"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." With these words, Charles Dickens began A Tale of Two Cities. The two cities were London and Paris. This reflection is focused on Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, but in some ways it is a tale of two cities: Killarney, Ireland, and Vatican City, and I believe that knowing something about these two cities' histories leading up to Hugh O'Flaherty's time will help us as we reflect on his life.

The Ireland into which O'Flaherty was born in 1898 was being affected every day as a result of its history with England. In 1534, the Tudor dynasty began its conquest of Ireland, establishing the Kingdom of Ireland, a client state of England. By the 1550s they began the Plantations, essentially the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the English Crown and the colonization of that land with settlers from Great Britain — this took place before and during the English colonization of the Americas. Plantations took place in various parts of Ireland; the most complete was the Plantation of Ulster, in which settlers were required to be English speaking and Protestant, whereas most of Ulster had been Irish speaking and Catholic.

In 1641 Irish Catholics rebelled, wanting to end anti-Catholic discriminations, provide greater Irish self-governance, and reverse the Plantations. The rebels achieved some success and founded the Irish Catholic Confederacy; however, events such as the Portadown massacre turned public opinion against them and had a lasting effect on the Ulster Protestant community — the rebels killed about 100 British Protestant settlers by forcing them off the bridge into the River Bann, and shooting those who tried to swim to safety. Between 1649 and 1653 forces of the English parliament led by Oliver Cromwell reconquered Ireland.

In 1704, the Penal Laws were enacted: Catholics could not hold commission in the army, enter a profession, or own a horse worth more than five pounds; Catholics could not possess weaponry and arms, could not study law or medicine, and could not speak or read Gaelic or play Irish music.

In 1801, the Act of Union passed by the British Parliament went into effect: the Irish Parliament was abolished, and Ireland was given 100 Members of Parliament at Westminster, while the Irish peerage (who had been settled by the English) were represented in the House of Lords by 28 of the number who served for life.

In 1829 Parliament passed the Catholic Emancipation Act, which allowed Catholics to sit as Members of Parliament and take public office, but reduced the number of Irish peasants entitled to vote. In 1858, Jews were allowed to sit in Parliament, and in 1888, following a campaign by atheist Charles Bradlaugh, those of any or no religion could too.

From 1845 through 1849 Ireland experienced the Great Famine which claimed over 1 million lives, and, in addition, prompted another 1 million people to emigrate.

This history led Catholics in Ireland to a burning desire for independence; an uneasy peace was achieved by the presence of occupying British Troops and the Royal Irish Constabulary, and that was the "peace" that the island experienced when Hugh O'Flaherty was born. It may seem that a lot of this is "past history," but it's not for the Irish — just ask an Irish-American at your nearest Irish bar.

Although the English oppressed the Catholics in Ireland, in the latter half of the 19^th century and the first half of the 20^th century, Ireland produced an overabundance of priestly vocations, many of whom went to English speaking dioceses which were in need of priests. A number came to the United States; for the most part they completed their seminary training in Ireland, sponsored by the Bishop in whose diocese they would serve, and were ordained as priests of the sponsoring diocese. I have known a number of them in my priesthood, and have been impressed by them; we called them F.B.I., "foreign born Irish" — they never seemed to lose their Irish brogue and they all seemed to love golf. An example is the much loved Monsignor Michael Doyle who died November 4, 2022 after a long tenure as Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Camden, NJ. (Click here for a video of his story.)

Hugh O'Flaherty went to Rome in 1922 to complete his final years as a seminarian, and he was to spend the greater portion of the rest of his life in Vatican City. Notice, he was sent to Rome, but later, spent most of his time in Vatican City.

According to tradition, on April 21, 753 B.C., Romulus and his twin brother, Remus founded Rome on the site where they were suckled by a she-wolf as orphaned infants. Across the Tiber from classical Rome is the Vatican Hill, a cemetery during early Christian times, and the burial place of St. Peter. St. Peter's successors remained in Rome during the persecutions, but it was only in the fourth century when Constantine ended the persecutions and supported Christianity that they had a permanent residence.

The Popes gradually acquired property which became the Patrimony of St. Peter, but it was still part of the Roman empire. In 756 A.D. Pippin II, King of the Franks officially ceded lands conquered from the Lombards to the bishops of Rome; that was the beginning of the Papal States, for which the Pope was the civil head of state. The Papal States continued until 1870, although the boundaries changed over the years, expanding or contracting as a result of wars, treaties, etc.

By 1830, there were eight states on the Italian peninsula, the Papal States cutting across the middle. Throughout the 1800s, efforts were made to create a unified Italy; there were rebellions in various states, most of which were quelled. Then, Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia, through the diplomatic skills of Giuseppe Mazzini and Count Camillo di Cavour, as well as with the military assistance of Giuseppe Garibaldi brought the majority of the states together. Victor Emmanuel II assumed the title of King of Italy on March 17, 1861. Rome fell to the united Italy in 1870. The new Italian government attempted to negotiate the status of the Vatican with Pope Pius IX, offering him sovereignty and full jurisdiction within the Vatican, but the Pope rejected the overture and declared himself a prisoner of the Vatican. For nearly sixty years thereafter, relations between the Papacy and the Italian government were hostile, extending through the Pontificates of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius X.

The Vatican City State, as we now know it was formally established by the Lateran Treaty in June 1929; negotiations had begun in 1926, between the representatives of Pope Pius XI and King Victor Emmanuel III. The Lateran Treaty also ceded a number of other properties to the Holy See, including the Major Basilicas of Rome; these are designated as extraterritorial properties similar to those of foreign embassies.

Within the Vatican, the Roman Curia is the central body through which, at the service of the Pope, the affairs of the Church are conducted. The Curia is staffed by Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests — and recently, more lay men and women — from throughout the world, among them are those serving in the papal diplomatic corps, representatives of the Pope and the Vatican City State with governments which maintain official diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

We return now to Ireland in the year 1898, but this time to Lisrobin, Kiskeam in County Cork. Hugh Joseph O'Flaherty was born there on February 28^th; his mother, Margaret Murphy O'Flaherty, had returned to her family home for the birth of her first child. When she and Hugh were ready for travel they returned to Killarney where Hugh's father, James O'Flaherty, was a sergeant in the Royal Irish Constabulary. In due time, Hugh's siblings were born: Mary Bridget, "Bride;" James Frances, "Jim;" and Cornelius William, "Neil."

Eventually, like many of his colleagues, James O'Flaherty resigned from the Royal Irish Constabulary, rather than aid the English in their campaign against the Irish people. He became a steward of the Old Killarney Golf Club, and under his tutelage, Hugh became an avid and accomplished golfer. Hugh received his primary education at the Presentation Brothers' School, and his secondary education at St. Brendan's College, both in Killarney. He then held a junior teacher's position at the Presentation Brothers' School for three years — beginning at age 15. In 1916, he began a two-year program at the De La Salle Teacher Training College in Waterford, but he suffered a bout of pleurisy during final examinations and did not qualify.

In August, 1918, Hugh was admitted to Mungret College, a Jesuit college in County Limerick dedicated to preparing young men for missionary priesthood — from his early teens, Hugh had considered the priesthood. Normally, students admitted to Mungret College were from 14 to 18 years of age, and Hugh was about 20; he was admitted because Bishop John Rooney, the Vicar Apostolic of Cape of Good Hope, Western District, South Africa, sponsored him (Bishop Rooney was originally from Dublin, Ireland), with the understanding that Hugh would be ordained for service in the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope.

The Irish War of Independence began in 1919 between the Irish Republican Army and British Forces which were composed of the British Army, the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Black and Tans; the conflict continued until 1921. The Black and Tans (named because of their uniforms) were recruited in England as reinforcements during the war; many were unemployed former British soldiers, and collectively they gained a reputation for brutality, attacks on civilians and civilian property, extrajudicial killings, arson and looting. During 1920, four of Hugh's classmates were shot by the Black and Tans in four separate episodes. Hugh was once taken in for questioning simply because he had attended the funerals of two other slain supporters of Irish independence.

After completing his philosophy studies at Mungret College, Hugh was sent in 1922 to the Urban College of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, for his theological studies — there he earned his theology degree in one year! On December 20, 1925 Hugh was ordained to the priesthood for service in the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope. However, during his studies he had attracted the attention of the then Rector of Propaganda, Monsignor Dini, who, immediately after Hugh's ordination, appointed him Vice-Rector of the College. While in this position, Hugh continued to study, earning doctorates in divinity, philosophy and canon law.

In 1933, Monsignor Dini was appointed Apostolic Delegate to Egypt, Arabia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and he brought Father O'Flaherty with him as his secretary. Monsignor Dini died in March, 1934, just months after his arrival, and Father O'Flaherty had to take over as chargé d'affaires — as a result, he was named a Monsignor. A new Apostolic Delegate was not announced until June, at which time Monsignor Flaherty returned to the Vatican.

The Vatican Secretariate of State, which oversees the Church's diplomatic missions, impressed with his performance in Egypt, retained Monsignor Flaherty in the Secretariate, and assigned him to assist in the Nunciatures of Haiti and Santo Domingo, where he remained until 1936. He was then sent to Czechoslovakia. In 1938, he was recalled to the Vatican and was transferred from the service of the Secretariate of State to the Holy Office, where he was to remain for the rest of his active life in the service of the Holy See. He was highly thought of by Monsignor, later Cardinal, Ottaviani, who had become a close personal friend and was to lead the Holy Office. During the twenty odd years that he remained in the Holy Office, Monsignor O'Flaherty rose to the post of Head Notary.

John Cardinal Krol, who was the Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961 to 1988, was an avid golfer. He used to tell his priests: "If you are shooting in the 90s, you are neglecting your golf. If you are shooting in the 70s, you are neglecting your parish." As noted earlier, Monsignor O'Flaherty was an avid golfer. I do not know what his average score was, but he did not neglect his golf while in the service of the Holy See. He played regularly with Count Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law, with the former king Alfonso of Spain, and other social luminaries. Some of these "golf contacts" would prove very valuable in his wartime missions.

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, prompting Poland's allies, Britain and France to declare war on Germany — World War II had begun. On November 1, 1936, Germany and Italy had signed a treaty of cooperation, but Italy did not enter into the war immediately. The Soviet Union invaded Poland on September 17, 1939, and invaded Finland on November 30^th. Germany invaded Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940, and attacked France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg beginning on May 10^th. On June 10^th Italy formally entered the war as an ally of Germany.

The Irish War of Independence had taken place while Monsignor O'Flaherty was a seminarian at Mungret College, and ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921. That treaty led to the creation of the Irish Free State, which consisted of 26 counties; Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom and consisted of 6 counties. The Irish Free State declared neutrality during World War II. As noted earlier, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 established the Vatican City State as a sovereign state; in accordance with the treaty, the Vatican remained neutral when war was declared.

Politically, therefore, Monsignor O'Flaherty was neutral, both because of his Irish heritage and his Vatican City citizenship. Growing up in Ireland, he witnessed the treatment given to Irish Catholics by the English, and especially the atrocities carried out by the Black and Tans, and as a result, he refused to take sides, believing that the English were as bad as the Germans.

The war created a huge number of homeless, displaced, missing and imprisoned persons, and the Vatican wished to minister to them. Msgr. Bergoncini Duca was appointed as the Pope's messenger to the prisoner-of-war camps scattered throughout Northern Italy; his secretary and interpreter was Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty — he was fluent in Italian and French, and spoke some German. Monsignor O'Flaherty spent hours talking with the prisoners at each camp, and each night would travel by a fast train back to Rome where he would relay messages from the prisoners to his friend Father Owen Sneddon, who worked at Vatican Radio. Father Sneddon would then broadcast the information over Vatican Radio so that the prisoners' families would know they were alive. Meanwhile, Father O'Flaherty would rush back to join Monsignor Duca for the visit to the next camp.

Monsignor O'Flaherty also arranged for warm clothing to be delivered to the camps in time for the cold Northern Italian winter. He collected and distributed an estimated ten thousand books for the prisoners — and didn't let official camp censors stand in his way. When bureaucracy held up the delivery of Red Cross packages, O'Flaherty cut through red tape and regulations until the parcels reached the prisoners. The camps at Modena and Piacenza were very badly run; with his diplomatic prowess, O'Flaherty managed to get both camps' commandants fired. However, his support of the prisoners did not endear him to the camp authorities, and bureaucratic pressure was brought to bear on Vatican officials. By December 1942, Monsignor O'Flaherty was instructed to resign from his work in the camps.

As Monsignor O'Flaherty ended his travels to the prison camps and resumed his full-time residence at the Vatican, Mussolini and the Germans were beginning to crack down on those Roman citizens they felt were dangerous or undesirable: Jews, well-know anti-Fascists, and Italian aristocrats who were vocal in their opposition to the regime. Many of these were in the society in which O'Flaherty had socialized before the war, and a number of them came to him for help.

He began by asking some of his friends who were not under scrutiny to open their homes to those who were. He expanded by sending people to monasteries or convents for refuge — and then, bringing people directly into Vatican City. Princess Nini Pallavicini, a young widow from one of Rome's oldest aristocratic families, had been found operating a radio on behalf of the resistance and was a target — she came to O'Flaherty and he had the German nuns at his residence, the German College, find a room for her there. She recriprocated by become part of his "network" of support: counterfeiting documents for escapees, and printing fake food coupons to keep the costs of feeding so many down.

A British officer, Sam Derry, who had jumped from a POW train in northern Italy, also came to O'Flaherty and became an important part of the "network." Derry along with British officers and escaped POWs Lieutenants Furman and Simpson, and Captain Byrnes, a Canadian, was responsible for order and security, and he set up a communication chain within the organization.

Monsignor O'Flaherty's evolving "network" developed as he responded to immediate needs, and was not under any official Church auspices. However, official Vatican channels were also responding with the resources they had available: 477 Jews were sheltered in the Vatican throughout the war; other early refugees found sanctuary there as well. In January 1944, the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo was opened up, and eventually took in 12,000 Jewish and other refugees.

On July 24, 1943, at a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council shortly after the Allies successfully invaded Sicily, an overwhelming majority passed a resolution that dismissed Mussolini from office. He was arrested and imprisoned the next day. German commandos effected his escape on September 12, 1943. Mussolini then agreed to Hitler's suggestion that he establish a new Fascist government in the north while Germany directly occupied Rome and the south.

Both the interval between Mussolini's arrest and his release by the Germans and the subsequent occupation of Rome by the Germans raised Monsignor O'Flaherty's activities to a whole new level. In the brief period before Mussolini was released, the prisoner-of-war camps were basically unattended and many prisoners escaped, and made their way to Rome seeking help, often coming to Monsignor O'Flaherty. He met one group of British escapees in the middle of St. Peter's Square and arranged to have them hidden in the barracks of a sympathetic Italian police brigade.

Since most of the escaped prisons-of-war were British, Monsignor O'Flaherty decided to approach the British Minister to the Holy See, Sir Francis Godolphin D'Arcy Osborne, to ask for assistance. The Minister thought the whole situatioon was "acutely embarrassing for His Majesty's Government," but unfortunately he could not risk compromising the Vatican's neutrality. Doesn't that sound like the kind of answer Monsignor O'Flaherty might have expected from a Brit! But . . . then D'Arcy suggested a "quiet chat" with the Minister's butler, John May, adding "I don't want to know any details, but I have a good idea that he can help you." John May became an invaluable helper; according to Monsignor O'Flaherty he was a special kind of genius: "the most magnificent scrounger I ever came across." Meanwhile, Sir Francis supplied funding for the project.

As the Germans occupied Rome, Herbert Kappler became Head of the Gestapo. Among his first actions was to round up 1,023 Jews and deport them to Auschwitz — only 16 survived. He later had additional 993 Jews deported to the gas chambers. The Germans respected the neutrality of Vatican City, but Kappler had a white line painted across the entrance of St. Peter's Square to delineate where that neutrality stopped. Kappler particularly detested Monsignor O'Flaherty and let it be known that if he crossed that line, he would be executed. In March, 1944, a column of German soldiers was attacked by Partisans, and 33 German soldiers died. The Germans decided that a reprisal was necessary, and that 10 Italians would die for each German; the final decision was made by Hitler. Kappler oversaw that massacre; 335 Italians were taken to the Ardeatine Caves and put to death, after which the entrance to the cave was blown up.

These actions changed Monsignor O'Flaherty. He later told a friend: "I used to listen to broadcasts from both sides. "All propaganda, of course, and both making the same terrible charges against the other. I frankly didn't know which side to believe — until they started rounding up the Jews in Rome. They treated them like beasts, making old men and respectable women get down on their knees and scrub the roads. You know the sort of thing that happened after that . . . " Once he saw this, O'Flaherty came down on the side of the Allies. And in another of the great paradoxes of the Monsignor's life, he, who had been so anti-British as a youth, actually ended up rescuing more British POWs in Italy than anyone else. In terms of his rescue activities, he had already adopted the motto: "God has no country" — the rescues were based on need, and not on nationality, ethnic background or religion.

The German occupation of Rome increased both the number of people in need of safe quarters, as well as the personal risk Monsignor O'Flaherty took every time he "crossed the line" — Kappler had made it known that any time that Monsignor O'Flaherty left Vatican City he would be shot dead, and Pietro Koch, head of interrogation for both the Italian Fascists and the Gestapo, promised that if he caught the Monsignor, he would torture him before executing him. Nevertheless, refugees would make their way to the Vatican, and Monsignor O'Flaherty and John May would find places for them in monasteries, hotels, or warehouses, as well as in private homes. When more space was needed, Monsignor O'Flaherty began to rent properties of his own — one was a luxury apartment which directly backed-up to a hotel used by the Gestapo. Food and supplies were found by John May, and a circle of priests would deliver the supplies, check up on the refugees' welfare, and bring warnings, if necessary, to vacate the premesis.

Monsignor O'Flaherty coordinated all this, but not from some secure command post inside the Vatican — he regularly crossed that white line. In one particularly memorable episode, Gestapo agents who had been monitoring known O'Flaherty associates spotted the priest entering the home of Prince Fillipo Doria. Kappler and dozens of SS agents arrived almost immediately. While the Prince's staff held them for a few moments, O'Flaherty went to the basement and noticed that the police activity had stopped an in-progress delivery of coal. He climbed the coal pile and pulled in a bag from the street, into which he deposited his clerical garb. He covered himself in coal dust and appealed to one of the coal men for help. He walked right by the SS, posing as a coal-deliverer. O'Flaherty regularly went out disguised as a laborer, or with the company of a female to deflect suspicion. His costume changes, and his spy-like knowledge of Rome's shortcuts and side streets, earned him the sobriquet the "Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican."

Despite the danger, as the number of people seeking help from the group increased, their efforts increased. Additional safe houses were necessary, and people aware of the need stepped up to meet that need. One of the organization's first and best-loved collaborators was woman named Henrietta Chevalier. The Chevaliers were from Malta, an island in the Mediterranean, then British-owned and now a republic. Mrs. Chevalier, her elderly mother and five daughters lived on a small pension in a third-floor apartment. She first volunteered to shelter a couple of escaped POWs on a temporary basis to address an emergency, but then hosted escaped soldiers throughout the war. Her daughters were in charge of shopping and running errands, and keeping the escapees entertained.

The risks were not just theoretical. Several people identified "safe houses" to the Germans. The Gestapo promptly raided each site identified, killing host families and refugees on the spot, or imprisoning and torturing them with the hope of their revealing other "safe houses."

Kappler even sent two Gestapo in plain clothes to Monsignor O'Flaherty's regular Sunday Mass with the intention of pushing the Monsignor over the white line after Mass, where he could be shot, and his death made to look like an escape from arrest rather than an assassination. However, O'Flaherty's men learned of the plot, and Swiss Guards surrounded the German conspirators during Mass, before escorting them into a side street in Vatican territory that "just happened" to have a group of Yugoslav partisans in it. They beat up the Gestapo, and deposited them on the other side of the "white line."

The Allies plan to liberate Rome began with the amphibious landing of troops at Anzio, south of Rome. The landing took place in January, 1944, but it took until the beginning of June before the Allied forces prevailed, and began moving north. They then moved quickly and liberated Rome on June 4, 1944. News of the ongoing battle, of course, came both to the occupiers and to the occupied of Rome; but, meanwhile, the efforts of the Gestapo to capture escaped POWs and Jews continued, and the work of Monsignor O'Flaherty and his team to hide those being sought continued. However the Germans were planning to withdraw from the city and regroup in the north, which led to an interesting proposal.

Monsignor O'Flaherty was visited by an Italian nobleman, who came to him with a request from Pietro Koch — he was the head of interrogation for both the Italian Fascists and the Gestapo, who had committed to torturing and executing Monsignor O'Flaherty, if he ever got his hands on him. Believing that the Germans would lose Rome, and contemplating his fate if Italian resistance fighters got their hands on him, he was willing to take his own chances, but was asking Monsignor O'Flaherty to smuggle his wife and mother to safety. He, in turn, promised to make sure that the captured members of Father O'Flaherty's organization would be left behind in Italian prisons where they would be freed, and not have them sent to Germany. Monsignor O'Flaherty made arrangements for the two women to be taken to Naples and sheltered in a convent; however, they ultimately chose not to go. Pietro Koch saw that the bulk of the group's captured prisoners were left in Italian jails.

The Allies entered Rome at 7:15 p.m. on June 4^th, greeted by cheering crowds. Those for whom Monsignor O'Flaherty's organization had found safe houses, and those who hosted them planned huge parties. Sir D'Arcy, Sam Derry and John May watched from a roof as St. Peter's Square filled with thousands of grateful people, and Pope Pius XII appeared on his balcony to bless the city. Monsignor O'Flaherty said: "Well, my lads, there is work to be done." Now, it was no longer the Allies and the Jews who needed help, it was the Italian Fascists and the Germans. Sam Derry arranged for him to meet General Mark Clark, and the Monsignor spent most of their time together getting the General to guarantee that German and Italian prisoners-of-war would receive proper treatment. In a plane, loaned to him by the Allied commander-in-chief, General Sir Harold Alexander, he flew to see thousands of Italian POWs in South Africa, then visited Jewish refugees in Jerusalem. Colonel Kappler, who had wished to assassinate Monsignor O'Flaherty, was tried by the Allies for war crimes, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was incarcerated in Gaela Prison between Rome and Naples. In prison, his only visitor was Monsignor O'Flaherty, who went to see him monthly. They became friends, and in March 1959, Kappler, the Nazi butcher of Rome, was received into the Catholic Church by Monsignor O'Flaherty.

Although Sam Derry kept a list of prisoners-of-war who were helped to find shelter, Monsignor O'Flaherty did not count them, he just did it. It is estimated that he was instrumental in sheltering 6,500 people, mostly prisoners-of-war and Jews.

Monsignor O'Flaherty kept a low profile after the war had ended. He received Commander of the Order of the British Empire from the British Government, and the US Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm from the United States Government, and other commendations, notably from Canada and Australia. He sent the honors back home to his sister. He turned down a pension from the Italian government for his service to the resistance. He did not rise much further within the Vatican, due in part to his extreme distaste for Vatican politics, and to the mostly Italian curia's dislike of him as an "outsider," particularly one famous in Rome. He spent his time working closely with Cardinal Ottaviani at the Holy Office. Ottaviani so liked O'Flaherty that the austere Italian traditionalist and guardian of orthodoxy became a fan of County Kerry's Gaelic football team. When the golf courses re-opened after the war, he resumed his golf and his mingling in Italian society.

In 1960, Monsignor O'Flaherty was due to be confirmed as the Papal Nuncio to Tanzania, however, he suffered a serious stroke during Mass, actually, the first of two strokes, prompting his retirement from work in the Vatican and his return to Ireland. He moved to Cahersiveen, County Kerry, to live with his sister. In an effort to continue in ministry, he became a consultant for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, traveling to the United States periodically to do legal and canonical work, but eventually this became too much for him.

Monsignor O'Flaherty then settled into life in Cahersiveen, visiting friends and attending football matches. He did not talk about the war. However, the BBC series, This Is Your Life considered scheduling a program in tribute to Monsignor O'Flaherty to be aired in February 1963, but at that point the Monsignor's health was such that it was not advisable for him to travel to London, and they decided to feature Sam Derry, with Monsignor O'Flaherty's appearing via a pre-recorded greeting from Ireland. Monsignor's recorded message stated:

"Those were dark days and I shall always remember the difficulties we had in trying to keep one step ahead of the Gestapo. Sam, when you came to Rome, you arrived at the right moment. Events were getting difficult for me. I needed a British Officer with some authority and, when I mentioned your name, and when he saw you, the British Minister said to me you were the right man"

As the date for the program neared, Monsignor O'Flaherty decided that he wanted to go to London to be there in person for his friend. There was still concern for his health, but arrangements were made for him to fly to London, and he did appear as the last guest on the program. The program had already featured guests who were former prisoners-of-war and spoke about the occupation of Rome and the escape organization to which most of them owed their lives. When Monsignor O'Flaherty appeared, Sam Derry said: "Had it not been for this gallant gentleman, there would have been no Rome Escape Organization." Following the program, many in the audience who had been assisted by the organization during the war were able to express their gratitude in person both to Monsignor O'Flaherty and Sam Derry.

Eight months later, on October 30, 1963, at age 65, Monsignor O'Flaherty died in his sisters home in Cahersiveen. He was buried in the cemetery of the Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church in Cahersiveen.

As described in the About page for this site, I envisioned it as an opportunity to learn more about individuals I have come to know over the years — either personally or virtually — and who have edified me, with the thought that their lives might edify others as well, and we will all be better for knowing them. My sister has shared this with some of her friends who have asked, "What is your brother doing in retirement." In one of those conversations, the friend to which she was speaking asked that I do a study of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, and this is the result — and he has edified me.

When I began doing research on Monsignor O'Flaherty, almost immediately I came upon an excellent web site focused completely on Monsignor O'Flaherty. The site was created by Jessica Van Dessel in 2009 when she was a student of the University of Maine, Augusta, as an exercise for a web page design program; she is maintaining it as a personal project. I have been in touch with Jessica, and she told me to feel free to use anything I found useful from her site. I am most grateful for her generosity, and I have gleaned much from her site in developing this article. Click here for her site. I recommend it.