Jack Connors has gone to God and left us all with the legacy of a life lived in the service of others. To his wife Eileen, to his four children and their spouses, and his thirteen grandchildren I extend my prayers and consolation.

The tributes to Jack's legacy will undoubtably come from many sources, commending his leadership in the world of commerce, his vision of what a good society should be, and his seemingly endless generosity to others. When I first came as Archbishop of Boston, Jack offered his assistance, a gift which has been of enormous value to the Church and to me personally over the past twenty years.

Jack combined a life of civic leadership and Christian generosity. The generosity was never confined to one area of need or suffering; it was boundless in its content. Jack's influence could be found across the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the Church, he served so well.

While his gifts of intelligence and wisdom enhanced the Archdiocese of Boston in multiple ways, it was the education of children which captured his heart and engaged his enormous energy. The founder and the continuing inspiration of the Campaign for Catholic Schools, Jack drew a broad range of talented women and men together in the service of providing quality education for children of all faiths and from all social strata of our civil society.

He is widely praised for his commitment and leadership involving many important organizations that serve the common good. Here I feel particularly privileged to be able to acknowledge his impact on Catholic education in an Archdiocese where schools have been the pathway in the past and continuing today for children of citizens and immigrants to become successful members of our society.

Jack brought his widely esteemed business acumen to his life as a citizen and a Catholic. I use this tribute to particularly emphasize his commitment to build a better American society one marked by social justice and fairness. Jack's faith and Jesuit education grounded his conviction to honor the human dignity of every person of every faith and every ethnic or racial community which make up the mosaic of the United States. His position and role in Boston offered him the opportunity to enhance human dignity, to foster human equality and to provide a model for others who joined him in so many endeavors across several decades.

We have lost a great friend and a great leader of our common life in Greater Boston, but we are a better community of neighbors, friends, and citizens because he lived and worked among us for so long.

May he rest in peace and may his legacy be continued.