Philip Hannan: The Archbishop Who Eulogized a President

The Archbishop Who Eulogized a President

Philip Matthew Hannan was born on May 20, 1913, in Washington, D.C. He became a priest, an Army chaplain with the 82nd Airborne who parachuted into Normandy and witnessed the liberation of concentration camps, and eventually the eleventh Archbishop of New Orleans — a position he held from 1965 to 1988. But the moment that defined his public life came on November 25, 1963, when he delivered the homily at President John F. Kennedy's requiem mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington.

Kennedy and Hannan had been friends. The President had specifically requested that Hannan read from his favorite Scripture passages. Standing before a grieving nation, Hannan delivered a eulogy that was broadcast to millions. Thirty-one years later, he gave the graveside prayers at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's burial at Arlington National Cemetery. The Hannan-Kennedy connection bookended one of the great American tragedies.

New Orleans' Shepherd

In New Orleans, Hannan served during one of the most transformative periods in the city's religious history. He attended the Second Vatican Council and led efforts to implement its reforms in his archdiocese. He opened Notre Dame Seminary's pool to the entire public during an era of racial segregation — a quiet but meaningful act of integration. He brought Pope John Paul II to New Orleans in 1987, the highlight of his tenure.

After retirement, Hannan remained active well into his nineties, responding to Hurricane Katrina at age ninety-two. He died on September 29, 2011, at ninety-eight — a World War II hero, a friend to presidents, and the spiritual leader of Catholic New Orleans through some of its most challenging decades.