The funeral of Father Daniel Berrigan was held today Friends and supporters of the famous activist celebrated his life with a peace march- starting at the lower east side and culminating at St Francis Xavier Church at West 16th street. There was a band – people sang and danced while holding signs that read peace and love.
But As Jephie Bernard reports the atmosphere was anything but somber.
Dan Berrigan’s funeral drew a huge crowd. A marching band led mourners up third ave.people sang and danced while holding signs that read peace and love.
Molly Rush flew in from Pittsburgh
Rush
Everybody loved Dan Berrigan who knew him – he was such a presence and such a wonderful guide for the rest of us.
Bernard 3: Rush is one of the eight protesters who was arrested along with Berrigan back in 1980 – for breaking into a missile plant owned by General Electric and hitting the warheads with hammers.
Bernard 4: And this wasn’t the only time Father Berrigan’s fight for peace got him in trouble with the law.
Rush
He and his brother Phil earlier in the sixties had burned draft cards and went to jail. I think it was a major breakthrough for people who didn’t know what to do about the draft.
Bernard 5: Others who looked up to Berrigan followed in his footsteps through similar forms of activism. As the procession crossed Houston Street Jim Reale said he was inspired by Berrigans message that peace and nonviolence require sacrifice – which in his case meant going to jail.
Jim Reale
We actually climbed onto a trident submarine and there we hammered on the submarine – symbolically disarmed it and poured blood all over it and stayed with our actions until we were arrested.
Bernard 6: As the parade was making it’s way through Union Square. Anna Brown pointed that at the end of the day Berrigan was just a good person with a beautiful heart.
Anna Brown
He was a person that would spend hours and hours and hours with aids patients down at St. Vincent. He’s the kind of person who would cook dinner for you
Bernard 1: But he had another side. Scott Chaferduffy worked with Berrigan- he says he was also funny.
Chaferduffy
A good sense of humor the humility and the here he is honorary degree- there they are in the bathroom right beside the toilet [laughs] it just made me feel like what a wit what a great guy.
Bernard 7: And Chafferduffy says…
What a great guy.
Bernard 9: I’m Jephie Bernard Columbia Radio News
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