Perspective The writing on the newsroom wall
By PATTY McCARTY
It started with a desire to remember
and honor a remarkable woman whom none of us knew. Rosemary Nelson, a civil
rights lawyer in Northern Ireland, represented the residents of a Catholic
neighborhood who objected to members of the Orange Order marching through their
streets to commemorate a long-ago battle in which Catholic forces were
defeated. She was killed in a car bombing in March 1999. She left a husband and
three children, ages 13, 11 and 8. NCR carried the story.
I wrote her name at the top of a long sheet of paper under the
heading New Litany. I put St. in front of her name. How could anyone argue with
that? I added a couple of my favorites in the communion of saints -- St.
Dorothy Day and St. John XXIII -- and taped the list to the wall of the
newsroom.
At that point, the list became a newsroom project. Anyone could
add a name. We decided on three criteria: Our saints would no longer be living
in this world; the person who added the name would consider the candidate
worthy; and the person added to the list -- now seeing things from a higher and
clearer point of view -- might be willing to give NCR a nudge forward,
which is always needed.
There is a scattering of names of persons whose skills and talents
did, indeed, nudge NCR along in its 36-year history: production manager
St. Jim Ralston, who handled many jobs during the newspapers first 28
years, Vatican reporter St. Peter Hebblethwaite, freelance photographer St. Mev
Puleo, publisher St. Don Thorman, managing editor St. James Andrews, reporter
St. Penny Lernoux, writer St. Bill Kenkelen and longtime receptionist St. Helen
Rice. Theres St. Cork from the Netherlands, creator of cartoons that
continue to brighten NCRs pages.
We added a number of Latin American martyrs whose names frequently
appear in NCR: St. Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, of Guatemala; St. Oscar
Romero, archbishop of San Salvador; St. Ita Ford, St. Dorothy Kazel, St. Maura
Clark and St. Jean Donovan, the American women murdered in San Salvador; and
St. Rutilio Grande, one of Romeros priests, whose assassination led
Romero to understand the brutality of the war being waged against his
people.
More recently weve added the name of St. Ellwood
Bud Kieser, the priest who produced the movie about Romeros
life. Just above Kiesers name is that of St. John Kaiser, the priest
killed in late August for speaking truth to the powerful in Kenya.
Teresa Malcolm, NCR opinion editor, added a number of names
that reflect her interests: St. T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia), St. Victor Hugo, St.
Oskar Schindler, Irish actress and patriot St. Maude Gonne, St. Sean MacBride,
a leader of Amnesty International, St. Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star
Trek, and her grandparents, Ss. Helen and Jake Malcolm.
Pat Marrin, Celebration editor, added the name of St. Marge
Roberts, whom he calls the Mother Teresa of Topeka, Kan.
Editor Tom Roberts added the name of one of the saints in his
personal litany, St. Thea Bowman. Managing editor Pamela Schaeffer penned the
name of her friend St. Patricia Kelley, murdered in St. Louis. Both saints were
nuns.
Jean Blake, assistant to our publisher, Tom Fox, added St. Pamela
Butler the day searchers found the 9-year-olds body. She had been
kidnapped while rollerblading in the street in front of her home in Kansas
City, Kan.
There is St. Jeremiah L. OSullivan, the dean of Marquette
Universitys School of Journalism for many years, and one of my favorite
teachers.
And there are St. Elvis Presley, St. Derrick Thomas, St. Al Hirt
and St. Charles Schulz.
Teresa Malcolm added St. Guinefort, the greyhound venerated as a
healer of children in France in the 13th century (NCR, Oct. 13). A
tearful Michel Tisdale, who oversees NCRs Web page, wrote the name
of her kitty friend, St. Sasha Felinus.
Recent additions include St. Tom Ryan, the Berkeley, Calif.,
Stumps R Us priest (NCR May 12) and St. Eileen Egan, peace activist. I
added St. Mel Carnahan, the Missouri governor. Michel added his son, Randy, and
the governors aide, Chris Sifford. All three were killed in a plane crash
on a rainy night at the end of a hard-fought campaign for the U.S. Senate. The
last name, as I write, is that of St. Bede Griffiths, added by Sr. Rita
Larivee, associate publisher, who shares the Benedictine scholars
interest in Eastern religions.
Sr. Rita had to kneel to write his name because our list stretches
almost to the floor. Well start another soon.
Discussing just some of the 110 names of our newsroom saints made
me see how exclusive this list is, when we meant it to be so inclusive.
Its just people we know or hear about. And there are so many good people.
As they say, too numerous to mention. And all of us loved by God.
In a month marked by an abundance of falling leaves, the month the
church urges us to look to those who have gone before us with the sign of
faith, its good to remember and honor even a few and humbly ask
that they nudge us ahead along the road to holiness.
Patty McCarty is NCR copyeditor.
National Catholic Reporter, November 3,
2000
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