April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CHAPLAIN WHO PERISHED
Remembering Father Grogan
Lost in the terrorist attacks on the U.S. 10 years ago, Father Grogan will be remembered by the Holy Cross brothers who had expected him to become their new chaplain.
In 2001, Father Grogan, 76, was in between ministries. The former director of the Holy Cross Residence in North Dartmouth, Mass., had just accepted the post as chaplain of St. Joseph's when he decided to visit his sister in California before he began his new position in the fall.
Father Grogan was scheduled to take a Delta Airlines flight from Boston on Sept. 11 when a friend offered him a first-class seat on United Flight 175 instead. Neither his sister nor the Holy Cross religious brothers knew about the change, so it was only when he failed to call during a scheduled layover in Chicago that his sister began to worry.
At 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 had crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
"We found out Father Frank was on the plane by the end of that day," Brother Edward Boyer, CSC, told The Evangelist. Brother Edward, now posted at St. Joseph's, taught at Holy Cross High School in Flushing, N.Y., with Father Grogan in the 1960s.
Brother Edward was still teaching at the school on the day the planes struck the towers.
"We had front row seats that day," he said. "It was just an overwhelmingly sad day. We lost 17 alumni from the school and we were just in shock when we heard about Father Frank."
Father Grogan was ordained a priest in 1955. He had served as a parish priest, a high school religion teacher and a chaplain for Holy Cross brothers.
The World War II Navy veteran was described by Brother Edward as "calm and compassionate. He was very close with his brothers and very good with his students and, if he erred, it was always on the side of compassion."
Though he had not yet started his position as chaplain at St. Joseph's Center, Brother Edward told The Evangelist that the priest had already made many friends at the center - many of whom attended his memorial service in Massachusetts.
On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the brothers at the center have centered their Masses and prayer services on forgiveness and reconciliation. To this day, Father Grogan is remembered in daily prayer at the center; but on Sept. 11, the thousands of others who died that day will be recalled, as well.
"The enormity of what was lost that day is almost too much and this time of year is always an emotional time for me," said Brother Edward. "Any day that looks like that day 10 years ago - an absolutely clear and sunny autumn day - even those make me remember. "
The brother remembered his friend, fellow teacher and former chaplain as "the epitome of our founder, [St. André Bessette,] and his ideals. He always worked together with his fellow priests and his brothers and just became one of the guys."[[In-content Ad]]
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
Comments:
You must login to comment.