Catholics Nationwide Once Again Praying for Kennedys

July 22, 1999

WASHINGTON (CNS) Sadly, Catholics across the nation once again were praying for the Kennedy family in the aftermath of tragedy.

From U.S. cardinals and bishops to parishioners attending Sunday Mass, Catholics offered prayers for John F. Kennedy Jr., son of the only Catholic president of the United States, his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

All three were presumed dead following the disappearance and apparent crash of their plane late July 16 off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of GalvestonHouston, Texas, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the bishops joined in mourning the loss.

"The pain surrounding this tragedy is shared by many in this nation and especially by their fellow Catholics who join them in prayer and ask God's comfort for the families," he said in a statement released July 19 in Washington.

He expressed the hope that the families "will find strength in their union with God, feel solace in the realization that life is not ended but changed, and fondly recall that God graced them, even for too short a time, with the lives" of the young people lost at sea.

Bishop Sean P. O'Malley of Fall River, Mass., happened to be at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, Mass., July 18 for a dedication.

At the beginning of the last of five regular Sunday Masses at the Cape Cod church, he said, "For many, this is known as President Kennedy's church." He said the altar was donated by John Kennedy Jr.'s grandparents, the late Joseph and Rose Kennedy, in 1946.

In his remarks, Bishop O'Malley remembered Rose Kennedy and said he hoped Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, John Jr.'s sister, could be just as strong, according to The Boston Globe.

"I know she was very close to her mother and brother and having lost both of them in such a short time is a terrible blow," he said. "We pray for her faith."

Nearby, the Kennedy family gathered for Sunday Mass in a large tent set up in the family compound for what was to have been the wedding now postponed of Kennedy's cousin, Rory Kennedy, the night before. The family gathered again for Mass in the tent July 19.

Bishop Edward M. Egan of Bridgeport, Conn., said that as the head of the diocese in which the Bessette family resides, "I express to the parents, sister, other relatives and friends of Carolyn and Lauren my heartfelt sympathy."

In a July 19 statement, he said that clergy, religious and laity throughout the diocese would continue to pray for the victims.

"The passing of these three extraordinary young people is a source of great sadness for the entire Catholic community of Fairfield County," he said.

Joseph McAleer, spokesman for the Bridgeport Diocese, said friends of Carolyn and Lauren Bessette had called St. Michael the Archangel Church in Greenwich, Conn., and asked if St. Michael's was going to hold a special Mass or a remembrance.

He said St. Michael's is adjacent to Greenwich Catholic School, an elementary school that formerly housed St. Mary High School, from which Carolyn Bessette graduated in 1983. Lauren Bessette graduated from Greenwich High School a year earlier.

About 200 people attended the Mass, according to The Associated Press. At the liturgy, Fr. Michael Moynihan, pastor, reportedly told a group of 40 children gathered before the altar that some of their parents had gone to St. Mary's with Carolyn Bessette. McAleer said Bessette family members are not members of St. Michael's and have never belonged to that parish.

In the Diocese of Savannah, Ga., where Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette were married in 1996, Bishop J. Kevin Boland said his prayers, too, were with members of the Kennedy and Bessette families.

In a July 19 statement, Bishop Boland recalled that he had to give special permission for the wedding to be held in a 19th century Baptist church on Cumberland Island in his diocese.

About six weeks after the wedding, he said, Kennedy phoned to personally thank him for his help.

"I was very impressed with his courtesy in calling to express his gratitude for something that was so easy to grant," Bishop Boland said. Kennedy also said he "appreciated very much" that the bishop had kept the wedding plans confidential, he remembered.

The bishop said that Kennedy, who had learned the bishop was recovering from leg surgery, also inquired about his health during the fiveminute call.

Bishop Boland, who was leaving later July 19 for a seminary reunion and vacation in his native Ireland, said in the statement, "The people in Ireland had a great admiration for President Kennedy and his entire family. I know they will be feeling a great sense of loss because of the disappearance of John Jr."

In other reactions July 19, Cardinal James A. Hickey of Washington said prayers for the Kennedy and Bessette families had been offered at weekend Masses throughout the archdiocese.

He said in a statement, "I pray that they may find solace in their faith and be comforted by the Lord's healing love."

In Philadelphia, Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua said that, upon learning of the missing plane, "I immediately began praying for both families." He said he hoped they would find strength "in knowing that many people are keeping them in prayer."

Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore said in response to a local press query, "Our hearts and prayers are with all those who have been touched by the sad news regarding John F. Kennedy Jr. and those with him."

And Cardinal John J. O'Connor prayed for the crash victims at a July 18 Youth 2000 event in the New York Archdiocese.

Also in New York, Franciscan Father Mychal F. Judge, a fire department chaplain, participated in a July 17 ceremony and Mass on Long Island marking the third anniversary of the crash of TWA Flight 800, in which 230 people died.

Father Judge, who was at the TWA crash scene shortly after that tragedy, stayed for two weeks to minister to victims' families and friends.

In a statement July 19 from the Franciscans' Holy Name Province in New York, Father Judge recalled meeting the young Kennedy about seven years ago at the New York mayor's residence before the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

"I remember how enthused he was about taking his sister Caroline's daughter to the parade and wanting to hold her on his shoulders so she could enjoy it," the chaplain said. "He told me, `I know she'll have a good time, but I'll have more fun than she will."'

Father Judge added: "Now it seems he and his wife and sisterinlaw have lost their lives at the same time as that crash on Long Island. What a terrible coincidence."

Pope John Paul II offered his prayers for John F. Kennedy Jr. and for his family as the search for his body continued.

Pope John Paul was informed early July 18 of Kennedy's presumed death after a small plane piloted by Kennedy apparently crashed off the shore of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. The pope was informed that Kennedy's wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sisterinlaw, Lauren Bessette, had been traveling with him and also were presumed dead.

"As always when hearing of a tragic death, the pope interrupted the account, immediately offering a prayer," said papal spokesman Joaquin NavarroValls.

Speaking to reporters in Quart, a small town in the Italian Alps where the pope was vacationing, NavarroValls said the pope "remembered the many tragedies of this family, beginning with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy."

"He recalled having seen the photograph of John Jr. saluting the coffin of his father," during the president's 1963 funeral procession. The Kennedy son was 3 years old at the time.