Fwd: CW John Leary, 1958-1982

[Catholic Worker]

------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Emmanuel Charles McCarthy <emman...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 30, 2023 at 11:01 PM
Subject: Fwd: John Leary, 1958-1982
To:

www.emmanuelcharlesmccarthy.org  

Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, youtube  

"Nothing is better or more necessary than love.

God is pleased with nothing but love.

One act of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God 

and of the soul, and more profitable to the Church, 

than all the good works together, 

though it may seem as nothing.”

- St. John of the Cross

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And from Fr. Terry Moran's FB page: 

Today (Aug. 31) is the anniversary (1982) of the death at age 24 of John Leary, a remarkable Catholic Worker, peace activist, friend of the unhoused. He died while jogging and, since he always said the Jesus prayer while he jogged, he doubtless died with the Holy Name on his lips. I only met him twice at Haley House, the Catholic Worker house in Boston but he made a big impression. Dan Berrigan wrote about him in his poem "Block Island,"

John Leary, child

of air, earth, fire-

his Jesus prayer

come true at last, vision

consumes belief like a straw.

In his element at last

he follows the walker of waves.

The emergency medical technicians

who responded to the call

for help after John collapsed on

a Boston sidewalk were puzzled.

"We weren't sure he was dead

at first," said one. "he was

smiling. You don't often see that."