Happy Warrior
By Most Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore
Bishop of
In 1928, Governor of New York, Al Smith, ran
for president. Scrappy, streetwise,
shrewd, they called him the Happy Warrior.
He loved a good fight, and he fought his political battles with relish.
On Nov. 16 they buried in
He lived in the Spirit, as the prophet Joel
described it, and so he prophesied. That
is to say, he could see into the shifting personalities and circumstances in
He lived in the Spirit, as the prophet Joel
described it, and so he dreamed dreams.
That is to say, he dreamed of the day when all human life would be
respected and treasured, from the moment of conception to natural death. The
dignity of the human person: this is what he was about.
He lived in the Spirit, as the prophet Joel
described it, and so he saw visions.
That is to say, he saw a vision of a more just society in our State: in
the way we treat our poor, in the way we care for our children, and in the way
we care for the homeless. He fought a
thousand battles for justice, this Happy Warrior, and he fought them with good
humor, and candor, and integrity … and with a good deal of relish.
Mike went to Mass daily, he prayed the
psalms daily, and he communed with the Spirit daily. His faith gave him a vision of God and man
and the world, and how they fit together.
We shall miss his vision, his energy, and his happy presence.
+ Most Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore
Bishop of