By Linda Busetti
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 3/28/02)
Msgr. Scannell, pastor emeritus of St. Michael Parish in Annandale, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the 65th anniversary of his ordination with students and parents at St. Agnes Church in Arlington on March 19.
In the time it took Msgr. Scannell to slowly walk from his chair to the lectern for his homily, it seemed as though 25 years dropped away, judging by his strong, resonating voice.
"Well, children, fancy seeing me here," he said in native Brooklyn tones. "I surprise myself. But, I’m very glad to be here for many reasons. I’m glad to be alive. I’m glad to be who I am and I’m glad to be able to talk with you and … to give you some advice." He told them it was going to be the same advice he always gives them.
"Almost 100 years ago, somebody gave me some advice," Msgr. Scannell said. "I’m sure it was my mother. I was only two or three years old. She told me I should never forget something, that I was a child of God. What I’m telling you today … is the simple truth."
Msgr. Scannell said when he asks them, "What must you never forget?" he hopes they will answer "not in a low voice, but out loud, ‘I am a child of God.’"
"Children, what is it that you must never forget?" he asked in a robust voice.
"I am a child of God," they answered loudly in one voice.
"I am a child of God," Msgr. Scannell’s words rang out. "I know it now and I hope I never forget it as long as I live. I am who I am and what I am … because God made me. He wanted me, and only me, to be me."
In planning his homily, Msgr. Scannell said he thought "of many things, enough to fill a good-sized copy book" to tell the students, but decided this simple message was most important.
St. Agnes parishioner Jack Sullivan said Msgr. Scannell had been "hoping and praying the kids would be there" for his anniversary celebration. Sullivan had taken Msgr. Scannell’s cassock to the cleaners and shined his shoes in preparation.
"Children, I may not get a chance to speak with you again," Msgr. Scannell said, but he told them he hoped they would remember what he said. "I hope your parents and teachers will remind you of the same truth."
Msgr. Scannell concelebrated Mass with Father Robert Ruskamp, pastor of St. Agnes, Msgr. John Cilinski, retired and in residence at St. Agnes, and Father David Murungi, in residence at St. Agnes.
Father Ruskamp likened Msgr. Scannell’s message to the simple, but constant exhortation attributed to St. John the Apostle in his old age, "Little children, love one another."
John Allen, parent of a St. Agnes student, commented on the "simple elegance" of Msgr. Scannell’s homily.
"It was thrilling to see a 91-year-old priest celebrate his 65th anniversary," sixth-grade teacher Michael Walsh said. "I was impressed by his clarity. His homily was very appropriate." Msgr. Scannell has been sharing the same message with students "since kindergarten," sixth-grader Brianna Cook said.
Msgr. Scannell was born Sept. 19, 1910, in Brooklyn, N.Y., one of seven children of Daniel and Anna Scannell. He attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., on a football scholarship. At Holy Cross he met Louis Flaherty, later Bishop Flaherty of the Richmond Diocese. While visiting the Flaherty home in Norfolk, Msgr. Scannell was impressed by the family’s close ties to the Church and parish life. By senior year at Holy Cross, Msgr. Scannell was thinking about a vocation to the priesthood.
He attended North American College in Rome, where Msgr. Francis Bradican was his classmate. Msgr. Scannell was ordained on March 19, 1937, in Rome.
His first assignment was assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Norfolk from 1937-41. He moved to Arlington as assistant pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish from 1941-43. During World War II, Msgr. Scannell served as an Army chaplain in England from 1943-46.
After wartime service, Msgr. Scannell returned to St. Charles as assistant pastor from 1946-51. His first pastorate was St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax Station from 1951-53. During this time, he founded Catholic Charities of Northern Virginia and served as its director for five years.
Msgr. Scannell was named founding pastor of St. Michael Parish in 1953. One of his major accomplishments was building a modern, octagonal church that seats 1,200 people.
Young priests have spoken of him as a "priest’s priest," someone they seek out to hear about the challenges and joys of the priesthood and parish life.
Msgr. Scannell retired from St. Michael in 1986. He lived at St. Luke Parish in McLean until 1993, when he moved to his current home at St. Agnes Parish in Arlington.
After Mass, a reception was held in the school gym. Although Msgr. Scannell could not make it to the reception, many students’ fathers, who had been invited to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, joined their children for juice and doughnuts.
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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