The poor were always on Archbishop Hannan’s radar

Daughter of Charity Sister Anthony Barczykowski’s eyes sparkle when asked about her association with Archbishop Philip M. Hannan. She was in the trenches with him since 1975 as Catholic Charities expanded to meet the ever-changing needs of the poor and marginalized in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

“Looking back, he had the gift of bringing people together to compromise,” said Sister Anthony, 81, executive director of Community Services for the archdiocese. “He also restructured how the archdiocese functioned. Up until that time, everyone was an individual entity. He brought it all together under Associated Catholic Charities. The restructuring of social service agencies and federal dollars allowed Catholic Charities to grow.”

As society began to change and federal money dwindled, she said Archbishop Hannan created the Archbishop’s Community Appeal to provide a constant source of funding for his programs. His connections with politicians in Washington, D.C., and celebrities also didn’t hurt.

“But he was very sincere,” Sister Anthony said. “Nothing was ever for him; it was for the poor. I think he was a deep man of faith. He was very compassionate. People wouldn’t say no to him, just like he wouldn’t say no to a need.”

Sister Anthony said he had the ability to single out people who could get what he wanted accomplished. It was his sincerity that attracted people to him. She recalled one instance when he called her and said the archdiocese needed a residential shelter for women.

“Are you going to do it or am I?” he asked her. She said she would, and she developed the Care Center on Baronne Street and the West Bank. The same thing happened with immigration, respect life issues and even the Vietnamese relocation to New Orleans.

“When the Vietnamese came over, the archbishop was a peacemaker between the local fishermen and the Vietnamese,” she said. “The Vietnamese knew no boundaries. He would go down there and mediate. There was no doubt that he was very instrumental in calming the waters.”

Didn’t shy from controversy

Sister Anthony remembers working with many partners to develop Lazarus House for persons with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)because they were dying on the streets. It was controversial at the time, she said, since AIDS was relatively new and people were ill-informed and scared to contract it.

“It’s another example of collaborating and meeting a need,” she said. “It was another opportunity for the church to reach out to the marginalized people who were rejected by their family and society. Jesus didn’t differentiate between good and bad. He came to show God’s mercy to all God’s people. I felt Archbishop Hannan felt that way, too. He believed it was the right thing to do. I didn’t ever hear him say no to a program that helped the poor, hungry, handicapped or mentally ill.”

She said he may be known for the big programs he established, but there were many other smaller ones just as important.

When she was associate director of Catholic Charities (later becoming its executive director), he founded Padua House in Belle Chasse to care for emotionally, mentally and physically handicapped clients.

“All the programs he developed not only still exist but they have evolved to meet current needs,” she said. “He would say, ‘If there is a need do it, then he was hands off (and would let leaders run it).”

She saw him as “hands on” with fund-raising efforts for the ministries they established together.

“He created a charity ball and got Bob Hope to come in,” she said. “He not only told you to do whatever you could to raise money, he was out there doing it, too.”

Didn’t fade into woodworkArchbishop Hannan was active in his retirement as president of WLAE-TV, the educational television station he founded, and as a co-host of the weekly Focus program, among other activities. Sister Anthony laughs when she recalls a visit he made to her when he decided to write his memoirs, “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots: Memoirs of an Extraordinary Life.”

“When I was doing all these things, I didn’t have time to write about it,” he said. “Now, I have the time, but I don’t remember.”

“I think that’s true,” Sister Anthony said. “He wastoo busy doing things.”

Sister Anthony finds it difficult to fully describe Archbishop Hannan because he was not only on the front lines and but also worked behind the scenes as well.

“He was right out there on the forefront, say filling sandbags,” she said. “But, he was doing it in a humble way. He did what he had to do.  He wasn’t on the sidelines telling people what to do. He was doing it.”

Sister Anthony was present at the Mass of Viaticum that Archbishop Gregory Aymond celebrated shortly before Archbishop Hannan’s death and noticed the peace surrounding Archbishop Hannan. His brother Jerry said it was defining moment.

“You knew he was on his way to heaven; you just didn’t know when Jesus would take him. He was at peace.”

She also was selected to do the second reading from the Book of Revelation at his funeral Mass Oct. 6 at St. Louis Cathedral. It reads: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.”

“He was a visible witness not only to the Catholic community but to the whole ecumenical community,” she said. “He collaborated with other faiths, bringing people together. He was a man of action, and people saw that. They saw the results.”

“There is a saying: ‘The hero comes when the hero is needed.’ He was at the right place at the right time and able to capitalize on bringing together funding sources, other people who cared about the poor and working with all faiths.”

Christine Bordelon can be reached at  [email protected]