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Memorial Blessing Planned for Springfield Native Up for Sainthood01:27PM / Friday, June 19, 2009
SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will bless a memorial area dedicated to the late Passionist priest and Springfield native the Rev. Theodore Foley, whose cause for sainthood has been taken up by the Vatican.
The brief ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23, at Sacred Heart Church on Chestnut Street.
Foley's cause was accepted by the Vatican in January 2007 at the request of the Passionist religious order's eastern United States province. He is the only known Western Massachusetts native to be considered for this honor.
Born in 1913 to a devout Irish Catholic family in Springfield's North End, he attended Sacred Heart Church and school. From there, he went on to attend Cathedral High School. He came to know of the Passionist religious order from spiritual missions its members would give at his parish, which eventually led to his participation in youth retreats at the West Springfield Passionist Retreat House. He left Cathedral to enter the Passionist minor seminary at which he completed his secondary education and went on for advanced studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Early on, Foley was recognized for his leadership skills. He was for many years a teacher in the community, as well as a spiritual director and local superior. In 1958, he was elected general consultor of the worldwide Passionist community with headquarters in Rome. In 1964, he was elected superior general of the Passionists, a position he held until his death in 1974.
He led the worldwide religious order during the challenging years of change brought about by the Second Vatican Council. In fact, it was this leadership which has distinguished him for sainthood consideration.
After his death, his body was returned from Rome for burial on the monastery grounds in West Springfield. When that property was sold in the late 1990s, the cemetery was transferred to a special section at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Springfield. |
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