Remembering an Archbishop

June 2cnd 2008 is the 36th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Paul Leibold. In this post I have compiled some brief interviews and,what I feel, is important evidence of the devotion Archbishop Leibold had to Our Lady of America. Clearly his death was seen as untimely. But God in His wisdom knows better than we. 

  

Paul Leibold, the nephew of the archbihop, is a deacon at St.Marys in Hillsboro Ohio. As a young boy, he remembers Archbishop Leibold greeting his Sunday audience on the steps of the bishops house. From there he would hand our Our Lady of America Medals. His nephew still carries it with him. "Even though he was the archbishop, to me he was still uncle. " 

Paul's mother Terry, remembers the  Sunday drives with the archbishop. He would pile them all into the station wagon where they would go all day driving north visiting the shrines and chapels dedicated to Our Lady ,scattered

 throughout Ohio. The Last stop was always at the cloister in New Regal Ohio, where Sister Mary Ephrem lived. There he would meet with sister to discuss spiritual matters. 

Terry Leibold was also a secretary to the archbishop. She recalls how he would sit her down and have her organize all the corespondences between Sister Millie and himself. He would say,"you know she sees The Blessed Mother". How he was so protective of those letters. He wanted to answer each one promptly.

Terry was with Archbishop Leibold when he suffered his stroke. "During that long drive to the hospital,his arms were extended." recalls Terry." It was if he was awaiting an invisible embrace. Every time the attendants would lower his arms, up they would go again. His gaze was fixed upward beyond us." 

Was it Our lady calling to her beloved son? I was still a child too young to remember that day. I do know the  archbishop was a respected and honorable man. He was vigilant in keeping the church pure. Following in the steps of the venerable Archbishop Alter, he gave the church the protection she needed from the storm that was fast approaching. Many times Archbishop Leibold petitioned Sr.Millie and the cloister to pray for future of the church. Even within their own order.

The photo at the top was taken at the funeral mass for Archbishop Paul Leibold in The Cathedral of Saint Peter in Chains, Cincinnati.  Pictured paying their respects are Monsignor Boffa and Luigi Raimondi,Apostolic Delegate to Washington D.C.

Before his death Archbishop Leibold had three ivory statuettes made to honor Our Lady of America. He had intended to present one of them to Luigi Raimondi the Apostolic Delegate to hand deliver to The Holy Father. One for himself and one for the sisters of New Regal Ohio. He died shortly before their scheduled meeting.Fr.Lammeire, the archbishop personal secretary, carried out this request shortly after the funeral. In a letter written to the sisters, he had confirmed that he followed through with the archbishop's wishes.

Rev. A.J. Geraci.  perhaps saw Archbishop Leibold for the last time publicly before his death. In a sermon given May 4th 2008 he says" Not too long ago, back in 1972, I witnessed the last ceremony of the late Archbishop, Paul Leibold. It was a large graduation ceremony at Xavier University, Cincinnati. I was there to receive my first M.A., a Master's in History. The not too old archbishop was looking desperately tired and did not participate in the distribution of diplomas, but rather retreated to a chair to the back of the stage. His posture, his composure, his physical carriage, his tiredness all communicated a message that the world could carry on without him. Remarkably the archbishop, a native of Dayton, with many Leibold cousins still around, had accomplished a post Vatican Council Diocesan Synod for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati; all nineteen counties were involved. It was as if, on the stage, he was saying, not only to the students and Jesuit instructors, but to the whole diocese, you have a plan for the future, now follow it, and you will not be needing this archbishop to help you.

That night, Archbishop Paul Leibold died of several massive strokes. In a short poem to his niece that he had recently written, he described the span of human life to be like that of the "spring tulips whose beauty lasts only a while and then are gone, back to the earth, back to God." Life is a short span of time, like spring tulips that never seem to last long enough. It was almost a poetic commentary on the end of his life. Somehow it seems he knew he was leaving us. He did. But this young Archbishop left us with a plan and that plan has been used, cited, referred to, now, for thirty-six years."

I made it a point on one of my trips back home to visit the resting place of an archbishop I never knew,but in my heart had a deep appreciation for what he left us. As I knelt at the foot of his tomb at Gate of Heaven Cemetary in Cincinnati, I placed the Our Lady of America Medal into the grass, that was still moist from the morning dew. I prayed for his soul,thanked him for giving the church this gift yet to be fully realized.  And wondered what wonderful confirmations Our Lady must have given him. As I raised my eyes a funeral procession was passing and all the cars sported a American Flag in honor of a fallen soldier. I prayed for our country and petitioned Our Lady to fulfill her promises made to Sister Mary Ephrem. At that moment a gentle breeze past my cheek, and in my heart I knew that all would be well. It was the 2cnd of June 2006. 

Please click on Archbishop Leibold's grave marker at the top of this post to enlarge. It can perhaps give us the best idea of his spirituality.