“Sounds good to me”
Former New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan’s words, his last, after receiving absolution at a mass around his deathbed celebrated by current New Orleans archbishop, Gregory Aymond:
Aymond said Hannan had already been anointed several times with the Sacrament of the Sick. This final Mass, the last of uncounted thousands in Hannan’s life, would be his last reception of the Eucharist.
In the early part of the ritual, Aymond and the others jointly confessed their sins in prayer, and as part of the rite, Aymond said he granted Hannan absolution from his sins in the name of Jesus.
Though weak and perhaps not entirely alert, Aymond said Hannan whispered a response.
They are what so far are his last recorded words:
He said: “Sounds good to me.”
Maybe not as traditional as some would expect, but seems in character for the former archbishop of New Orleans, who died on Thursday.
The Archbishop’s last words aren’t a surprise. He seems to have been without a stuffy bone in his body. Small wonder he was so greatly respected, though no one says he was perfect. He was also willing to admit mistakes and change, apparently a rare quality in American Catholic bishops — and rare in the rest of us too if we would but admit it. His good will extended to all sorts of people –he seems to have treated everyone alike, from his friends the Kennedys on down.
Most important, as the outsized headline of today’s Times-Picayune, puts it, “He always heard the cry of the poor”.
May he rest in peace.