One of the priests I most admired in the years after my ordination was Msgr. John Tracy Ellis. As a longtime professor at The Catholic University of America, he was known to many as the “dean of American Catholic historians.” During the early 1960s when I was studying at Catholic University for my doctorate in canon law, I met him and he became my confessor.
Msgr. Ellis was born July 30, 1905 in Seneca, Illinois, and died at the age of 87 on Oct. 16, 1992. He wrote extensively and left behind many books and articles. He wrote an extensive biography of Cardinal James Gibbons, and that was his masterpiece, but he was best known for his controversial book, “American Catholics and the Intellectual Life.” In it, he challenged the laity to take greater intellectual responsibility for public affairs, and the running of our government.
In 1972, he spoke at the convention of the Canon Law Society and touched on the topic of Catholic Church leadership in the United States. His target audience included both priests and bishops.
He reminded them that as they went about their day, people would comment on the kind of car they drove, the brand of clothes they chose to wear, and on the place and form of recreation they took up.
He reminded them that the external signals of daily living would count for or against them, in the eyes of the laity, and the world.
For his words, he received a standing ovation.
During a separate occasion, I had the chance to interview him for a television show. I asked what, in his opinion, had been one of the biggest weaknesses of the Catholic Church.
“The failure of the institution and so many church spokesmen to be open and honest has led to a severe credibility problem even in our own day. Clearly the laity can handle any scandal based on human weakness or illness and still hold onto their faith. They know the distinction between the human element of the church and the divine,” he said.
He continued: “What the laity can never accept, however, is the toleration of anything that would involve a cover-up.”
Msgr. Ellis reminded me of how the apostles often stunned the faithful with their insights. People always react to the prophets of their day with surprise and gratitude. He was one of the most prophetic voices of the 20th century.