Cardinal Foley's Funeral Expected To Draw High-Profile Church Leaders
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The funeral for Delaware County native Cardinal John Patrick Foley, who died Sunday, is expected to draw high-profile clerics from across the globe to Philadelphia.
Foley served two popes and spent 25 years as the English-language commentator for Christmas Midnight Mass at the Vatican. He will be laid to rest in Philadelphia.
Cardinal Foley died early Sunday morning at the age of 76, losing his battle to leukemia and anemia.
READ: Cardinal John Patrick Foley Dies At 76
READ: Area Catholics Remember Cardinal Foley
Rocco Palmo, editor of "Whispers in the Loggia," a Philadelphia-based website covering Catholic Church news, says there are expected to be three-days of events surrounding the funeral rites.
"There will be a day's laying in state at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where the cardinal was a professor for many years, and where, until his retirement, he kept an apartment."
On day two, "There will be a formal transferal of the body to the Cathedral Basilica (of Saints Peter and Paul). There will be a day's worth of lying in state. On the climatic third day, there will be a Mass."
Palmo says the climax of three days of events will be the funeral Mass at the cathedral, "With several of the cardinals from the US, from Rome, from probably all around the world, something around 80 to 100 bishops from America and from the Vatican."
Palmo says the pope generally presides over such events, but travel logistics and security would make a trip to the US difficult. Instead, it's expected the pope will assign a cardinal from Rome to represent him.
Palmo says Cardinal Foley is to be buried in the crypt beneath the cathedral altar.
"The cardinal's body will be taken beneath the high altar of the cathedral to what's called the crypt. And, that's where there are 48 spots reserved for the bishops and archbishops of Philadelphia. But, in this case, the cardinal, having been a Vatican official, chose to be buried here and chose to be buried with them."
The last cleric buried there was Cardinal John Krol.
The following are the funeral arrangements for Cardinal Foley:
All are welcome to participate in any of the events.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook
100 East Wynnewood Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096 (Montgomery County)
Schedule:
9:00 a.m.: Transfer of the Body in the main lobby of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. Reception of the Body followed by Midmorning Prayer in the Chapel of Saint Martin of Tours.
Following Midmorning Prayer Cardinal Foley's body will lie in state for public viewing in the Chapel of Saint Martin of Tours.
7:00 p.m.: Mass celebrated by Most Reverend Daniel E. Thomas, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. Following Mass the Chapel will be closed.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Schedule:
9:15 a.m. (approximately): Funeral motorcade departs Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary en route to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
10:00 a.m.: Reception of the Body in the Cathedral Basilica followed by Midmorning Prayer.
Following Midmorning Prayer Cardinal Foley's body will lie in state for public viewing in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul until 1:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m.: Solemn Funeral Mass for Cardinal Foley followed by the Rite of Committal in the Cathedral Crypt (located below the main altar).
