. John returned to recording in 1980 with his first solo album in over half a decade, "Double Fantasy." On the night of December 8, 1980, John was in the walkway of The Dakota apartment building in New York City when someone said, "Mr. Lennon." John turned around and was shot at close range by a stalker. Rushed to the Emergency Room of nearby Roosevelt Hospital he was declared dead on arrival. Posthumously, "Double Fantasy" won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1982.

In 1988, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in addition to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Beatles, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994 as a solo artist. He received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy in 1991. Two of his demo tapes, "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" were released to the three surviving Beatles to finish in the early 1990s. Other works include the poetry collections, "In His Own Write" (1964) and "A Spaniard In the Works" (1965).

Burial:
Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend.


IMAGINE LYRICS
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Remembering Servant of God Cardinal Terence Cooke after 27 years

Cardinal Cooke with Pope John Paul II in Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty in the background, this is one of my favorite images of the Pope and the Great Cardinal!


Cardinal O'Connor blessing the tomb of Cardinal Terence Cooke!



Servant of God Cardinal Terence Cooke you are truly a inspiring man to be Cardinal in NYC, remembering you 27 years later, may you rest in peace!

Terence James Cooke (March 1, 1921 – October 6, 1983) was an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of New York from 1968 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Early life and education
The youngest of three children, Terence Cooke was born in New York City to Michael and Margaret (née Gannon) Cooke.

His parents were both from County Galway, Ireland, and named their son after Terence MacSwiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork who died on a hunger strike during the Irish War of Independence. His father also worked as a chauffeur and construction worker. At age 5, he and his family moved from Morningside Heights, Manhattan, to the northeast Bronx. Following his mother's death in 1930, his aunt helped raise him and his siblings.

Cooke, after expressing an early interest in the priesthood, entered the minor seminary of the Archdiocese of New York in 1934. In 1940, he entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.

Priesthood
Cooke was ordained a priest by Archbishop Francis Spellman on December 1, 1945.[1] He then did pastoral work in the Bronx, and served as a chaplain at St. Agatha’s Home for Children until 1947. He then pursued his graduate studies in social work at the University of Chicago and at the Catholic University of America, from where he obtained a Master's degree in 1949.

From 1949 to 1954, Cooke taught at Fordham University's School of Social Service. He was appointed director of the Youth Division of Catholic Charities and procurator of St. Joseph's Seminary in 1954.

In 1957, he was chosen by Cardinal Spellman to be his secretary, a position in which he remained until 1965. Cooke was named a Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness on August 13, 1957, and Vice-Chancellor for the Archdiocese in 1958, rising to full Chancellor in 1961.


Bishop
On September 15, 1965, Cooke was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York and Titular Bishop of Summa by Pope Paul VI.[5] He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 13 from Cardinal Spellman, with Archbishops Joseph Thomas McGucken and John Joseph Maguire serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[5] He selected as his episcopal motto: Fiat Voluntas Tua, meaning, "Thy Will Be Done" (Luke 1:38).

He played a prominent role in arranging Paul VI's visit to New York in October[3], and became vicar general of the Archdiocese two days after his consecration, on December 15, 1965. He was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia, a form of cancer, that year as well.

Archbishop of New York
Following the death of Cardinal Spellman in December 1967, Cooke was named the seventh Archbishop of New York on March 2, 1968.

His appointment came as a surprise; likely contenders for the post included Fulton J. Sheen, a television personality and Bishop of Rochester, and Archbishop Maguire, who had been Spellman's coadjutor but did not hold the right to succession.[3] In addition to his duties in New York, he was named Vicar Apostolic for the U.S. Military on April 4, and was installed in both positions at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, leading to a nationwide wave of riots in more than 100 cities. In response, Cooke went to Harlem to plea for racial peace and later attended King's funeral. He baptized Rory Kennedy.

Cooke helped implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the Archdiocese, and adopted a more conciliatory managerial style than his predecessor, Cardinal Spellman.

Servant of God Pope Paul VI created him Cardinal Priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (the traditional titular church of the New York archbishops) in the consistory of April 28,1969.

At the time of his elevation, he was the second youngest member of the College of Cardinals after Alfred Bengsch, who was six months younger than Cooke. Cooke was theologically conservative but progressive in secular matters.

During his tenure as Archbishop, he founded nine nursing homes; Birthright, which offers women alternatives to abortion; the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which provides financial aid for inner-city Catholic schools; an Archdiocesan Housing Development Program, providing housing to New York's disadvantaged; and the Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper.

In 1974, he went to the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he attended lectures on the Second Vatican Council given by his future successor, Edward Egan. His leukemia was deemed terminal in 1975.

Cooke was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II, respectively. In 1979, he received the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Illness and death
In late August 1983, Cooke revealed his illness to the public; he announced that was expected to live for a few more months, but would not resign his post. He was on almost constant chemotherapy for the last five years of his life.

In an open letter completed only days before his death, he wrote, "The gift of life, God's special gift, is no less beautiful when it is accompanied by illness or weakness, hunger or poverty, mental or physical handicaps, loneliness or old age."

Cooke died from his battle with leukemia in his episcopal residence, at age 62. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Recognitions
On April 5, 1984, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Cardinal Cooke the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1988, he was posthumously awarded the F. Sadlier Dinger Award by William H. Sadlier, Inc. for his outstanding contributions to the ministry of religious education in America.

Cause for Canonization
Cardinal Cooke was widely regarded as a holy person by many New Yorkers during his episcopal ministry as Archbishop of New York, and soon after his death in 1983, a movement to canonize him as a saint began. In 1984, with the support of Cooke's successor, Archbishop (and future Cardinal) John Joseph O'Connor, the Cardinal Cooke Guild was established. In 1992, the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially designated Cardinal Cooke as a Servant of God, a first step in the canonization process that leads to beatification and then canonization as a saint. Rev. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, is the postulator for the cause.


Cardinal Cooke’s sainthood cause advances as Archbishop Dolan presents case to Pope


Related articles:•Of Human Life - By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
•Respect Life Mass homily - 2003, Archbishop Chaput
•Of Human Life - Addendum some common questions – By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
•Canonization
Vatican City, Apr 18, 2010 / 12:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Servant of God Cardinal Terence Cooke's cause for sainthood has advanced with the delivery of the relevant documents to the Holy See. Investigations into the life of the much loved former Archbishop of New York have begun the "Roman phase" of his path to canonization.

Following Pope Benedict XVI's general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York visited to greet the pontiff and to deliver documents that could help his predecessor be declared a saint.

Cardinal Cooke, born, raised and ordained in New York City, was consecrated bishop in 1965. From his position of vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York, at the age of 47, he was chosen to succeed Francis Cardinal Spellman as archbishop upon his death in 1967. He also became Military Vicar for the United States.

According to The Cardinal Cooke Guild, during the 14 years Cardinal Cooke spent at the helm of the archdiocese many of the needy were assisted by his initiatives personally. Among the programs founded on his watch were Birthright, Courage and Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper.

Under his direction, the Church cared for 60 percent of the city's abandoned or neglected children.
The Guild describes his extraordinary efforts for the homeless, elderly, marginalized and sick, adding that Cardinal Cooke “never failed to listen to others and to address their needs."

Although it wasn't known publicly, he suffered from leukemia. He was diagnosed during his first year as archbishop. Even up to his death in 1983, he was heard joyfully saying, “Life is no less beautiful when it is accompanied by illness, weakness, hunger or poverty, physical or mental diseases, loneliness or old age.”

According to the Guild, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, was named Postulator for Cardinal Cooke's cause by John Cardinal O'Connor and in 1992 the cardinal received Servant of God status from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (CCS).

Since then, the cardinal's cause has gone through the "local phase."

The Ambrosi Legal Firm, which is representing the cause in Rome, has described the process.

First, information for in Cardinal Cooke's cause was compiled by the Postulator and given to the local bishop. The information included a biography as well as any of the cardinal’s writings, which must be certified as congruent with Church teaching by two censor theologians.

The information also includes a list of witnesses to the life of the Servant of God. A formal request to introduce the cause was also made.

After receiving the request and documents, the bishop conferred with any other bishops in the region about introducing the cause and invited the cardinal's devotees to present other possible writings which were the also the object of theological review.

With these steps completed, the process began the "Roman phase" with Archbishop Dolan's delivery of the complete documentation in the form of a "positio," a position paper, to the Holy See.

L'Osservatore Romano briefly spoke with the archbishop after he delivered the positio at Wednesday's audience. He said that the figure of the late cardinal remains “very current as a model for bishops and priests."

"Cooke maintained serenity amidst the tempest; he was always close to his people, despite a serious illness. His testimony of strength and truth especially encourages us bishops of today."

The next step in the process, whose duration is impossible to predict, is the revision of documents by the CCS. Upon the conclusion of the review, if Cardinal Cooke is declared to have displayed "heroic virtue" in his life, by Papal decree he will be designated as venerable.

If a miracle is officially attributed to his intervention after much more documentation and investigation, he could then be beatified. At that point, a second recognized miracle would lead to his canonization


The Military Vicariate
For fifteen years Terence Cardinal Cooke served as Military Vicar of the United Sates. Over two million members of our country's military personnel were under his care.

As shepherd to those in the armed services, Cardinal Cooke visited the far corners of the world. Despite public criticism at home, he journeyed to Vietnam to be with the troops on Christmas 1968. Knowing that his flock in New York was well served by his priests and auxiliary bishops Cardinal Cooke felt he was called to be a true father to the young men and women who were far from home, facing danger in the service of their country. Throughout the rest of his life he never wavered in this conviction. Despite failing health, he spent Christmas 1982 with American troops in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon.

Less than a month before his death October 6, 1983, Cardinal Cooke asked that a message from him be delivered to the Military Chaplains' meeting in San Antonio, Texas. It read, in part . . . "Many people do not know, as I have come to know, the special sacrifice you make in bringing the love of Jesus into the lives of so many who reach out to you for help. Sometimes your flock is small and far from home, very young and confused by dramatically changed circumstances which the cause of peace demands of them. For these, your title of Father, assumes a very special significance, a significance not always appreciated in other priestly apostolates." In closing . . . "I rejoice that through, with and of the Eucharistic Christ I am able to serve God's People in the Military Vicariate in sickness as I have in health. I offer my suffering and my prayers for you and for all whom you serve so faithfully."

On April 5, 1984 Cardinal Cooke was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan: "A saintly man a great spiritual leader, Terence Cardinal Cooke inspired his countrymen with his dedication to his Church, devotion to his flock, and service to his country. As the Military Vicar to our Nation's Armed Forces, Cardinal Cooke worked tirelessly on behalf of those who serve their country in uniform. As a patriot and national leader, he preached the love of country and championed the cause of human freedom. He will live in the memory of his countrymen as a man of compassion, courage, and personal holiness."



Who was Terence Cardinal Cooke?



Born on March 1st, 1921 in Manhattan, Terence Cooke was the third and youngest child of Irish immigrants. His father was a chauffeur; his mother died when Terence was only nine. The child of a devout family, Terence manifested an interest in the priesthood at an early age. He entered Cathedral College and from there went to St. Joseph’s Seminary. The future Cardinal Archbishop of New York was ordained by Francis Cardinal Spellman on December 1, 1945.

The young priest served as chaplain at Saint Agatha’s Home for Children before going to the Catholic University of America for graduate studies in social work. From there he went to Saint Athanasius Parish. Later he directed the CYO, was procurator of St. Joseph’s Seminary, and secretary to Cardinal Spellman. He then became Chancellor of the Archdiocese and finally Vicar General. He was consecrated bishop in 1965. Barely three years later Cardinal Spellman died, and the world expected him to be succeeded by one of the senior prelates of the Church. Pope Paul VI, however, had other ideas and chose instead a devout, relatively unknown Vicar General. And at the age of forty-seven Terence Cooke found himself Archbishop of New York and Military Vicar for the United States.



His work...

His fourteen years as Cardinal Archbishop were a time of profound transformation. The 1960’s ushered in a period of turbulence and rapid change, and the Church strove to adapt itself to a transforming culture at the same time it was implementing the sweeping reforms of the Second Vatican Council. A faithful and loving shepherd, Cardinal Cooke never failed to listen to others and to address their needs. Ever responsive to the challenges of his times he founded:

Birthright, to give women an alternative to abortion,
Courage, to help men and women of homosexual orientation live fulfilling lives in accordance with the teachings of the Church,
The Inner-City Scholarship Fund to support inner-city Catholic Schools, and help children of all races and creeds.
An Archdiocesan Housing Development Program, to provide affordable housing to New York’s disadvantaged,
Catholic New York (the Archdiocesan newspaper), to disseminate the Catholic perspective on world and local events.
Ever concerned with the needs of others, Cardinal Cooke was instrumental in improving care for terminally ill cancer patients. He also coordinated fourteen general and special hospitals under the Department of Health Services of Catholic Charities to better serve the sick and the dying. He maintained a lifelong commitment to Casita Maria, a pioneer youth-oriented service agency for the Puerto Rican community in New York. Catholic Charities programs for the imprisoned, the handicapped and the disadvantaged were initiated by him. No group was forgotten; no one was abandoned.

Terence Cooke had a special love for the aged and the young. During his time as Archbishop construction was completed on nine nursing homes that were affiliated with Catholic Charities.

Kateri Residence
Mary Manning Walsh Home
Ferncliff Nursing Home
Carmel-Richmond Nursing Home
Jeanne Jugan Residence
Providence Rest
Saint Cabrini Nursing
Saint Teresa’s Nursing Home
Saint Joseph’s Nursing Home
Under Cardinal Cooke, the Catholic Church cared for sixty percent of the abandoned and neglected children in New York City. Always an advocate for the young and aware of the growing problem of New York’s homeless and at-risk youth, he strongly supported Covenant House and other institutions that cared for the thousands of teenagers who would otherwise become prey to drug addiction and prostitution.

He particularly enjoyed and supported three movements in the Church in which women had an equal role with men.

The Cursillo Movement

The Christian Family Movement

Charismatic Renewal

His Illness

Diagnosed with cancer in 1965 and considered terminal from 1975 onward, Cardinal Cooke endured surgery and then chemotherapy for years. Despite this he kept to his hectic schedule and gave of himself to all who needed him. Seeing the needs of others as paramount, he prayerfully accepted his own problems as a share in the sufferings of Christ. His Episcopal motto, Fiat Voluntas Tua (Thy will be done), says it all. These words, which proclaim a joyful surrender to the will of God, were never a mere motto to Terence Cooke; they were the bedrock of his profound spirituality and the source of his strength. Although his health continued to worsen, he continued to live life joyfully, fully, and for others, trusting completely in the love of God. When others might have yielded to illness, he simply increased his efforts and presided over an expansion of the Archdiocese that emphasized:

Education
Healthcare
Social services
Until the end Cardinal Cooke struggled for those who could not help themselves: the poor, the young, the elderly, the immigrant and life’s cast-offs. From its inception, he stood at the forefront of the pro-life movement, unwavering in his conviction that life is God’s most beautiful gift. Even in his final days, he could joyfully declare: “Life is no less beautiful when it is accompanied by illness, weakness, hunger or poverty, physical or mental diseases, loneliness or old age.”

On October 6, 1983, Terence Cardinal Cooke died a holy death in the Cardinal’s residence. The Cathedral of Saint Patrick overflowed with people as he lay in state. Lines of mourners surrounded the Cathedral, waiting to pay their final respects. They came to him in death as he had welcomed them in life: The poor with the rich, the old with the young, the famous with the obscure, those of all faiths and those who proclaimed no faith. Each of the many ethnic communities that make up New York, felt a profound personal loss: The front page of El Diario, New York’s Spanish language newspaper, said it for everyone. “Adios Amigo.”

All these people had little in common, except a need to bid farewell to a beloved priest who had touched their lives. But how had he done it? How had he affected so many? We can only say that he did it by living a life of genuine holiness, by living his life for others. And then we must ask: is that not the definition of a saint?

A Message from the Vice Postulator


Dear Friends:

At the time of his death in 1983, many people in New York and elsewhere felt that Terence Cardinal Cooke was a holy man. In fact, over the years, many people, including the late Pope John Paul II, referred to Cardinal Cooke as "saintly." In the years that have followed, belief in the sanctity of Terence Cooke has grown and been voiced in many different parts of the world. Those who knew him as a priest, bishop and Cardinal Archbishop of New York were uplifted by his gentleness and humility.

In 1984 the Cardinal Cooke Guild was established by Sister M. Aloysius McBride, O. Carm., to tell the story of Cardinal Cooke's faith-filled life and holy death. Father Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR, was named Postulator of the Cause of Canonization by John Cardinal O'Connor, and in 1992 Terence Cooke was officially designated Servant of God by the Vatican's Congregation of the Causes of Saints. Today, the Cause of Canonization continues to further document the heroic way in which he lived faith, hope and charity, and indeed, all the virtues.

As Vice Postulator of the Cause in its present stage, I encourage you to learn more about the life and holiness of Terence Cardinal Cooke. At a time when New York and the USA need recent examples of holiness in our midst. I ask you to become a partner in this worthy cause.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Joseph R. Giandurco



The Cause for Canonization of Terence Cardinal Cooke is dedicated to showing that Cardinal Cooke lived a life of heroic virtue, and we have recently entered the Roman phase. Currently we are in the process of refining and amplifying materials required by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican. The Tribunal responsible for Cardinal Cooke’s Cause is working diligently to meet the criteria set forth by the Holy See. For further information regarding the process of canonization we recommend: Canonization: Theology, History, Process, edited by William Woestman, OMI Published by the Faculty of Canon Law, Saint Paul University. Ottawa, Canada, 2002 (available on Google.com)


The Cause for Canonization of Terence Cardinal Cooke includes:

Dr. Avv. Andrea Ambrosi, Roman Postulator
Rev. Msgr. Joseph R. Giandurco, JCD, Vice Postulator

Tribunal
Rev. Msgr. Charles McManus, Episcopal Delegate
Rev. Msgr. John Harrington, Promoter of Justice

Historical Commission
Sr. Marie Magdalena Angerame, OSF
Rev. Terrence L. Weber
Andrew Hartzell, Esq.

Theological Commission
Rev Msgr, Daniel Flynn
Rev. Msgr. Walter F. Kenny

Notaries
Ann Cicchelli
John Collins
Mrs. Mary Hartzell
Elizabeth Mumm
Margaret Quealy

Copier
Ilya Speranza


What can I do to help the Cause for Canonization of Cardinal Cooke?

The answer to that is simple: You can pray. The prayers of many people are needed to advance the Cause to the point when the Servant of God Terence Cardinal Cooke will be named, Venerable, Blessed and finally Saint. We ask you to join your prayers with ours in asking God for the success of the Cause. We ask you to become a member of the Guild, and we ask you to spread the word about the faith-filled life of the humble prince of the Church who touched the lives of countless people.

Prayer for the Canonization of Cardinal Cooke:

Almighty and eternal Father, we thank you for the exemplary life and gentle kindness of your son and bishop, Terence Cooke. If it be your gracious will, grant that the virtues of your servant may be recognized and provide a lasting example for your people. We pray through Our Lord Jesus Christ your son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.


A Founder's Vision

On August 15, 1981 Terence Cardinal Cooke shared with the priests of the archdiocese the convictions which led him to initiate the first official paper of the Archdiocese of New York. He said:

I believe this newspaper will:
* bring the work and message of the Church into the homes of our families in a fresh and interesting way;
* provide a forum for dialogue among our people, so necessary in these times of questioning, searching, misinformation;

* offer background and balance on important religious and theological issues;

* highlight the positive and practical, and often unnoticed, works of charity done by so many priests, religious and lay people in our parishes and institutions;

* become an invaluable educational tool for all of us as we strive to teach and live the Gospel of the Lord Jesus in the Archdiocese of New York.

He concluded by acknowledging the enthusiasm and generosity of spirit that would be evident in the collaboration so essential to "this new venture of Evangelization."

Catholic New York's Role in Evangelization

News
Catholic New York takes local, national and world events and measures them against the moral and ethical code of the Catholic faith.

Witness
Catholic New York presents the experiences of those living the faith...experiences that are clearly perceived as reflecting the Gospel message.

Teaching
Catholic New York explains Church teaching on moral issues and defines a standard by which to live one's life.

Reflections
Catholic New York's writers share their thoughts--inviting readers to explore their own attitudes and viewpoints.

Announcements
Catholic New York focuses attention on events of faith and extends the invitation to participate in activities of the larger Church community.



Cardinal Cooke's Canonization Cause Advances


Archbishop Dolan Delivers "Positio" to Pope



VATICAN CITY, APRIL 14, 2010 (Zenit.org).-Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York was in Rome today to deliver the position paper for the cause of canonization of his predecessor, Cardinal Terence Cooke.

Cardinal Cooke served as the archbishop of New York from 1968 to 1983. Archbishop Dolan delivered the "positio" to Benedict XVI after the weekly general audience.

"Cooke maintained serenity in the face of storms; he was always close to the people, despite his grave illness. His testimony of strength and truth encourages above all the bishops of today," the archbishop said in statements published by L'Osservatore Romano.

The report, which relates the life and virtue of the cardinal, will be submitted to the Congregation for Saints' Causes, where a commission of theologians will study it. The report will then pass to another commission of cardinals and bishops.

If the report successfully passes examination by these two commissions, the next step would be for the Pope to promulgate a decree of heroic virtue and proclaim Cardinal Cooke "venerable."

For beatification, a miracle attributed to the intercession of Cardinal Cooke must be submitted and decreed.

Terence Cooke was born in 1921 in New York. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York in 1945. In 1965, he was named the auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese, and that same year he was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia.

In 1968, he was named archbishop of New York, and simultaneously as the vicar apostolic for the U.S. Military. He was made a cardinal the next year.

The cardinal died in 1983 at the age of 62. He revealed his illness to the public only months before he died, and his doctor revealed to the New York Times that he had spent the last five years of his life ''on almost constant chemotherapy."

The remains of Cardinal Cooke are interred in the crypt of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

The cardinal was named a Servant of God in 1992 by Venerable Pope John Paul II.

October 6, 2008, 11:21 am
Remembering Cardinal Cooke
By SEWELL CHAN
Archbishop Terence J. Cooke in 1969, the year he was elevated to cardinal. (Photo: The New York Times) Updated, 7:32 p.m. Twenty-five years ago today, Cardinal Terence J. Cooke, the archbishop of New York, died at age 62, less than two months after announcing that he was terminally ill with leukemia. Cardinal Edward M. Egan, the current archbishop, celebrated a Mass in Cardinal Cooke’s memory at St. Patrick’s Cathedral late Monday morning.

Cardinal Cooke, who had led the archdiocese since 1968, was a leader of the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion. In one of his last acts he wrote a letter to be read at the archbishop’s parishes on the Sunday after his death. “It is tragic,” he wrote, “that in our time, concepts which are disastrous to the well-being of God’s human family — abortion, euthanasia and infanticide — are falsely presented as useful and even respectable solutions to human, family and social problems.”

In his homily on Monday, Cardinal Egan said of Cardinal Cooke, “He had intense love for the Lord and intense love for all in the Lord.” He added, “The hurting and the unwanted — they were his neighbors. No, better — they were his brothers and sisters.”

Cardinal Egan, referring to the story of the Good Samaritan, called Cardinal Cooke “a preacher who preached the truth; a priest who loved his neighbors; a practitioner of charity of Jesus Christ who taught and lived that all were his neighbor.”

Also in attendance were many priests and several other bishops, including Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick,
the retired archbishop of Washington, both of whom once served as secretary to Cardinal Cooke.

Cardinal Cooke was a junior prelate — the archdiocese’s vicar general and auxiliary bishop — when Pope Paul VI named him in March 1968 to succeed Cardinal Francis J. Spellman, in what The Times called “a total surprise.”

Cardinal Cooke was born on the Upper West Side on March 1, 1921, and grew up in the Bronx. His father, an Irish immigrant, was a chauffeur and then a construction worker. He was ordained in 1945 and rose swiftly through the archdiocesan ranks after his appointment as Cardinal Spellman’s secretary, in 1957. His background in social work helped distinguished him from his predecessor, Cardinal Spellman, and his successor, Cardinal John J. O’Connor.

“A very typical background for an American bishop is canon law, and Cooke’s was not,” Peter Steinfels, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, said in a phone interview. “His leadership had this pastoral concern for those suffering hardships, rather than a more legal approach to leadership. He was quiet, and in that sense a contrast to both the public figure of Spellman, who had a high public profile, and his successor, O’Connor, who had a very outgoing, gregarious personality.”

In The Times’s obituary, Kenneth A. Briggs wrote:

As the successor to Francis Cardinal Spellman, Cooke guided the archdiocese through upheavals touched off by shifting forces in both the church and the surrounding society. Unlike his more commanding predecessor, Cardinal Cooke exercised his authority with reserve and a distaste for public conflict. Though handpicked by Spellman to take over one of the world’s most prominent Roman Catholic archdioceses, he took a far less combative stance than his mentor, shying from Spellman’s bold exercise of personal and political power. By comparison, Cardinal Cooke was a mild-mannered, expertly managerial priest who worked largely through the machinery of the archdiocese to carry out church programs.

It was not long after Cardinal Cooke’s death that calls for sainthood began to catch on. The Cause for Canonization of Terence Cardinal Cooke continues to actively pursue sainthood.