hugh o'flaherty
... with cautious suspicion. Once the Nazi party realized how many people he was protecting and hiding, Col. Kappler invited O’Flaherty to a party where he personally delivered a threat to him that he would be arrested if he ever left Vatican territory. O’Flaherty replied to this threat by “informing” Col Kappler that as a Vatican Official, he would be free to move about as he pleased. O’Flaherty took on many different disguises when eluding the Nazi officers. For example, he once dressed as a nun and another time he dressed as a street vendor selling religious cards and medals. Another time he disguised himself as a mail carrier and another time he “became” a coal deliverer. To make this even more challenging, O’Flaherty also had to make sure that the people he worked with were trustworthy. Each contact with a person created risk for him and for the people he was trying to help. With trust in the Holy Spirit, O’Flaherty turned to people he believed he could trust who had the same goals and beliefs as he held. For example, he relied on friends at various convents, the ambassador to the Vatican from the British embassy, and the ambassador’s butler who was able to get food from the black market. CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEGACY Beyond the obvious impact that O’Flaherty had on the lives of those who were saved by his willingness to act without fear for his own life, the world took notice as well. The United States of America gave him the Medal of Freedom with silver palm. He politely refused a lifetime pension awarded to him from the new government of Italy following the end of World War II. Hollywood’s tribute to him was in the making of the movie titled “The Scarlet and the Black”. In this modern era of technology, future generations can also watch this movie to get a better understanding of his legacy. MODELS OF THE CHURCH Without regard for his own life, Msgr. O’Flaherty openly confronted evil and displayed three models of the Church by the very way he lived his life. Through helping the refugees, he showed God’s love for us in a tangible form which displays the model of sacrament. He also displayed the model of servant through risking his own life to not only help the Jews and other victims of the Nazi war machine. With mercy and forgiveness, O’Flaherty also risked his life to save members of the British military who killed his friends during war in Ireland. He even extended help to Col. Kappler, who had tried to kill him, by assisting Kappler’s family to escape to Switzerland. Because O’Flaherty lived his life outside the social norm by doing what he could to help others even when they didn’t necessarily “deserve” such help, he lived the model of community of disciples. REFLECTING GOSPEL TEACHINGS OF CHRIST O’Flaherty not only displayed models of the Church, but also displayed teachings of the gospel in the way he choose to live his life. In risking his life to protect people pursued for persecution, he sets aside concerns for his own life while working to do God’s will. This reflects a teaching in Mark’s gospel that states: “He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but however loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8: 34 – 36.) In doing this, he not only picked up his own cross. He went above and beyond the call of giving his own life in service to refugees. He practiced Christ’s example of love and mercy regardless of social status or state of sin. Another example of how O’Flaherty opened his...