For other stories from this series refer to ‘Cardinal Stories‘ category from the sidebar (>>>) … scroll down, quite a bit.
Cardinal Spellman from ‘coverbrowser.com’ (with thanks).
U.S. Francis Joseph Spellman [dob: May 4, 1889] was the Archbishop of New York (April 1939 to his death, Dec. 1967) and Military Vicar of United States Armed Forces (from 1939 to death). As a young priest in Boston he had tried to serve as a military chaplain but was turned down, even after appeals, as being too short! Some interesting information here as to him being first American assistant to the papal Secretariat of State and being asked to smuggle antifascist encyclical out of Italy.
He was created a cardinal priest in February 1946.
Back in the days when Brooklyn had a baseball team, Cardinal Spellman was watching a World Series games at Ebbets Field.
During the course of the game, a high foul was hit towards his box seat. Catcher Roy Campanella tried to reach it but missed, and the ball hit the cardinal’s knee. Campanella quickly asked whether he had been hurt.
‘Don’t worry about it, Roy‘, the cardinal said. ‘A priest’s knees are the toughest part of his anatomy‘.
From page 380 of ‘The Reader’s Digest Treasury of American Humor’, 1972. ISBN: 0-07-051290-6.
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