He was old, eighty-three, but said the visit to the land of his birth had added five years to his life. He was stopping in Ireland on his way to Rome where the Pope would formally confer on him the office of Cardinal. The trip to Ireland, however, did not add five years to his life – it cost him his life. He was the first man from west of the Mississippi to be named a Cardinal. His name was John Joseph Glennon.

AOWM – December 23