A memorial area in Sacred Heart Church, Springfield, Mass., honoring Fr. Theodore Foley, CP, was blessed on June 23, 2009 by Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of the Diocese of Springfield.

Fr. Theodore led the Passionists as superior general until his death in 1974, and the process for his canonization has begun in Rome. Sacred Heart Parish, in Springfield’s North End, was Foley’s parish where he was baptized, attended school and served as an altar boy. His family home is a short distance away from the church.

Nine Passionists attended the service, along with a number of diocesan priests, seminarians, sisters and laity. Father Dominic Papa, CP, and Brother Terrence Scanlon, CP, assisted the bishop. In his remarks at the service, Bishop Mc Donnell’s observed that Fr. Theodore was “a reminder that holiness is all around us,” and testifies to the holiness of generations of loyal Catholics from the Springfield area. He speaks to those who follow them today that God calls us all to a deep Christian life.

The memorial area is situated near the entrance of Sacred Heart Church, built in 1889, which is still a spiritual home to so many from the Springfield area.

The Springfield Republican covered the story
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/late_springfield_priest_rev_th.html?category=Springfield

Photo courtesy of Jim Brady, Chicopee