Benemerenti Medal

chapter 3 to love and serve

The Benemerenti Medal, instituted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832, is conferred on those who h ave e xhibited l ong a nd e xceptional s ervice t o t he C atholic C hurch, t heir f amilies a nd c ommunity. The word benemerenti means “to a well deserving person.”

Thomas P. Fay, S.J.

PIUS XII PONTIFE X MA XIMUS

Numisma Decernere Ac Dilargiri Dignatus Est rev. p. thomas p. fay, s.j.

Virtutis Laude Benemerenti

Eidem Facultatem Faciens Seipsum Hoc Ornamento Decorandi Ex Aedibus Vaticanis, D ie 3 0 A prilis 1 947

Benemerenti medal in the collection of the Thomas P. Fay, S.J., Archives of the Society of Jesus of New England, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

While serving as Chaplain with the Armed F orces o f t he U nited S tates o f A merica i n t he European Theatre during two years, from July 1944 t o J uly 1 946, a nd p articularly d uring t he p eriod from May 1945 to July 1946, as Chaplain attached to Western Base Headquarters, France, Thomas P atrick F ay, o f t he S ociety o f J esus, r endered s ignal s ervice o ver a nd a bove t he l ine o f d uty i n a dministration ofduties, not only to the American personnel i n h is c harge, b ut a lso t o t he n eedy p opulation ofthe war torn countries and in particular to the numerous clergy ofall faiths among the prisoners ofwar held by the victorious American armies in v arious e ncampments i n F rance a nd B elgium. F ather Fay arranged and provided for spiritual retreats f or C atholic p riests a nd f or L utheran m inisters among the prisoners ofwar and showed a devotion to his fellow men which richly deserves the recognition ofthe award ofthe medal “Benemerenti”. Father Fay’s services in this regard were unique and invaluable: the more so as they are evidence of a charity that is truly Christian and transcending m otives m erely h uman.

chapter 4 to love and serve

In Their Own Words

This selection of articles offers an inside look at J esuit Chaplains. They offer accounts of their personal experiences, the spiritual dimensions of their service, the harsh realities of war, their admiration for the young men to whom they ministered and with whom they suffered imprisonment. Also included are sample expressions ofappreciation of extraordinary courage and singular commitment ofindividual Jesuits that merited for so many well deserved citations and awards.

Many ofthese articles are reprinted from The Woodstock Letters, a publication ofthe Society ofJesus from 1872 until 1969. The Woodstock Letters include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts ofhistoric events, book reviews, obituaries, and various others items ofinterest to the Society. They provide an invaluable record ofthe work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19 th and 20 th centuries. They are now fully digitized and available online at the St. Louis University Libraries Digital Collection, http://cdm.slu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/ woodstock

Two autobiographical publications, too lengthy to reprint here, may be ofinterest.

n “Life Under the Japs: From Bataan’s Fall to Miraculous Rescue at Cabanatuan by Yanks” by Major John J. Dugan, S.J. as told to Willard de Lue and published in installments in the Boston Globe newspaper from Sunday, April 1 to Saturday, April 21, 1945. Based on a series ofinterviews, the full story ofFr. Dugan’s 34 months as a prisoner ofwar under the Japanese.

n I Was Chaplain on the “Franklin” by Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J. (New York: Macmillan Company, 1956). Fr. O’Callahan recounts his experience as a Navy Chaplain on the USS “Franklin”, an aircraft carrier bombed by Japanese aircraft.