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92_SR0158
LRB9209018RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of Monsignor John J. "Jack" Egan, who passed away on May 19,
5 2001; and
6 WHEREAS, Monsignor Egan was a priest whose battles for
7 social justice made him one of Chicago's most influential
8 religious leaders; and
9 WHEREAS, Monsignor Egan was born in New York to the late
10 John and Mary Egan, but moved to Chicago early in life; he
11 was raised in the Ravenswood neighborhood and attended DePaul
12 University; he then studied for the priesthood at St. Mary of
13 the Lake Seminary in Mundelein and was ordained in 1943; and
14 WHEREAS, Monsignor Egan served the Roman Catholic Church
15 for 58 years; he brought his ecumenical approach to Chicago's
16 grittiest haunts and the nation's toughest social problems;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, After being ordained in 1943, Monsignor Egan
19 worked three years as an assistant priest at St. Justin the
20 Martyr in Chicago; in addition he began a ministry to the
21 Young Christian Workers and the Christian Family Movement;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, From 1946 through 1959, Monsignor Egan was the
24 first director of the Cana Conference of Chicago, a ministry
25 to celebrate the sacrament of marriage and to serve the needs
26 of Catholic married couples; in 1957 the Holy See named him
27 monsignor; and
28 WHEREAS, From 1958 through 1969, Monsignor Egan served as
29 director of the Archdiocesesan Office of Urban Affairs where
30 he became a powerful voice in promoting subsidized housing as
31 a way to fight urban segregation; he also became an outspoken
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1 opponent of public housing; in 1965, he marched with the
2 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama that later
3 became a call for clergyman across the country to join the
4 civil rights movement; and
5 WHEREAS, From 1970 through 1983, Monsignor Egan served as
6 the special assistant to the president at the University of
7 Notre Dame and ran its Institute for Pastoral and Social
8 Ministry; and
9 WHEREAS, Monsignor Egan returned to Chicago in 1983 as
10 the archdiocese's director of Human Relations and Ecumenism
11 under Cardinal Joseph Bernardin; in 1987 he served as an
12 assistant to the president for community affairs at DePaul
13 University; DePaul University honored him by naming its urban
14 think tank and community service organization after him,
15 calling it the Egan Urban Center; and
16 WHEREAS, In 1993, thousands of well-wishers attended a
17 celebration at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago to mark the
18 50th anniversary of Monsignor Egan's ordinance into the
19 priesthood; in addition, plumbers hosted a similar
20 celebration at Plumber's Hall on the West Side; his life was
21 also profiled in a "1991 book, "An Alley in Chicago: The
22 Ministry of a City Priest"; and
23 WHEREAS, Among his many honors and six honorary
24 doctorates, Monsignor Egan and his aide, Peggy Roach, were
25 given honorary degrees by Lewis University in Romeoville; in
26 addition he was presented with Saint Xavier University's top
27 honor, a school where he served as a former advisory council
28 member; and
29 WHEREAS, The passing of Monsignor John J. Egan will be
30 deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his
31 sister, Kathleen Egan Martin; his nieces and nephews; his
32 great-nieces and great-nephews; and his many friends and
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1 acquaintances that he has met during his 58 years of service
2 to the Roman Catholic Church; and
3 WHEREAS, Monsignor Egan served as a conscience not only
4 to politicians and the people, but also to the Roman Catholic
5 Church; he had the reputation of a man who had a way of
6 challenging people on very serious moral issues without
7 alienating them, thereby allowing change within the Church;
8 therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
10 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
11 all who knew him, the death of Monsignor John J. Egan of
12 Chicago, Illinois; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Monsignor John J. Egan with our
15 sincere condolences.