A few weeks ago I mentioned a news story about the Jesuit Marine Corps chaplain who also happened to write “The Gay Priest Problem” for Catholic World Report.
This priest was serving with the US Marines as they fought Moqtada al Sadr’s army in Najaf’s humongous cemetery in some intense close quarters battle. Now this story adds some more details:
“It landed at our feet and had hit my corpsman, my second corpsman, and hit my radio operator and hit one of my squad leaders, about 25 meters behind it,” says Willis.
“Down the line, you could hear everyone yelling ‘incoming,’ and at one point, I remember looking over and the chaplain that was with us,” says Bonnell. “He was walking up and down the lines and it wasn’t even fazing him. A round would go off and blow up and he’d turn around and look and start walking that way to make sure everyone was OK.” That chaplain, Father Paul Shaunessy, blessed the Marines as they fought.
Wow!
He was in TV last night – unfortunately I think the show was 60 Minutes.
Fr. Shaughnessy is pictured here saying Mass for the troops at Najaf.
The Herald also had a brief piece on him recently.