John Patrick Foley rose to the highest echelons of the Roman Catholic Church, sitting next to popes.
But he always considered himself a kid from Sharon Hill.
That is why Carindal Foley, perhaps best known as the “voice of Christmas Eve” for his longtime role as the commentator on the pontiff’s annual Christmas Eve Mass, was so beloved.
He never forgot where he came from, his roots. And Cardinal Foley’s roots were in Sharon Hill, where he was a paperboy who once delivered the Chester Times, the predecessor of the Delaware County Daily Times.
Foley must have had ink in his blood. That early newspaper job was probably a harbinger of his future work.
That’s something else I had in common with Foley. No, I’m not exactly a saint, as anyone who has heard one of my newsroom tirades can attest.
Foley was a newsman, serving as the longtime editor of the Catholic Standard and Times.
Cardinal Foley lost his battle with cancer, dying in his sleep early Sunday. He was 76.
You can read our full story here.
Back in March, we ran one of our many profiles on Cardinal Foley on his decision to retire and return to Villa St. Joseph, in Darby Borough, the town where he was born, to deal with his health issues.
After that profile ran, the cardinal, the man who had consulted with popes, called me to thank the newspaper for our kind words.
It was one of the best phone calls I’ve ever received in three decades in the news racket.
You can read that column here.
I will miss Cardinal John Foley. So will a lot of people from Delaware County. And in the Vatican.
That’s the kind of guy he was. A prince of the church, who counted popes as his friends. And a guy from Sharon Hill, who never forget where he was from.
Rest well, dear cardinal.
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