Philip Hannan

Philip Matthew Hannan (May 20, 1913 – September 29, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1956 to 1965 and as the eleventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana from 1965 to 1988.

Biography

Early life

Philip Hannan was born on May 20, 1913, in Washington, D.C.^[1] His father, Patrick Francis Hannan, immigrated to the United States at age 18 and was nicknamed "The Boss". His mother was Lillian Hannan.^[2] Patrick Hannan found work as a plumber, building his trade into a flourishing business that weathered even the Great Depression.^[3]

Philip Hannan attended

After graduating from Catholic University in 1936 with a master's degree, Hannan traveled to Rome to study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Hannan received a Licentiate of Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and later earned a Doctor of Canon Law degree from Catholic University.^[2]

Priesthood

While in Rome, Hannan was

After returning to Washington, Hannan was assigned as an assistant priest at Saint Mary Mother of God Parish.[8] When the Archdiocese of Washington was split from the Archdiocese of Baltimore on November 15, 1947, Hannan was incardinated, or transferred to the Archdiocese of Washington. In 1948, he was appointed vice chancellor of that archdiocese. While he was vice chancellor, Hannan met then Congressman John F. Kennedy. For the next 14 years, Hannan would serve as a unofficial advisor to Kennedy on matters of religion and social justices.^[2]

In 1951, Hannan established the Catholic Standard in Washington and served as its editor-in-chief. Later that year he was named chancellor of the archdiocese, and Pope Pius XII honored Hannan in 1952 by naming him a monsignor.

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

Pope Pius XII named Hannan on June 16, 1956. as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington and

He presided over the New Orleans archdiocese during a time of great change. The Second Vatican Council concluded on December 8, 1965, and Archbishop Hannan led the effort to implement the Council's policies of reform within the archdiocese. Hannan instituted a Social Apostolate program in 1966 which now provides over 20 million pounds of free food each year to 42,000 needy women, children and elderly. He also reformed the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities system, which now serves as the largest non-governmental social service agency in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

At the same time, the demographics of the city were changing, as

In 1968, Hannan returned to Washington from New Orleans to deliver the graveside eulogy for Senator Robert F. Kennedy.^[2] Hannan was archbishop when Pope John Paul II made his apostolic visit to New Orleans between September 11 and 13, 1987, the first ever papal visit to the city. Hannan, who considered the visit the highlight of his tenure as Archbishop, was the Pontiff's personal guide throughout his three-day tour of the city.^[12][13]

Retirement

In May 1988, upon reaching his 75th birthday,, Hannan submitted his resignation as Archbishop of New Orleans. This resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on December 6, 1988, when Hannan was succeeded as archbishop by Francis Schulte.

In 1994 Hannan offered graveside prayers at the interment of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in

Philip Hannan died on September 29, 2011, at the age of 98 at Chateau de Notre Dame. He had moved there, from his private residence in Covington, Louisiana, in June 2011; he had grown increasingly frail in his last months because of a series of strokes and other health problems.^[14][15]

Hannan received numerous civic honors, including the most prestigious award presented to a New Orleans civic leader,

On November 27, 2008, from his home in Covington, the retired archbishop published his "Thanksgiving and Christmas Blessings" in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The full-page announcement was mostly an anti-abortion appeal expressing particular concern over the potential threat that the "evil" Freedom of Choice Act might be passed into law by the incoming United States Congress and the administration of President Barack Obama. The ad cited the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and, quoting the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, warns that "a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the decision itself."^[19]

Nuclear arms

Hannan was the leader of a minority of bishops who opposed the May 3, 1983, pastoral letter of the

Sources

• Hannan, Philip, with Nancy Collins and Peter Finney, Jr. The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots – From Combat, to Camelot, to Katrina: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Life, hardcover, 457 pages, May 2010.
  ISBN 978-1-59276-697-0
  .
• Hannan, Philip. Rome: Living Under the Axis, May 2003;
  ISBN 1-891903-32-2
  .

Further reading

• Finney, Peter. Clarion Herald. "Archbishop Hannan credits active aging to 'good genes'". Nov. 25, 1999.
• Finney, Peter. Clarion Herald. "Archbishop Hannan, 'Bearer of the Eucharist,' celebrates 60 years". Dec. 23, 1999.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Patrick Cardinal Cody	Archbishop of New Orleans 1965–1988	Succeeded by Francis Bible Schulte

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philip Hannan.