Jay O'Callahan
In honor of Veterans Day, renowned storyteller Jay O’Callahan ’60 will perform “Father Joe: A Hero’s Journey,” on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in the Seelos Theater. The event is free and open to the public. Veterans are especially welcome to attend, and will be recognized during this special performance.
“Father Joe” tells the story of Holy Cross math and physics professor, Rev. Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J., Navy Chaplain, who earned a Medal of Honor during WWII. Fr. O’Callahan was the first Jesuit from the New England Province to enter the Navy during WWII. On March 19, 1945, he was onboard the U.S.S. Franklin when the ship was attacked by a Japanese bomber. He was injured while rescuing shipmates and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. O’Callahan left the Navy in late 1946. He later returned to Holy Cross to teach philosophy. In 1956, he wrote a book, titled I was Chaplain on the Franklin, recounting his experiences.
Jay O’Callahan ‘60, Fr. O’Callahan’s nephew, is a professional storyteller whose performance credits include Lincoln Center, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Winter Olympics, and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. His audio recordings have won numerous awards, including the ALA/Carnegie Award, the Birmingham International Educational Film Festival Award, the Indie Award, and the Parent’s Choice Classics Award.
In “Father Joe,” O’Callahan re-enacts that fateful day on the Franklin, interweaving his narrative with personal reminiscences of his uncle during his student days at Holy Cross. O’Callahan draws the audience into the story with his re-creation of “bursting explosions, the bewilderment of the sailors, the flames scudding about as though alive, the sight of smoke and burning flesh, the intense battering and subsequent shaking on that ‘burning city,’ the Franklin.” The story concludes with his uncle emerging “a figure of extraordinary calm amid chaos who snaps sense into the men, creates order from disorder, and again and again risks his own life to save others.”
On a recent tour of the USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC, the ship depicts all the carriers engaged in the Pacific War during Big II. They list the deceased and ships company of each carrier. On the plaque of the USS Franklin, the name of Fr. J.T. O’Callahan is decidely missing. I found this completely unacceptable. When I questioned a Naval host at the ships entrance, she was totally clueless as to the name, Medal of Honor recipient, occasion or any other information. I found no other to whom I could complain.
Joe Dertinger
Camillus, NY
I am a ’78 HC grad (NROTC) who served on the USS O’Callahan (FF 1051) after I graduated. My mother (who was very ill at the time with only a few months left) was a bit nervous when I went off in the Navy wondering if we made the right decision. When I got assigned to the O’Callahan she immediately was at ease – she felt Fr. Joe would look after me and maybe he did!
Nov 10th is also 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, celebrated by all Marines around the globe.