First Catholic President Martyred
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Diocese Mourns John F. Kennedy, Hyannisport Summer Resident The funeral of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic Chief E x e cut i v e of the
Fall River, Mass., Thursday, Nov. 28, 1963 Vol. 7, No. 49 . ©
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Auxiliary Bishop Gerrard Celebrates Requiem Mass At St. Mary's Cathedral
In the presence of a congregation that overflowed into the aiRles of St. Mary's Cathedral, Fall River, and onto the sidewalk on Spring Street, Most Rev. James J. Gerrard, D.D., Y.. G., Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, offered a Solemn Pontifical Mass of youthful president, the highest Requiem at the faldstool on form of prayer - the unbloody Monday morning at 9 o'clock, Sacrifice of Calvary-was storm for the repose of the soul of ing heaven for his benefit. President John Fitzgerald Ken nedy, 35th Preshident of the United States and the first Cath_ olic to occupy the highest elected position in the history of the country. In the absence of Bishop Con nolly, who is in Rome at the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Gerrard, in addition to address
ing the congregation, also sent telegrams last Friday to various members of the Kennedy fam ily, sympathizing with them, and also assured the new Presi dent, Lyndon Baines Johnson, of the prayers of the Bishops, tM priests, and all in the Dio cese for God's blessing upon his assuming the presidency. Speaking to the tremendous arowd that turned out to pay their prayerful respects to a be ~ved leader, the Auxiliary Bishop emphasized first the need. 01. prayer at this time. Considering the four ends of' ftle Sacrifice of the Mas~Ador_o ~ion, Contrition, Thanksgivinl!: and Petition - Bishop Gerrard. reminded all that in offering the Mass for the universally mournedl
"The consoling element at this Turn to Page :Fifteen m;;;::JZ::~H'::~Zi:I'm:m;;:r;;:K:~':zn::a;;:GEimii;i'l
Statement In the absence of Bishop Con nolly who is in Rome, Bishop Gerrard issued this statement on the President's death: In the death of President Ken nedy the United States has suf fered a great loss. He has given his life for his country. No man could do more. As a statesman, the world will miss his leader ship. His interests extended to all men, and he sought always to advance their freedom and well-being. The heavy burden of his office now falls upon the shoulders of another. All citizens should pray for God's guidance and strength. upon our new President. At the same time, the Bishops, priests and faithful of the Diocese of Fall River ex tend to Mrs. Kennedy, to the president's parents and all the members of his family our deep sympathy in this hour of sorrow. 1mt~~lWili§i)':&%~;;:-m@~;!$~m:*,::lW;t'f1i.W.1l
Pope .Paul Expre.sses Grief Of Roman Catholic Church VATICAN CITY (NC)-Pope Paul VI expressed his &Tief at the "tragic and sad news" of President Kennedy's assassination in a formal statement and in separate mes sages to his widow, his parents, his brothers, President . Lyndon B. Johnson and Rich "We are deeply grieved by this ard Cardinal Cushing of execrable crime, for the grief B9ston, who celebrated'MasiiJ which has struck the great and at the President's funeral. civilized country and for the The Pontiff again spoke of his suffering which Mrs. Kennedy, ~rrow when he recei~d dele her children and her relations gates attending a Rome meetinl~ suffer. of the United States Food and "We deplore this event with . Agriculture Organization. Our whole heart. We express the Pope Paul said in his state hope that the death of this great ment: statesman will not bring damage "We have been greatly strick to the American people, but will en by the tragic and sad news strengthen its moral and civil of the killing of the President . sense and sentiments of nobility . , the United States, John Fitz and concord. We pray God that ceral!! Kennedy, and of the ser- the sacrifice of John Kennedy . $.Gus wounding of Gov. Connal17 may help the cause promoted .~ ,f!« Texas. Turn to Page Seventeen .'
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JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
Assassination Stuns" Cape Friends of Late President By Russell On Friday, November 22, a most terrible act of murder was committed and television, radio, and the press have thoroughly covered the re action of the country. We know how the people of Chicago, of Ithaca, of New York, of San
Francisco, of all the thousands
of small towns in all our States, felt about the death of President Kennedy. And by now, most of us know just how the residents of Cape Cod felt-particularly his friends and neighbors in and near Hyannis Port. But not much has been said about Hyannis - the shopping and business center for the smaller communities - and the people who work and live there. Where the connection with Mr. Kennedy, aj President, was almost entirely through the swarming tourists and Summer visitors. Hyannis heard the news and went through the same familiar cycle - shock, unbelief, partial acceptance, and a vague, sad.
M. Collinge numbness. The stores did not close or black out their windows. This was Friday, payday and Turn to Page Five
Cape Cod Pastor Offers Prayers For President Next Summer things will be a little quieter for the Pastor and priests of St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis. There will be no special phone connected to Washington. No secret service men in and around the Church, waiting for the word from Hyannis Port: "They're on the way." There will be no need to avoid news men and women looking for an odd or "special" story about the President. All this is over - but it is not a happy thing. The Right Rever end Leonard J. Daley, Pastor of St. Francis Xavier, who was Turn to Page '»"
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United states of America, was held Monday in Arlington Na tional Cemetery following a pontifical low requiem Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington. The 46-year old Massachusetts native was assasinated as he rode in a motorcade in Dallas eariy last Friday afternoon by a sniper believed t~ be Lee Harvey Oswald who himself was murdered by gunshot on Sunday last when he was being trans ferred from the city to the county jail in the community of the Texas crime which stunned, shocked and grieved the entire nation. Pre sid e n t Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas, who served as Vice President for the past two years and 10 months, suc ceeded to the highest office in the nation. He was sworn in as Chief Executive aboard the U. S. Air Force plane which carried the body of the late President back to the nation's capital. The late Pre sid e n t, who labored in the cause of peace and the dignity of the individual, wall a familiar figure in the Diocese of Fall River where he has spent part of each Summer, in addition to religious and national holy days and holidays, before and during his term of office. The late President and his wife, Jac queline Bouvier Kennedy, to gether with their children, at tended St. F. ran cis X a vie r Church in Hyannis.
1'1'1- Eminence Richard Cardi nal Cushing, Archbishop of Bos ton, a lifetime friend of the slliin President celebrated the requiem Mass in' the nation's capital which was attended by the heads and representatives of countries from all parts of the world. It was Cardinal Cushing who officiated at the wedding on Sept. 12, 1953, of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. The Cardinal gave the invo cation at the inauguration of President Kennedy on Jan. 20, 1961. Only last August 10 Cardinal Cushing offered the "Mass of the Angels," Requiem for in fants, in his private chapel for Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, infant son of the President and the First Lady. The child had died two days· after birth. The Requiem Mass followed a week end of mourning. For the preceding 24 hours the Presi dent's body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol Building. Thousands of men, women and children of every race, color and creed filed past the bier to paT their last respects. Before being taken to the Cap_ itol, the body lay in the East Room of the White House. The casket was draped with an American flag and the cata falque was covered in black. A large crucifix bearing an ivory figure of Christ was at the foot of the casket which was flanked by four candl-es and decorated with a bouquet of white lilies and carnations. When the body was brought to the White House at 4:25 A.M. from the Naval medical center in in Bethesda, Md., a prayer was offered by a priest waiting there. Two priests remained Turn to Page Two