Looking
Back...Father Sullivan’s Memorial Day Address
May 30, 1947
Excerpted from the Homewood-Flossmoor Star, June 3, 1947
Photos courtesy Homewood Historical Society
Father Sullivan told a large Homewood gathering “there is nothing which appeals so powerfully to the noblest feelings of the human heart or so completely captivates the human mind as examples of sublime heroism, self-sacrifice and the lofty pursuit of high ideals.”
“The
test of true affection is remembrance. Long years after a war that shook
the very foundation of our national life, the practice of devoting a certain
day in the year to the commemoration of the dead came into being. At first
they called it Decoration Day, a day to visit cemeteries and lay wreaths
on graves. We prefer the profound title Memorial Day.”
“This year there are many new names in the list of those that have left us. The graves of some of them are under distant skies. But distance cannot impede the quick comfort of our prayers. If Memorial Day is to be more than a legal holiday, we must profit by the occasion, not merely to adorn our cemeteries with flowers that will soon wither away, but to remember our dead in fervent prayer this day and every day.”