Recognizes contributions of “jumping padre” to those he served and the Church at large
WASHINGTON, D.C. – His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services (AMS), USA, today issued the following statement on the death of retired Archbishop Philip Hannan. Hannan, who died Thursday in New Orleans at the age of 98, was the nation’s oldest living military chaplain.
Archbishop Broglio said:
“Saddened by the death of Archbishop Hannan, with all believers, I recognize that death opens the door to eternal life, the object of the earthly pilgrimage.”
“From his days as a chaplain for the 505th Parachute Regiment of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, when he was known affectionately as “the jumping padre,” to his years of active retirement in New Orleans, Archbishop Hannan was a widely influential role model, not only to those he served directly, but also to the Church itself. He will be remembered for demonstrating the courage of his convictions and for his strong influence in the writing of “The Challenge of Peace,” the U.S. bishops’ 1983 pastoral letter on war and peace.
“Like his predecessors, he never forgot the poor whose lives he set out to improve with aggressive social action programs aimed at providing food, housing and other necessities for those in need. Archbishop Hannan’s long, fruitful life is an example to us all, and today we pray for the repose of his immortal soul.”
