Memoirs of a Diocesan Priest - A Review
By
James Wudarczyk - posted August 25, 2007

On April 25, 2004 the Holy Name Society of Our Lady of the Angels Parish sponsored an elaborate and colorful procession and Mass in a celebration called “Proud to be Catholic Men” Sunday. Present at the altar concelebrating the Mass was a wheelchair bound diocesan priest, Monsignor Paul M. Lackner. This was not Lackner’s first association with Lawrenceville. Between June 14, 1956 and November 12, 1961, he was assigned as an assistant pastor at Saint Kieran’s Parish.

Too often there is little or no record of persons, who resided in Lawrenceville. Therefore, it was fortunate for local historians that Monsignor Paul Lackner, Ph.D., published his autobiography. A columnist for the Pittsburgh Catholic, Duquesne Dukes, and the Duquesne Monthly, Lackner was also well known for his work with the Greater Pittsburgh Guild for the Blind, the Holy Name Society, and the Cursillo Movement.

In his chapter on his experiences at Saint Kieran Parish, Lackner wrote that he was transferred from Epiphany to the Lawrenceville church on June 14, 1956 and resided there until November 12, 1961. His responsibilities included offering daily Mass and hearing weekly confessions. Lackner apparently took particular interest in the sacrament of reconciliation since he wrote, “I made it a point to give penitents all the time they needed to explain their problems. As a result, a number of people were very appreciative and came to confession to me frequently. I found the people of Saint Kieran’s to be kind, gentle, and very friendly.” Lackner apparently was very appreciative of the kindnesses he experienced in Lawrenceville since he wrote that he periodically saw some of the people who worked at Saint Francis Hospital, and they always gave him a warm welcome.

His autobiography gave a brief history of Saint Kieran when he noted that the parish was founded in 1888, and it remained an independent parish until 1993 when it was merged with neighboring Saint Mary of the Assumption and given the new name of Saint Matthew.

This memoir frequently included the names of persons with whom Lackner served or remembered in a special way. Of his Saint Kieran years, the priest wrote, “When I arrived, the pastor was Father James H. Gilmore; he was very old and sickly at that time. Other priests who served as assistant pastors included Fathers John Biller and Bernard Carlin, who were my seminary classmates, and Fathers John Maher and Thomas A. O’Donnell.” He recalled, “Shortly after I got there, I asked Father Gilmore where my garage was located. He took me to the window and pointed to Carnegie Street, the street where the rectory was situated, and said, ‘Do you see that street out there? Well, that whole street is your garage.’”

After Father Gilmore passed away on March 1, 1957, Father Charles (Chuck) Thomas succeeded him. Both Thomas and Lackner were good friends, and Lackner later chaired the celebration honoring Father Thomas’ 25th ordination anniversary. Lackner credited Father Thomas with many improvements at the church and rectory. “The respect for Father Charles Thomas by the people of the parish was inspiring. For example, several years after becoming Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bishop Dearden had a meeting of the officers of the women’s organizations from various parishes in the diocese. An officer from Saint Kieran’s said to the Bishop, ‘Bishop Dearden, I want to thank you for all that you have done for our parish.’

“The Bishop responded, ‘What have I done?’

“The woman replied, ‘You sent us Father Thomas to be our pastor.’”

In the autobiography, Monsignor Lackner recalled watching the 1960 presidential election returns. “The whole matter was touch and go throughout the night, and the final word came at 7:00 the following morning. I had stayed up all night to hear the official report that J. F. K. was the first Catholic President of our country.”

Although Lackner was obviously a capable administrator, intellectual, and deeply spiritual man, his memoirs show him to be a down-to-earth, folksy, and quick-witted person. Obviously he had a passion for sports. While his columns for the Pittsburgh Catholic reflected issues of importance to Catholics, his writings in The Duquesne Duke were devoted to sports. So while the various sections of the autobiography reflected over-looked Pittsburgh history, the book was also peppered with humorous sports stories. Once on November 24, 1952 when he was in charge of praying the daily rosary on WCAE Radio, he was short of men to pray the response. When he ran into Joe Bach, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Catholic priest asked Bach to assist with the rosary. Bach begged to be excused, “I couldn’t do it, Father. The Steelers have a big game next Saturday with the New York Giants, and I wouldn’t be able to keep my mind on the Rosary.” Lackner responded, “Okay, Joe, I’ll dispense you. I’ll offer the Rosary for you and the Steelers to win.” It turned out that the Steelers won 63-7 in one of the highest scoring games in the history of U. S. Professional Football. When Bach ran into Lackner a few days after the game, he commented, “You prayed too hard! You should have saved a few touchdowns for other games.”

Lackner was stationed for a few years at Saint Patrick’s Church, and his book sheds additional light on the legendary Reverend James R. Cox. “It was said that if you wanted your child to be baptized, all that you had to do was take the child to Father Cox and he would perform the ceremony. In all my years there, I was never asked to baptize; Father Cox performed all the ceremonies.

“During his radio broadcasts, he made it quite clear that baptisms only took place on Sundays between 1:00 and 2:00 P.M., and parents should not appear an hour or so later with their children. He also requested that parents bring their children in for baptism shortly after birth, and not wait for several months or several years, as the Church required, because of the danger of death.

“One Sunday afternoon, after baptizing several children at 1 o’clock, Father Cox placed all the baptismal appurtenances back in the place they were usually stored. Just as he finished, a man appeared who was carrying an infant. Father Cox’s reaction to the man’s late arrival was, “Didn’t I tell everyone who listens to my radio program that I begin baptizing at 1 o’clock and not to bring children an hour later, after I put everything away?’

“The man replied, ‘Father, at one o’clock the baby was not born yet.’

“I’m sure Father Cox had no reply and, needless to say, performed the ceremony.”

Lackner also contended that the assistant priests were required to serve as ushers at the Sunday Mass, and take up the offertory collection. Monsignor Lackner admitted that he was never comfortable in the role. While stationed at Saint Patrick’s, Lackner recalled the great snow of 1950. His book also gave a brief character sketch of Father Cox’s successor, Reverend Ralph L. Hayes. “Life at Saint Patrick’s parish changed dramatically when Father Cox died on March 20, 1951. I was with him when he passed away at Mercy Hospital after suffering a brief illness.” The author contended that it was Father Hayes, who discontinued the practice of using priests as ushers. “During our time together, we only had one argument. He complained that I could never open the safe in the rectory office. I admitted my difficulty and showed him the combination he had given me. He blushed when he read it and became very apologetic; he had given me the wrong combination.”

Lackner worked diligently as an administrator, but his crowning accomplishment was as director of the Holy Name Society. Under his direction, the Eucharistic Rally of 1955 gave Pittsburgh the longest and most colorful parade in the city’s history. The event lasted eight hours and forty minutes. (For more information on this event, refer to “A Triumph of Faith,” posted elsewhere on the Lawrenceville Historical Society website.)

The Lackner account gives the reader more than a summary of one man’s life. It gives the public a look at another aspect of Pittsburgh life and history. To record all of Monsignor Lackner’s witty stories and recollections of his assignments would require a reproduction of the entire book. Although the sections are brief, it must be noted that Lackner possessed few regrets about his life and work, and for a few years in the 1950’s, he was part of the life of the Lawrenceville community.