Big media should do a big tribute

But just in case they don’t…..let’s start here.

One of this generation’s greatest members of goverment was laid to rest today. Congressman Henry Hyde’s funeral drew a bi-partisan contingent from the House of Representatives who acclaimed his leadership in bridging the political divide. That alone is worthy of extraordinary attention. Especially since ordinary attention is so divisive.

Henry Hyde was remembered today by political allies and opponents alike as a politician who acted on deep and sincere principles and treated even ardent opponents with dignity and respect.

Several hundred people, including former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and fellow congressmen, honored Hyde during a funeral mass Friday at St. John Neumannn Catholic Church in St. Charles.

Let me fill this in a little more. About 80 members of Congress flew in this morning for this funeral Mass. I watched them solemnly process into the chapel where Henry Hyde laid in state, to pay private respects, as the Knights of Columbus stood at attention on either side, in full regalia. It was a momentous occasion. A hold-your-breath occasion. There were members of the House of Representatives. The bishops of the Joliet Diocese. The Bishop of the Rockford Diocese. Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago. Several priests. Several pro-life leaders and many faithful. And of course, the Hyde family.

Church and State had come together in a humble but dignified ceremony honoring a great man.

In Congress, Hyde was known for his civility, sense of humor, intellect and oratory skills, colleagues said.

Congressman Duncan Hunter referred to Henry Hyde as the “North Star” that directed the House, on the true course of right values.

Congressman Mel Watt said that it might seem “counter-intuitive” that the Hyde family asked him to speak about a man who stood on the opposite side of almost every issue, but he raved about Congressman Hyde’s manganimity above all. He emphasized Hyde’s recognition of human dignity, and American values of honor and diversity, freedom and justice.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was equally impassioned, calling Henry Hyde a mentor, refusing to accept negative labels for him over the issues of abortion of impeachment.

And there was Congressman John Boehner, House Minority Leader. From the long, sad walk down the hall of the church before Mass, I noticed that John Boehner looked like the saddest of the sad. He looked devastated. He struggled the hardest to get through his tribute. Before he said a word, I thought he looked like he had lost his hero.

Then he said as much.

“Henry Hyde was not just a congressional hero. He was an American hero. And on a personal note, he was my hero. I have served with thousands of fine people during the 17 years I have been in the House. There is no one I admired more than Henry Hyde. No one.

I can’t tell you the profundity of the moment Boehner delivered this very personal witness. But I can share with you what he said.

He was a legislative giant in his own right. He left an indelible mark on our institution through the sheer force of his presence, his intellect, and the example he set for all.

“His accomplishments in Congress were broad and numerous – so broad and numerous they are difficult to fully chronicle. He led a movement in Congress to ensure our nation’s laws respect the sanctity of every precious human life. He led the men and women of our institution, teaching us about honor, dignity, and service to country through his own humble actions. He led the people of his Chicago district for many years, providing them with distinguished service always marked by wisdom, class, and grace. He led a committee in Congress that stood strong, like a rock, when the constitutional principles at the heart of our democracy were challenged. Most of all, he led by treating all men and women with dignity and respect, regardless of who they were or what they believed.

“Treating everyone with dignity and respect came naturally to Henry. Not just because he was kind and full of decency, but because he truly believed all human life is precious. Henry was at peace in the presence of others – even those who disagreed with him most – because of his unshakeable faith in the sanctity of every human life. In a vocation often marked by senseless, noisy debate, Henry Hyde was a clear, calm, and commanding voice for justice; for the defenseless; for the innocent. Always.

“There is a famous prayer called the Serenity Prayer, known to many who practice the Christian faith. Henry probably said it many times, perhaps in his own unique way. In this prayer, we pray God will give us the courage to change what we can change; the serenity to accept what we cannot change; and the wisdom to know the difference. If ever there was a life that offered irrefutable evidence that the Lord hears this prayer and answers it, it was the life of Henry Hyde. He was the definition of courage, serenity, and wisdom. He had all three, in seemingly endless supply.

“Those traits are now his legacy. From the streets of his hometown in Illinois to the halls of the United States Congress, his words and deeds will echo for generations to come.

Several times through this tribute, Congressman Boehner choked up. Several members of the congregation subtly started pulling out their own handkerchiefs, dabbing tears. Something profoundly stirring was happening, and it was the nobility and dignity of leadership being mourned in its passing in one very rare man who actually embodied the values he professed, no matter what, come what may. He truly was “God’s servant” as many have noted, following after his own hero, Sir Thomas More.

So will his words and deeds echo for generations to come? In the week since he passed on, the major media have not paid him much tribute at all, so wrapped up are they in the Iowa caucuses and the horse race that is the current presidential campaign season.

Nobility endures. The record remains. Not to sound corny, but…..a light can’t be kept under a bushel basket, or in the archives of some television network.

The assembled filed out of church today in order: Members of Congress escorted out silently (they had to catch a plane back to Washington); the Knights of Columbus, the bishops and priests with the Honorable Henry Hyde, followed by the Hyde family and the congregation. I was near the back, lingering. When the congregation headed for the door, they veered off to a side door, and I headed for the main door but quickly saw why they re-directed. Another hold-your-breath moment.

Straight out the front doors of the church, the Knights were lined up, the bishop and priests were accompanying the flag-draped coffin to the funeral car awaiting it, and right straight ahead, stading erect like a soldier and not moving, was Congressman John Boehner, watching with heart-piercing attention. He didn’t move, or hardly blink. He lost a personal hero. And so did the pro-life world.

Big media don’t seem to be paying much attention. But some of us have. I did this for the National Catholic Register. It’s the least I could do.

“Henry Hyde spoke of controversial matters with intellectual honesty and without rancor,” said President Bush in a recent ceremony awarding the longtime U.S. Representative from Illinois with the Medal of Freedom. “He proved that a man can have firm convictions and be a favorite of Democrats and Republicans alike.”…

Longtime aide Patrick Durante recalled his amazement at Hyde’s constant accessibility to all people who came to him.

“He was approachable to everyone,” said Durante, who ran Hyde’s district office in Addison, Ill., for more than 30 years. “Henry always wanted to keep close contact with the people. No one was too small. He was there for everybody, lowest of the low, highest of the high, Democrat or Republican.”

President Bush honored Hyde for that quality in the Medal of Freedom ceremony.

“This erudite, scholarly man has walked with kings and kept the common touch,” Bush stated. “They’re quick to say it’s not the same Congress without him — but that we’re a better country because he was there. And colleagues will always admire and look up to the gentleman from Illinois, Henry J. Hyde.”