May 30, 2003

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[ C ATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Sullivan story

Eri c Smelser meets man who saved his life in 1965 By Evelyn Zappia

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A 1927 oil painting of the crucifixion by Italian futurist Gerard o Dottori is among the modern works of art on display in a special exhibit at the Vatican Museums.

The story in the March 14 edition of Catholic San Francisco ti tled Josep h Sullivan: "A San Francisco Catholic Life " was too familiar for Eric Smelser to ignore. The 45-year-old man 's heart began rapidly beating as he read about the firefighter who saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning building on Francisco Street in the Marina District, 38 years ago, "This boy is me, " he though t He quickly ran to the only document that recorded that frightening day he could barely remember. The slightly discolored edition of the San FranciscoChronicle dated January 11, 1965 confirmed what was written in the Catholic San Franciscostory. "In the article, Lieutenant Joseph Sullivan was named as the man who saved my life," said Mr. Smelser. "Cornelius Lucey,Jr. was also listed as the other firefighter who died in the blaze. " Mr. Smelser stared at the front page of the paper with a picture of him and his then-five-year-old sister, Tina. The headline read "The Last Rescue." It brought back the little he could remember about that trau-

By John Thavis Catholic News Service

matic day. "It was the morning of January 10, 1965, " he said. "I woke up and was surrounded by smoke. I tried to get up and leave my room but the smoke was too intense. It caused me to become unconscious. When I woke up, I was in the hospital with my sister, Tina. " Mr. Sullivan was awarded the Dennis T. Sullivan Medal for his heroics that day. The medal was presented yearly to "San Francisco's Bravest Firefighter." But it was a bittersweet honor for him because he lost his Rescue Squad partner, Con Lucey, who also tried to save the little boy SULLIVAN, page 6 inside the burning building,

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Filled to the brim with masterpieces from the Renaissance and other golden ages of art, the "Vatican Museums are searching for something new Over the last 30 years, the museums have acquired more than 500 works of modern art , adding to a contemporary collection that most visitors never see — in fact, they don't even know it exists. The acquisitions leave some people puzzled. When you 're flush with paintings , etchings, statues and models by renowned masters , why fill up storerooms with works by relative unknowns? That 's retro thinking, according to museum officials. "If the popes of previous centuries had taken that attitude , we wouldn't have the great collection we do today, " said Francesco Buranelli , director of the Vatican Museums. "Our role is to document the times we live in , not only the centuries of the past , " he said. To highlight the latest artistic arrivals , in late May the museums opened an exhibit of more than 50 new works of contemporary art , selected from 360 works acquired between 1980 and 2003. Housed in a section of the museums' vast entryway, the exhibit catches visitors before they 've been exhausted by the miles of paintings, statues and tapestries on display inside. MODERN , page 6

Joseph Sullivan and Eric Smelser April 6, 2003

Vatican's modern art Museums seek tomorrow 's masters today

Circle of Healing June 14 .. 3

Ascension Thursday and Faith

Cross Country Ride for life

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Catholic Writers

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Love at First Sight For Nicaraguan Orphans . . 10-11 Good Shepherds Christian Brothers and Archdiocese Datebook

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