November 2008

Billy Brennan, at left.

By Kathy McGee Burns

When you look into the eyes of Billy Brennan, you can see his passion for Ireland. It manifests itself in different ways. It can be fiery when he talks about injustice or teary when he relates the fate of the hunger strikers.

He is the bard … no, not a poet, but a keeper and teller of the history. And while he’s telling the story, you can almost reach into those eyes and see a Druid priest or a tartan-shawled warrior. Billy is an unsung rebel.

When I met him to do this interview, he showed me, so proudly, treasures, tributes, and triumphs gathered from years of dedication. He literally has hob-nobbed with the best; Lord Mayors (Gerald Goldberg), Crown Princes (Harald of Norway), Presidents (Mary Robinson), Taoiseachs ( Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Brian Cowen ), Gerry Adams, Frank Rizzo—the list goes on.
His resume is made up of years of volunteering. He’s been President of many organizations; member of even more. He is a lecturer, writer, editor, historian, librarian and contributor.  As quickly as I learn of these achievements, Billy hands me a stapled list, four pages long, of some 132 names, all people he needed to thank for his success.

Billy Brennan is a Schuylkill man, born and bred, fiercely loyal and proud of it. He is the son of William and Sarah Bingham. His Dad died when he was 5 years old and his Mom, like so many women of her time and circumstances, had to work. His Grandmother raised him. Billy lights up when he talks about her. Mary Agnes O’Neil was a strong influence in his life. When she spoke, it was law. He told me of a story when he and his friends came upon joke books put out by PM Whiskey concerning Pat and Mike jokes. He came home laughing and telling Mary Agnes about it. She said, “No, Billy, they’re laughing at us.” This was an awakening to him.

Billy’s Grandmother died on his birthday and after spending 81 straight days, sitting in the hospital at her side, his spirits were low and depressed. He decided to go to the Irish Center. Lo and behold, he met Mary Agnes O’Neil’s gift to him, Mary Hughes. Six months later, they were married. Mary, a slip of a woman, Tipperary born, is a genuine, unpretentious, beautiful person infused with a strong sense of faith. The Brennans are now married 47 years. Sadly, they had the task of burying their only child, Neil William, in 2006.

Sean McMenamin, a long-time friend, places Billy Brennan in the same category as Dennis Clark, one who has preserved the history of the Irish in Philadelphia. He speaks for the generations who lived the tough times of the Depression up to the present days. Sean marvels at Billy’s search for the truth in history. He evokes a vision of Ireland that is comprehensive, not prejudiced to one view. His understanding of the evolution, pre-famine, times of the Troubles, immigration, even the Peace Accord is captured better than anyone’s. Billy presents the truth no matter where it falls. He is willing to see both sides.

Will Hill, President, AOH, Div.80 calls Billy Brennan “our very own history detective. He has unearthed, donated and documented an eclectic tribute to the Irish and their contribution to the world.” Frank Hollingsworth, who spends Tuesday night with Billy, says,” When he is asked a question, you can hear the wheels in his brain moving; his internal inter-net comes up with the accurate answer.”

Billy’s own words sum up his story, “I have many hobbies, but my first love is Ireland. I have devoted most of my adult life to the cause of Irish freedom and culture. An Irish Library was always my dream, and because of 132 people and organizations who donated their time, physical labor, funding, books and their moral support, the dream came true”.

Father John McNamee

By Kathy McGee Burns

If you want to know the measure of a man’s life, ask his friends.

And, so I did.

I set out to write about John P .McNamee, the priest, a man who many others have written about before. I wanted to make this different.

When I went to St. Malachy’s to interview him, I was struck by the people around him, the hustle and bustle of the little office. He had invited me to have lunch with him and so we sat at the long dining room table with the Friday volunteers and the regular staff. I felt the power of the people, devoted to Father Mac, their great love for him, and how he absorbs their connection to him and wears it as a mark of his humanity. I also met Father Kevin Lawrence, who replaced him as the new Pastor. I mentioned to Father Kevin that he had big footsteps to fill. “Ah, I’ll not walk in those footsteps”, he said, “I’ll walk beside them”. He knows that Father Mac is a hard act to follow.

I spent time with three of his devotees, Sister Cecile Reiley, Shelagh Bradley, and Olga Richardson. There were many lovely stories told about this “City Priest.” Here is what they said about him:

Generous, generous beyond means! He receives in one hand and gives it all away with the other. The ladies tell of Father taking flowers off of the table, vase and all, to give to a visitor. It doesn’t matter if it was Waterford or Woolworths. He has stolen many minutes, out of a busy day, to write little notes of gratitude to people.

Humble, yes, he always manages to shift the focus from himself to others. He has a love affair with the words of great writers, like Dorothy Day, Father Dan Berrigan, and Thomas Merton. He incorporates their writings into the thread of his own life.

Father McNamee loves all equally, unconditionally. He sees the face of Jesus in everybody who knocks on his door.

He’s an inspiration. He sees everyone as a child of God. Watching him be good to others, inspires one to also be good.

Father loves to be hospitable. Sister Cecile tells the story of a retirement party he was giving for a fellow priest. She asked how many should they plan on. He said about 150 guests. Sister called 15 friends and asked them to make enough lasagna for 10 each, exactly 150 servings. However, on the Sunday of the party, Fr. McNamee, invited everyone at the 10 and 11 o’clock mass. In the long run it didn’t matter, all went well. and the miracle of the loaves and fishes occurred anew.

Olga, who is the chair of the Worship and Service Committee, talks about his humanity. Always faithful to attending meetings, she missed one. Father called immediately and asked why. She said she wasn’t feeling well. He said, “How about I take you to the doctor.” He did and then proceeded to nurse her through a bout of colon cancer. He saw her through her chemo treatments and was always attuned to her needs.

Shelagh says that Father goes out to the school playground and mingles with the children. One young boy was so excited to see him. He said, “Father, you’re the Man”… I mean you’re the priest but you’re the Man!”

The story I really loved was one told by Sister Cecile. They were driving in West Philadelphia when a homeless man was thumbing a ride. They drove past and then Father Mac suddenly put on the brakes. “I should have picked him up.” Sister looked at him in puzzlement. Father McNamee said, “That could have been Christ.”

I then turned to Father Edward Hallinan, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish, and good friend to his mentor. He called him a Priest, a Prophet, and a Poet….all wrapped into one. Extremely generous to anybody; there are no boundaries.
When retirement for Father Mac was nearing, Father Ed was concerned that he would come crashing into it. He begged him to slow down and take it softly at the end. But no, John McNamee came roaring into retirement at about 100 mphs. This is his nature. That’s what makes him great.

Father McNamee is spending the summer in Ireland. Ed Hallinan hopes that when John gets off the plane, God is waiting for him, ready to embrace him in his arms and spend the next 6 weeks nurturing him.

And then there is Jim Martin. They formally met in 1963, when the Martin family chose Father McNamee to baptize their son, Eugene. Throughout the years their meetings were infrequent. And then lo and behold, Eugene Martin bought the right to McNamee’s book, Dairy of a City Priest, and turned it into a movie. When they went to the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, their friendship was rekindled. Jim has been responsible for developing the financial network, raising lots of money to keep St. Malachys alive for a long time. Jim sees his friend as a spiritual skeptic, nonjudgmental, never dogmatic or hard-nosed.

John McNamee has character and a depth of spirituality very few have. Father looks behind the confines of church dogma. Anybody not accepted by the strict structure of the Catholic Church, is welcomed to Father John McNamee’s church.

Now you know the measure of this man’s life.