A Great American

Ted Kennedy is being buried from the Mission Church in Roxbury (Mission Hill). My Aunt Kay used to go to pray for the boys at the Mission Church when they were sick. She used to drive over, go to Mass and then come back with holy water, which she sprinkled on them. I guess her faith paid off.

And Kennedy's mother, Rose Kennedy, grew up around the corner (as they say in Dorchester) on Ashmont Hill from where we lived on Regan Road. It was a mile away and but in reality a world away in terms of the neighborhood.



And, of course, you could see the Kennedy Library from my Aunt Kathleen's house. We took many a bike ride around the library when the kids were young. Kim's screams still echo.

For me, it's a time of passing. Four generations ago, 'No Irish Need Apply' signs were common in Boston and around the northeast. Three generations ago, John "HoneyFitz" Fitzgerald was the first Irish Catholic mayor of Boston. A generation ago, Tip O'Neill was the most powerful speaker in the history of the House of Representatives.

Today, Catholics dominate the Supreme Court, have long held leadership positions in the House of Representatives and consistently challenge for the Presidency. When you look at the dilution of the Catholic viewpoint in the public square, however, Kennedy may be among the last of his kind. He's a man who's public actions - flawed as they've been at times - are a direct reflection of the core teachings of the Catholic Church. And more importantly, he wasn't afraid to act on his beliefs.

He may have pushed too far and possibly did not think about the unintended consequences, but by championing education, health care, the working man and freedom in Northern Ireland, Kennedy worked to improve the lives of millions of people.

He was in turn heroic and tragic, a flawed man who tried to do the right thing. Which is to say he was one of us: a typical Irish Catholic American. Only much bigger.