[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7850-7851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING REVEREND ANDREW GREELEY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week we lost a Chicago original. 
Father Andrew Greeley was a Catholic priest in Chicago and a man of 
great accomplishment.
  He was a best-selling author, college professor, newspaper columnist, 
and a sociologist at the University of Chicago. Most importantly, 
according to Father Greeley, he was ``just a priest.''
  Andrew Moran Greeley was born in Oak Park, a suburb west of Chicago. 
By the time he was in second grade at St. Angela Elementary School, he 
knew he wanted to be a Catholic priest.
  After being ordained, he served as an assistant pastor at Christ the 
King Parish in Chicago and studied sociology at the University of 
Chicago. He was released from archdiocesan duties to pursue his 
academic interests in 1965, but he remained a priest in good standing 
the rest of his life.
  Although he never led a parish, Father Andrew Greeley regularly 
filled in at Saint Mary of the Woods Church in Edgebrook. He would lead 
mass, preach, hear confessions, and officiate at weddings and baptisms.
  But what brought Andrew Greeley international recognition was his 
work as a writer, an author. He built an international assemblage of 
fans over a career spanning five decades.
  Of the 60 novels Father Greeley wrote, some were considered 
scandalous with their portraits of hypocritical and sinful clerics. But 
he also wrote more than 70 works of nonfiction, often on the sociology 
of religion. His clear writing style, consistent themes, and celebrity 
stature made him a leading spokesman for generations of Catholics.
  Father Greeley enjoyed being a sociologist and a commentator on 
current affairs. For much of his career, he divided his time between 
Chicago and Tucson, AZ, where he taught at the University of Arizona.
  He also achieved prominence as a journalist, writing a weekly column 
for the Chicago Sun-Times and contributing regularly to American and 
international publications.
  His weekly columns touched on all sorts of issues. From critiquing 
the Catholic Church to the war in Iraq, Father Greeley was unapologetic 
in his ``tell it like it is'' Chicago style.
  In July of 1986, Father Greeley wrote the first of many columns in 
the Chicago Sun-Times about allegations of sexual abuse by Roman 
Catholic priests. His thoroughly honest and powerful reporting alerted 
the Nation to this scandal way ahead of many others. It forced the 
Church to acknowledge that it had a problem and a problem it had to 
solve.
  His opposition to the war in Iraq and a war on terror was so deep-
seated that he compiled his writings and published them in a book. It 
was meekly titled: ``A Stupid, Unjust, and Criminal War: Iraq 2001-
2007.'' He gave me an autographed copy of that book.
  Needless to say, Father Greeley rarely thought twice about holding 
back from saying what he thought.
  He was criticized by his early critics for ``never having had an 
unpublished thought.'' But his ability to convey his opinion was also 
what made him successful in connecting with readers all over the world. 
He had a popular approach to writing that interested people on issues 
they normally would not connect with.
  He attended Quigley Prep in Chicago, received his Licentiate in 
Sacred Theology in 1954 from Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in 
Mundelein, and was ordained in 1954 as well. He continued his love of 
learning by earning a master's degree in 1961 and a doctorate in 1962 
with a study on the effect of religion on the career paths of 1961 
college grads.
  His scholarship led to his longtime position as a senior researcher 
on the staff of the university's National Opinion Research Center, 
which surveys American opinion on religion and other issues.
  Later in life, after finding success as a novelist and published 
sociologist, Father Greeley created a foundation to help inner-city 
kids with a $1 million grant to distribute money to Catholic schools in 
Chicago with high minority enrollments.
  Father Greeley's other lifelong love--besides the Church, his family, 
and his writing--was the great city of Chicago. He was a classic 
example of what Chicagoans call a ``lifer''--someone who never felt at 
home anywhere other than the Windy City. Father Greeley was fond of the 
different architectures and sculptures atop ordinary buildings around 
Chicago, places the common working people lived, but which were adorned 
with beautiful handmade workmanship. He would take pictures of these 
buildings and sculptures and loved to show them off.
  He was a great fan of the Chicago Bulls and the Bears, and he never 
stopped praying that the Cubs would one day win another pennant.
  Father Greeley wanted people to think of him as an honest and humble 
priest. But he was truly one of a kind. He touched and enriched so many 
lives.

[[Page 7851]]

  I remember having lunch with him several years ago. He was just one 
of a kind--a Catholic priest who was part of the world and part of the 
world's conversation but still dedicated to his vocation.
  I send my condolences to his sister Mary Jule Durkin, his five nieces 
and two nephews.
  Father Greeley blessed us with his presence for many wonderful years. 
His passing is a great loss to the people of Chicago and to his friends 
and fans all over the world.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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