Most Rev. Philip M. Hannan
Deceased: 2011-09-29
Diocese: NEW ORLEANS
Seminary Graduation Year: 1940
Most Rev. Philip Hannan, ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF NEW ORLEANS, died on September 29. 2011.
Hannan was ordained in 1939 and joined the U.S. Army in 1942, serving as chaplain to the 82nd Airborne Division. Hannan parachuted into Europe with his fellow soldiers and was with American troops when they liberated a concentration camp.
After returning to the United States, he was appointed to administrator in the Baltimore-Washington archdiocese and was elevated to Monsignor in 1952.
Hannan was named auxillary bishop of the Washington archdiocese in 1956.
A friend of the meek and the powerful, Hannan held the position nine years.
The Vatican chose Hannan as the 11th archbishop of New Orleans on Sept. 29, 1965. He moved to the city weeks after Hurricane Betsy and immediately surfaced as an important leader in the rebuilding of the city, both spiritually and physically.
Hannan presided over the New Orleans archdiocese during one of the most challenging periods for the church. He led the effort to implement policies of reform from the second Vatican Council. He also held the church together while New Orleans was becoming more protestant as Catholic families moved to the suburbs.
The highlight of his tenure came when Hannan was Pope John Paul II’s personal guide during his first visit to the Crescent City in 1987. Hannan retired in 1988, but became a beacon of inspiration after Hurricane Katrina. The retired archbishop pitched in to help revitalize the city, offering spiritual inspiration and working to assist in the cleanup effort. He rebuffed family members who urged him to return to Washington.
The funeral for the archbishop was held on Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.
Bishop Hannan authored two books: “Living Under the Axis” about his life at the North American College and “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots” about life after ordination and his time in the 82nd Airborne during World War II, being Auxilliary Bishop of Washington, and then on to New Orleans.
