News stories about the number of people traveling to Rome for Pope Benedict’s funeral reminded me of Buzzy wanting to attend the canonization of Mother Catherine Drexel in 2000.
I remember him calling me at work and suggesting we go to the October event in Rome. “Come on, we’ll take the old nun and go check it out.” The old nun he was referring to was his older sister Lorraine who was a member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS) the order that St. Drexel founded in the 1880’s.
Sister Lorraine resided at the SBS Motherhouse in Bensalem, Pa. and had informed us that while she had received a personal invitation to the cannonization she did not want to go. When Buzzy tried to talk her into going, she responded with “If you go, I’ll go.” (I think she was teasing him when she said this however, because she later told me that she would not have gone with us even if he and I did go.)
Trying to talk him out of wanting to go, I pointed out to him that we had just visited Rome the previous year. He responded, “Yeah, but we didn’t see anyone become a saint.”
Earlier in that year of 2000 he and I had visited Peru. Later in the year, we were booked to visit China. I had just gotten a new job at work and felt like I shouldn’t be away on three extended trips in one year. And moreover, the whole Vatican-canonization scene just didn’t move me. I finally leveled with Buzzy and said “Dad, I don’t want to do this.” (While this was not the first time that I had ever said something like that to him, it did mark one of the few times that I ever got away with saying it to him.)
He took it all pretty well and said simply “Alright, I’ll call the old nun and tell her if she wants to go, I’ll pay for her plane ticket.” (Turns out that if Sister Lorraine had really wanted to go, then her expenses would have been covered by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.)
Looking back now, I realize what a dope I was in not taking him up on the offer and the chance to go to Mother Drexel’s canonization. Like he pointed out, how often do you get to see someone become a saint?
Music-wise, ironically enough, it was today in 1973 that Bruce released his debut album Greetings From Asbury Park. When he performed a song for the Columbia Records’ folks, he played the following demo for them. This is the acoustic version of the song, whereas the one on “Greetings” has the E Street Band backing him up and rocks a little, make that a whole lot more (click here if you want to check that version out.)
P.S. – this demo version appears on his “Tracks” CD collection that Reagan gave me for Christmas. Nice thing about giving and receiving music as a present is that it is a gift the truly keeps on giving. Thank you again Reagan! Love and see you soon!