We all need heroes.

His Eminence John Patrick Cardinal Foley (1935-2011)  is one of mine. I was blessed to take in his wisdom and wit at Catholic press convocations and in his last months when I had the privilege of corresponding with him and, because of his great kindness, participating in one of his last taped interviews on July 14, 2011.

“You do know that July 14 is Bastille Day,” said His Eminence. I had not made that connection but it now will be a date etched in my memory for it was the day that I shared eclairs and cream puffs with one of my church heroes as we celebrated the French holiday.

And, of course, I did my homework and came to Philadelphia on that day bearing chocolate–not Kentucky’s famed bourbon balls, though, as the Cardinal was a professed teetotaler (and he had a story for that, too).

My admiration for him was solidified years earlier when he was “Archbishop Foley” and I had come across his short but weighty assessment of Catholic media in The Catholic Journalist publication during which he threw done the gauntlet to create quality Catholic media. (In the July interview he stated: “Nothing less than the best is worth being offered to God.”)

The clipping remains on my desk. Here is that interview:

“Asked by O’Connell to grade the Church’s media efforts, the archbishop replied, ‘mediocre.’ The situation could be improved, he said, with a more welcoming attitude on the part of the Church, being open to media coverage of more events.

“‘The Church,’ he said, ‘is an infinitely fascinating institution, and so we should be open as far as possible to coverage of everything we do.’

“Of the Catholic press itself, he said, ‘We have an obligation not only to be orthodox, but also to be interesting and professional.’ Asked about different perspectives within the Catholic press, he replied: ‘Where there are essential matters of faith and morals, unity; where there are things tha(t) can be open to discussion, there should be freedom; but everything should be done in charity, which can sometimes be lacking today.’

“Archbishop Foley had a ready answer when asked to name the Church’s most effective communicator. The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, he said quickly, terming him ‘an inspiration.’

“The most memorable events he has witnessed close up were the election of Pope Benedict XVI and the funeral of Pope John Paul II that preceded it. ‘For me it was very consoling,’ he said, ‘because it showed how people react to goodness, and I think that’s what we should offer the people more–examples of goodness.’”

These thoughts and much more were shared again July 14 in the interview, which was conducted by Gretchen Keiser of The Georgia Bulletin, and attended by myself, Lisa Wheeler of The Maximus Group and camera man Dave Jannetta and his assistant.

During the hour of taping the weakened Cardinal shared insights, memories and advice that spanned his rich life experiences: times with his parents, his study of journalism at Columbia University, his priestly vocation and gratitude for his brother priests, his work during Vatican II and as president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and as Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Of course there were also a few stories that included the two popes he served.

The last line of the above newspaper clipping led to the naming of Goodness Reigns, and as providence had it, God willed our paths to meet in 2009 at Atlanta’s annual Eucharistic Congress–where I was helping to cover the event for The Georgia Bulletin one month after Goodness Reigns came to life.

I very briefly presented Goodness Reigns to the Cardinal at the end of this interview, but made sure to contact him later to keep him informed of the apostolate’s progress. (The Cardinal participated in a news story on new media I wrote for The Georgia Bulletin: http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2009/06/18/newmedia/)

In early 2011 I contacted the Cardinal and later in the year asked if he would agree to tape an address for the Goodness Reigns Film Festival to be held during World Youth Day’s Film Day in Madrid on August 17. He very graciously agreed.

On the morning of the Goodness Reigns Film Festival I shared the significance of Cardinal Foley’s address and his passion for the Catholic faith and media with the 32 (mostly young) filmmakers. I also told them of his need for prayers due to illness.

Diana, a young filmmaker from Mexico, later presented me with a relic of St. Ezequiel Moreno, a patron saint of cancer patients, and asked me to share it with Cardinal Foley. The relic was finally delivered around the time of the Cardinal’s birthday in November 2011. Shortly afterward, I received a letter dated Nov. 15 along with the relic, which he had venerated.

Reading the letter, I recalled my July visit and smiled. Before departing Philadelphia I had asked if  the Cardinal would sign bookplates for copies of “You Can Change the World” by Father James Keller that I intended to give to  participants of the film festival. Cardinal Foley was quick to explain that he usually stamped his signature now because his handwriting was too shaky. We decided on a blessing of St. Teresa of Avila prayer cards that I would stick in the books.

His Nov. 15 letter, however, ends with what is to me another one of his simple acts of kindness and humility that I always will remember, as he never ceased to be…