At D.C. cathedral, mourners mark 40th anniversary of JFK's death

Published: 2003-11-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Four decades ago, royalty, heads of state and important government officials filled the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington for the funeral Mass of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. Forty years later almost 800 everyday Catholics from across the region gathered at the cathedral to pray for and remember the slain president, who was the first Catholic to be elected to that office. They prayed during a Mass of remembrance offered on the anniversary day of President Kennedy's tragic death. In his homily, Father J. Bryan Hehir, outgoing president of Catholic Charities USA, said the Mass was "a time to reflect and to pray (in the place where) President Kennedy was entrusted into the hands of God for eternity." The priest said Americans old enough to remember President Kennedy's death would "never forget the time, place and impact" of that day in history.

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