30 Facts About Philip Hannan

Philip Matthew Hannan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Philip Hannan 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.

Philip Hannan was born on May 20,1913, in Washington, DC His father, Patrick Francis Hannan, immigrated to the United States at age 18 and was nicknamed "The Boss".

Patrick Hannan found work as a plumber, building his trade into a flourishing business that weathered even the Great Depression.

Philip Hannan attended St John's College High School in Washington.

Philip Hannan captained the winning cadet company in his senior year there.

Philip Hannan then began college studies at St Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, and then at the Sulpician Seminary at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Philip 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.

Philip Hannan ministered to the paratroopers during the fighting in the Ardennes Offensive in Belgium.

Philip Hannan witnessed the liberation of starved prisoners at the Wobbelin concentration camp in Ludwigslust, Germany.

In 1951, Philip Hannan established the Catholic Standard in Washington and served as its editor-in-chief.

Philip Hannan was part of the US delegation to the Second Vatican Council, where he served as a press officer.

Philip Hannan was in Rome for the Second Vatican Council in November 1963 when news reached him about the assassination of President Kennedy, forcing his immediate return to Washington.

The Kennedy family asked Philip Hannan to deliver the homily at the "low" or recited Requiem Mass.

Philip Hannan moved to New Orleans only weeks after Hurricane Betsy hit the city, and he became a spiritual leader during the rebuilding of both the city and the archdiocese.

Philip Hannan presided over the New Orleans archdiocese during a time of great change.

The Second Vatican Council concluded on December 8,1965, and Archbishop Philip Hannan led the effort to implement the council's policies of reform within the archdiocese.

Philip 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.

Philip Hannan reformed the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities system, which now serves as the largest non-governmental social service agency in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

In 1968, Hannan returned to Washington from New Orleans to deliver the graveside eulogy for Senator Robert F Kennedy.

Philip 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.

Philip 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.

In May 1988, upon reaching his 75th birthday, Philip Hannan submitted his resignation as Archbishop of New Orleans.

In 1994 Philip Hannan offered graveside prayers at the interment of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in Arlington National Cemetery.

Philip Hannan died on September 29,2011, at the age of 98 at Chateau de Notre Dame.

Philip Hannan 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.

Philip Hannan received numerous civic honors, including the most prestigious award presented to a New Orleans civic leader, The Times-Picayune Loving Cup.

Philip Hannan held an honorary Doctor of Laws from Georgetown University.

In 1996, Philip Hannan publicly opposed the election of Democrat Mary Landrieu, a Roman Catholic whose family had been Philip Hannan's longtime friends, to the United States Senate.

Philip Hannan was the leader of a minority of bishops who opposed the May 3,1983, pastoral letter of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response.