00:00:00.120 - 00:00:29.830

our principal house, and it still is. We had five parishes and nine priests living there and see Mary's in Balboa. Uh, and, of course, the main Paris saint. Marriage there and sacred heart all in the in English speaking Zonen's on and parade. So was a congregation off mostly Panamanian people on a lot of Islanders.

00:00:29.840 - 00:00:51.630

They blacks from the island, you know, they make such a bulk of the Panama population around the capital city will come over to build a canal there. Grand parents and then us wanted to re tape repatriate them all, offering free passage back to her. Their island Jameika are Barbados.

00:00:51.630 - 00:01:13.530

All them places, you know. But most of them decided to stay there. So there's something roots and raising kids. All the kids were born Panamanian, speaking English and Spanish on. We always had a lot of fun ourselves. Thesis they call it even off. The people from Barbados are Beijing's Beijing Way.

00:01:13.530 - 00:01:31.900

Call their language in Beijing, and also they themselves called it Wadi Wadi. Uh, so you speak and we had all kinds of jokes Spanish jokes, English joke, half and half jokes on then some of them. You gotta have the right. Honest. You don't even get a titter out of anybody, e.

00:01:31.910 - 00:02:00.050

But that's because all my work down there was half and half. Mostly Panamanians, really out of Balboa. I worked in Cherokee and Western end of Panama, right on the Costa Rican border. Both sides, the Atlantic side on the Pacific side. Really? Uh, Panamanians, Zonen's They don't talk about Thea other side.

00:02:00.550 - 00:02:31.020

Next side. Uh, fact Shorty and Slim Shorty, Shorty and Slims have these records. You're selling them downstairs? Oh, yeah, Yeah. Their title is short and slim. They're all it is really good taste of Panamanian culture. You call, uh, the mixture of English and Beijing from the islands, Jamaican, Spanish and things and they call their They have one of their albums.

00:02:31.020 - 00:02:49.120

They call it the next side, because down there, you know the black people they don't ever You know, in Balboa, you don't talk about Colon as the other side. That's the next side. Okay. And that's the name of one of their albums. The next side, all the differences.

00:02:49.130 - 00:03:14.610

So my career and down in Panama has been mixed half and half and half put predominately spanish. Okay, I'm Father Kennedy. When did you first go to Panama? In 1949. Right after ordination. I was ordained priest in 1949. Up in Philadelphia. Okay. Did your did your family have a tradition of serving in the priesthood?

00:03:14.620 - 00:03:34.330

Only priest. My parents were both Irish immigrants from Ireland. Okay, Tipperary for my father and county. May all my mother. Okay. They never heard of Panama. Ah, no, I never heard of it either. Until I met a Vince engine priest who encouraged me and go to the seminary.

00:03:34.330 - 00:04:01.690

But and then I went to that seminary run by Vinson Shin fathers. And of course, they pushed me because I didn't wanna be a seminary professor myself, e r just I wanted to be a foreign mission. I was aiming for China the whole time. The year I was ordained in 1949 Mao Tse tung moved in and kicked all the Christian missionaries out.

00:04:01.700 - 00:04:20.790

So I never got to China's I've always wanted. Let's still go to China. I were healthy enough, young enough, and And what is distinctive about the intention order is that it doesn't have a particular well, it's in order sounding eight about 1800. Oh, not eight. Excuse me.

00:04:22.340 - 00:04:46.770

1580 were found in practice in France. Basically called it one of the French religious orders of Catholic Church. Because our begin cultures are spiritual exercise in our prayer books and all those things they're all originally in French way had in our seminary training. We were given these French books you read.

00:04:47.240 - 00:05:07.520

First of all, learn French that read these books and French Way have a French taste to our customs in our intention, Father's orders. And it fit right in with the Latin taste to with the Latinos. America, of course, the kind of a in Spanish, they speak Spanish.

00:05:07.530 - 00:05:43.640

Very good movie lose in Colombia because Panama was a collar was part of Colombia in the 1903 So I went down. When I was ordained right away. They told me, You're you're going. Five of my classmates went with me. They sent to Panama. We went first to Costa Rica to leave to learn Spanish, each one of us to live with a Costa Rican priest, mostly in little villages where we be exposed to the culture on meat riel people, not school teachers just mixed and study on the side.

00:05:43.640 - 00:06:08.150

They gave me a made my acquaintance, whether a local schoolteacher and she come in every morning to the parish house and go over grammar with me and then from mixing with her and three months, I was able to preach in Spanish on after six months. Okay, Back down to Panama on vacations over and cause Costa Rica was you ever been to Costa again?

00:06:08.240 - 00:06:28.070

No, sir. Yeah, next to Panama. Beautiful little country Ticos. We call it the Ticos. They were very good to me and the priest. I lived with a really holy man by the same time. A lot of fun, good jokes. And he became a bishop in fact, that he died five years ago.

00:06:28.140 - 00:06:48.930

Father Cocteau was the name of CO two. I'll found so good. Don't But from him and the late period, the late people. That's the best way to learn language. E. Get all these commercials on TV. I get mad. All the go the so Rosetta Stone join Rosetta Stone.

00:06:48.930 - 00:07:04.290

You learn to speak. You can never learn. Just that's the same thing we've been doing for years. By a textbook and tryto you can't learn it just for reading a book. The only way is to mix with the people you know are now these days of young people traveling so much.

00:07:04.300 - 00:07:27.820

Ah, lot of kids were learning as teenagers that I learned for any language. Be summer programs and their parents let him travel down by themselves. So they go to Indonesia and India and South CIA, any country in Latin America. So that's after that. Costa Rican experiencing right into Panama and work with the Panamanian people on the Canal Zone.

00:07:27.830 - 00:07:49.180

E work 300 miles west part of Panama that's abuts on Costa Rica way have mission both Atlantic and Pacific side, the next side and our side and the next side. What We're what? We're social conditions like Father Kennedy. When he first went thio, it was poverty.

00:07:49.180 - 00:08:21.850

But no, no, really ended. Indigence is canals all. Of course, that was like a little slice of of the state of Delaware are New Jersey or Texas. A lot of Southerners you hear around here, they can have his own people led a lot of speak riel Southern, you know, like but, uh, so are our life in the Canal Zone was like living in Texas, who are Alabama, Florida and there wasn't much difference.

00:08:21.850 - 00:08:48.340

But a lot of a lot of Americans ended up marrying Panamanian girls on. I was happy to see that. And nowadays we these reunions Now there you go to where they're selling stuff. The vendors, they're selling all what they sell them from Panama and they when they get together and have a drink or two or a few beers, they all they want to talk about is Panama, not the canals on.

00:08:48.350 - 00:09:08.300

They remember Panama Republic. Most of them still own summer houses up on the beaches in Panama, and they spent all their vacation time, of course, but all of them back to the states that after a while, as the kids grew up, they didn't know anybody. Back in the States, they grow up being Panamanian.

00:09:08.300 - 00:09:29.200

Them all the kids speak perfect Spanish. Well, the American kids who are parents, they come here with their parents to the re union. And I think the Panamanian people as a whole, they all of a, uh, clinic, get rid of those gringos. Maybe so they want Panama has aspirations to be their own country.

00:09:29.210 - 00:09:50.330

They didn't realize they realized that they didn't like having a foreign flag flying over part of their soil. I saw him naturally, his piano, nice rubidium. But then they When the Americans left by the main, they miss us. They missed the gringo presence down there. Even they won't admit it openly.

00:09:50.340 - 00:10:19.850

And so many people in this I've been back in the States all they want to talk about it, that I get this re union. They want to talk about Panama on the magazine comes out every two months full of stuff about Panama. It's written in English, but there are a few few pages in Spanish because distributed in the States with X Zonen's and well, it it's had a million into Enciso.

00:10:20.340 - 00:10:48.070

The bulk of my work down there. It was with Panamanian people and which was good because I learned Latin culture and to be with them. And they always ask me, Padre, you got any new jokes? Always, Yeah, but I can't tell him in church. What were some of the challenges being a priest in Panama on 1949?

00:10:48.080 - 00:11:19.630

There was There was no some of the Latin countries like Mexico. Revolution is a lot of anti clerical is in fact, in Mexico They shot and killed a lot of priests and nuns during the teen years. 1910 to 1920 Revolution 20. The Revolution time. Yeah, but I never felt any of that fact when the big when a big riots in 1964.

00:11:19.640 - 00:11:46.920

Of course, the penalty is que variety. And we had nine priests, their team marriage, but and I was on the Bishops Episcopal Committee. In fact, I was he appointed me vicar, the Episcopal vicar for the churches of the canals. Oh, and of course, then that way did you the hey, the military, U S military, all those bases on Catholic and non Catholic chaplains of the U.

00:11:46.920 - 00:12:09.260

S. Army and Navy. We're down there. They were not obliged to the bishops in the states because there's a military bishop in the States to go to the military ordinary. He's in charge of all the Catholic priests in all the service babe races around the country and overseas.

00:12:09.440 - 00:12:33.380

But in Panama they made an agreement at the very beginning that the chaplains in Catholic or Protestant, whatever they were Jewish, one of our great Jewish pastors down there, Rabbi Witkin, native wit can right across the street from us and elbow Joey the Wonderful Man and Little Little House, right by the where the y m c A.

00:12:33.380 - 00:12:49.790

Used to be in the elbow. American fighter pilot ran out of gas while he was attempting a landing at all. Brooke and he won more, have a couple of gas. Would have got it. But his motor died. Just he was crossing about where the bridge is now.

00:12:49.790 - 00:13:08.650

The bridge was in billion. Hey, went down and almost hit ST Mary's Church. But he felt 200 yards short of it in his own and not the pilots. And Rabbi Watkins House. It was a daytime. She was She was a nice lady. I knew her well.

00:13:08.640 - 00:13:31.730

She was killing poor rabbi. Wicked. No, he was heartbroken. She was killed instantly with the pilot. And, uh so all those chaplains Catholics especially, were not obliged. Thio, like they get the permission for we call mixed marriages, you know, Catholic and non Catholic. You have to go to the bishop, get to Britain release.

00:13:31.740 - 00:13:55.250

But they were told No, you don't go to a Panamanian bishop. Excuse me? You don't go to a U. S. Bishop, because you are all the under the bishop of Panama now. Officially, they declared it through room that all the American priests in Panama would be obligated to the bishops of Panama so that my job was to be sort of.

00:13:55.340 - 00:14:10.750

I wasn't a bishop, but I had all the powers of a bishop in the zone. Any of those priests wanted to get a dispensation for a mixed marriage. They have to come to me to get e got to know a lot of a lot of good guys that chaplains who were down.

00:14:11.640 - 00:14:32.950

And, uh so that's how we were quite intimate. The united. And since I was Episcopal Victor, I was on the Bishop's Committee. Further Episcopal vicar of each area in the whole country dices with our eight of them all told. Okay, cool on sheet tray. Davey and gee, he broke in the total.

00:14:33.140 - 00:14:57.640

I was always at those meetings because I was on the on the rank, even though I didn't wear the purple like they did. I had the Episcopal faculties that they all had eso We got really close and I was very close to the Panamanian church, which was good because then that way the bishops off Panama, where some of them before they wouldn't go to the canal.

00:14:57.650 - 00:15:16.740

But then they bishops themselves made the effort to learn English on did come over to the canal zone. They preside. We invite them to preside at a wedding or anniversary or any special parrot function, and then come over and then they throw. The company was out first.

00:15:16.750 - 00:15:38.820

Really look really good. Look, any of them ever had in his own, they had never going onto a military base. They didn't know what it was like with great relations sprung up. Then even despite that right in the 64 I was at a meeting of bishops of Panama was on a weekday evening.

00:15:38.830 - 00:15:53.770

I'm dressed Sometimes way adopted down there where I go, I have a shirt with a little cross. My eye I look for my chaplains across. I thought I had it with me. And I don't have to put on your collar. That was That was our only prison singing.

00:15:54.140 - 00:16:39.770

My first years we were the Sultaana. You know, the long put the cat sick we work You go to the movies to the star Go everywhere with that in the Sultaana following a customer of the Spanish priest But in 1954 Bishop Clavel Panamanian uh century Bishop of Panama says by the Kennedy Heart priest they always have to me to let us dress like you priests on the Kanal Za Not without the long Castaic will you come to the bishops meeting and where acquire better on where That cross and show the priest how you dress And that s why I was a model e I'm on the way.

00:16:39.780 - 00:17:21.260

From that day on they all started dressing like we dio little cross on the college sometimes across on a change but some identification And that was a great breakthrough. So Panamanian we got to know the pendant crazy and priest You got to know us and in the same with our people Our congregation got that all I was mentioned so many parishes remember coming back from Maybe it was that same meeting and one of those means I came back for the meeting and vision McGrath's house He was an American born of Costa Rican mother, American father raised and born, raised right there in Panama.

00:17:21.270 - 00:17:42.380

And he became Archbishop of Panama. Uh, Mark McGrath, 6 ft six, big gringo, that the people loved him because he was born. You have one of those American kids That's better Spanish than English. But I went to the meeting and he was and I went to the bishops meeting because I had a dress like a bishop, you know, with the white collar on my back.

00:17:42.390 - 00:18:08.810

About nine o'clock at night, I come driving back through Cinco de Maya was a big Panamanian Airlines building there, heading back to elbow. And I got to the crossroads Fourth of July Avenue on Suddenly my car was surrounded by teenagers. Panamanians Gringo, gringo, Gringo e killed.

00:18:08.820 - 00:18:28.650

And then there was this gringo driving S o e few Sure showing cuss words in Spanish. I don't know. I got you say my friend. Um and you get to see one of the men. Look, o e positive e said got out. They knew what was E.

00:18:28.660 - 00:18:53.860

So they let me through a problem where there was always That's the way it went. That's why I went were there. How did you You talked about, really, In some ways, working both in Panama and also in the zone. Um, what were some of the differences between the two areas in your experience?

00:18:53.870 - 00:19:12.480

Uh, I had a canal zone privileges I could buy in the canal zone commissaries. And once when people have high poverty, will you buy me this blind? Me? That e I was breaking the like it, but I bought things in the commissary. The big old commissary right there on Balboa.

00:19:12.490 - 00:19:33.850

Stephen circles on in different places. Jump little things, you know, Nice new razor. I might want to buy an electric razor and things like that. They were expensive in Panama, but the only big crossover was that. And I'm sure a lot lay people who were doing the same thing.

00:19:33.860 - 00:19:52.600

Okay, A lot of head in laws in Panama. Sure. So they had some beautiful families. Marriages came out of. There was There was some of them down here today. Some I saw lated on a guy here at lunchtime and he identified himself. John, What was his name?

00:19:52.600 - 00:20:13.550

John E. They all come up to me. They know me because they don't mean for 50 years, but they were little kids and I don't recognize s So they all want to say I don't remember those days 50 60 years ago, Panamanian wife and their half Panamanian kids and all that and that aspect, the family level.

00:20:14.040 - 00:20:38.540

They got along great political level or something else at the club. Panamanian politicians, every dang gringo. Go home, gringo, Go home. But don't take your money and, uh but otherwise it's a relationship. People to people was very pleasant on often tied. People would apologize to me.

00:20:38.540 - 00:21:04.270

Father, I'm sorry for the way somebody in the paper yesterday said such and such and such about the Americans when they go Gringo Father, that's not us. We love you. We love you. That's not the great bulk of a million. People are very happy with the Americans, and that's the way I work full time in Gerry Geen because of Taro.

00:21:04.640 - 00:21:25.980

And even when I was living there, Balboa's Episcopal vicar, I was over in Panama City more than I was in his own. My contact with his own chaplains was riel e. Very helpful help for them. Helpful for me because they had me is a contact with the Bishop in Panama because someone never learn Spanish and they relied on the outside.

00:21:26.000 - 00:21:53.250

I got a really good, really good Okay, Did you What were some of the spiritual challenges of your for people in the Canal Zone way go all the same, spiritually challenges We call the church regulations about Holy day Mass and things like that, and they function in Panama, just like in the States.

00:21:53.260 - 00:22:13.120

Though the Panamanian people as a whole, there was a lower percentage of its assistance, said at the religious services. Three Americans course in the Canal Zone. Americans, I say, a third, maybe a quarter to a third of like the people that here with this re union, Yes sir.

00:22:13.130 - 00:22:37.270

E Just last year, Mass will have all Mass tomorrow afternoon at 4 30. It's a Sunday Sunday Mass the day before the IV, and it's a valid mass for Sunday we had in the Big Ballroom. We had over 600 people at Mass on my good friend Bill Wilbur, who's pastor of the Gamboa Union Church.

00:22:37.640 - 00:23:00.530

He had a very small group, but after we finished in the ballroom, Bill took over with his group and the much, much smaller not even half of what they had, but so dependent the Panamanians Catholics were sort of on a, in a way, challenged to prove that we are Catholics and we got a We're going to keep our religion, and we would encourage them.

00:23:00.540 - 00:23:21.340

Give good example. Show our Panamanian brothers and sisters that we love them. And we're all one church on. Try to be faithful to your convictions and you never know what good you could do by just good example, E everyone. One couple I've married father and mother and five kids.

00:23:21.340 - 00:23:45.010

They were from Arkansas, and they had never seen a Catholic in their life. But his man of the family breadwinner, he was invited to his neighbor out in Los Rios, one of the sections here outside Panama City, outside part of the zone for a birthday party or something.

00:23:45.020 - 00:24:05.490

And I was invited to Hey, came up to me. Father Kennedy. Can I call your father? Everybody does. Yeah. I've never seen or are talked to a Catholic priest in my life, but I'd like to talk to you. I've always been interested in What are these Catholics like?

00:24:05.500 - 00:24:24.310

What do they believe in the Catholic have always been a mystery to me. Maybe there's a lot of people, but he came to me and ST Mary's in record, and he started coming for a weekly session that his wife joined him and the kids. Six months later, the whole family was baptized into the Catholic Church.

00:24:24.320 - 00:24:50.760

And I said, Well, what got you interested in the Catholic, my neighbors, the people whose party who came to that might I never saw them Miss Mass on Sunday, and I remember back in Arkansas we had one Catholic family in my town, and every Sunday they'd get up really early, getting there Carmen for and they drive 50 miles to the nearest Catholic church E.

00:24:50.770 - 00:25:12.520

That impressed me. So I've always wanted to know more about E telling. People are good example. You know what, Christian? We're all Christians. In fact, I myself truck try to use the word Christian, not just Catholic, but they were because sometimes people who are not Catholic Catholics are not Christians.

00:25:12.530 - 00:25:36.560

They're not Christians, I'm sure Christian, who founded a Christ Jesus Christ way, carry his name, but I often it in speeches and talks and sermons. I use Christian Catholic. We are Christian Catholics or Catholic Christians with everywhere you like. What? I like to sneak the word Christian in there because all the Protestants and ourselves, we're all one great big church.

00:25:36.570 - 00:26:00.310

Some don't have broken off from what we call the main body under the pope, but they're still Christian. Still believe in Jesus Christ. And that's that's That's very encouraging. That's good. That's nice. And all those all those we worship God way. Believe it. If we practice what we preach, Okay, there's a bunch of crowd isn't having a big convention right here in the hotel.

00:26:00.310 - 00:26:22.860

Now you see them on the first floor On that address they killed boy. When they go to church, they're not like Catholics. We gets on Sunday, we get. I hate to see people come to church and shorts and thes people for the ladies coming into. You think it's that on Sunday to wherever they are, they dressed for church boy.

00:26:22.870 - 00:26:51.360

A good example for us. Yeah. Wow. Um, Father Kennedy. Now, when you were what types of changes did you see in the church or in the country? From the time from 1949 through the fifties and sixties. Were there any significant changes that occurred in life? And, well, she changes have been changes.

00:26:51.370 - 00:27:14.330

But there's been a lot of I say faith is cooled off a little. A lot of ways to called fervent Catholics don't go to church anymore. On that hurts. We're not getting vocations. Young boys who wanted to go to the seminary and become priest. That's really for when I was or dangerous 17 of us in our our year.

00:27:15.740 - 00:27:42.510

This year we had two men ordained in our principal house in Philadelphia, where I live now. But Latinos E L Salvador, the other is Mexican. No great goes on. We have no, not one single gringo in our seminary Now. When I was a seminary, we had 75 more or less 65 70 guys in our major seminary the last four years before ordination.

00:27:42.520 - 00:28:11.620

It's like four years after college what we call graduate school, specializing in theology on. But now we've closed that building. We don't weigh only have a summit anymore. We have no candidates, and that that's affected the church all around. But thank the Lord. The Latino Catholics are a little more fervent than their religious practice than we are way Americans.

00:28:11.630 - 00:28:36.780

And they, uh, a lot of boys there. But we have a good bunch of kids and maybe 15 or 20 on their way up through college, towards the ordination and priesthood. And yeah, of course, we've had the heart breaks both sides, Americans and Latinos voice ordained priests who will fall in love with somebody, and they take the collar off.

00:28:36.790 - 00:29:06.640

Go get married way. It hurts to see that, because way believe we give guy enough training and bang into him theme the solemnity of their vows. You're making a vow to God into yourself. You're not be if you don't keep your own word. I think you got to think about what you're doing, and so we urge them and keep telling them to be faithful to your vows.

00:29:06.650 - 00:29:29.220

And that's That's a big it's happening. Even The New York Times this past week on article and it letter less people getting religious marriages now much with dropped all over the country, is dropped. The number of people who get married in church anymore everybody get going to the JP and that's it.

00:29:29.230 - 00:30:04.700

So that that and were affected that were part of the general population and then certainly affects us with a lot of sometimes. And it's surprising my part. I always looked at it. Girls and ladies there also Holy and we guys are a bunch of bums on by finding that the guys air more fervent in their religion and the girls three girls you're running after the men, you know, whether it's just plain old sex or is it real love or they wanna have a family.

00:30:04.840 - 00:30:24.370

But a lot of times the girl wants to get married. But by the justice of the peace Oh, not in the church, the church that's falling off. And that's affecting churches all over Latin America to parts of the world. But sometimes it's on the it's growing.

00:30:25.340 - 00:31:00.500

Another thing it seems, it seems interesting Thio here about, uh, it seems like Mawr Protestant denominations or making inroads into Latin America. Is that something that you've seen? Uh, why is that for every one of our Catholic priests have moved, come out of the States, I'd say There there are 10 Protestant missionaries out toe preaching the word in their little churches and a bunch of college kids.

00:31:01.240 - 00:31:21.940

Catholics were doing that to that's who they finally woken up college, come down and spend a month or two or all summer vacation teaching kids, preaching religion, knocking on doors on it's happening all over. So we're doing that to kind of mission work I've been doing for the last 30 years, the semi of 1980.

00:31:22.340 - 00:31:42.870

They send back 25 years to the States to do that, knocking on doors around the states, in the Spanish sectors of the cities. And we're doing it down here too surprising. How many good people are anxious to take part? And especially, like all I mentioned, so many marriages?

00:31:42.880 - 00:32:04.970

American man and Panamanian wife. The wife is one of the missionaries on the kids To that said, That's encouraging. So what? But still sort of a battle who's gonna win? But you can't blame a say they could. Somehow they're doing it for God's glory of God short.

00:32:05.450 - 00:32:28.950

Well, they thank the Lord, they're learning what we believe the one true God, and they're not becoming Muslims or some of those other strange Oriental religions which go counter to our culture, but it z coming. It's coming on going in. Okay, what are some of your fondest memories of those early years?

00:32:28.950 - 00:33:08.070

And Panama is a young priest, mostly of they all involved involved people because I was living. We used to get a month off every year to go back home. My home is in all of any New York a w b n white audibly, but, uh, So my little story told the kind of story that wouldn't tell in church way a lot of fun, A lot of good people, and they're willing to share their lives with us.

00:33:08.640 - 00:33:35.080

And, uh, they were used to mark Catholic traditions, getting married in church and sending their kids thio cataclysm glasses not just Sunday morning, but during the week to. And then we have our Catholic schools. We have ST Mary's there, um, elbow, which has always gone very good, and the most of the kids that are now Panamanians and they're learning good.

00:33:35.080 - 00:33:57.960

And we have good teachers. It used to be, uh, they're Sisters of Mercy for Brooklyn. And yeah, they were called with a Brooklyn accent and they were kids were learning English with New York, and they get kind of working on one story which I wouldn't tell in church.

00:33:58.640 - 00:34:13.050

The sister superior when I went down to the same area when I was still there 20 years ago. 4. 30 eight o'clock in the morning before classes. I was in the lobby of the school where the kids coming into and one of the nuns, the principal of the school.

00:34:13.060 - 00:34:39.080

She called me Father, like him or his father. Yes, Sister X Y Z explain to me what's that? Examine your zipper. First time I never told my flight was that works. But then they were great. And they've all gone back to the States. Now I still think they're still working teachers.

00:34:39.090 - 00:35:11.360

Long Island in Brooklyn. Okay, New York. You know New York? Yeah, but, uh, experiences with it Says here, how did you interface with the military? Well, through the with the military, through the chapels on the chaplains would often invite one of us and going and going to speak to their English speaking military congregation is certainly and give like we often have often had three day retreats a weekend Friday night or Saturday until Sunday night.

00:35:11.370 - 00:35:32.930

All those Saturday and most today, Sunday. And for the lay people and now and they it with the assistance of the military chaplain and the same thing for the Panamanian. They have for years what they call the core CEO movement a little little course. And Christian doctor Andi has grown all over.

00:35:32.930 - 00:35:58.170

That span began in Spain. My made my courses when you make your cassio was, ah, four day retreat from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon on you, all the basic truths of religion pounded into your head and two good recreation times. Also, it's exchanging ideas, and that was a really good touch with Panamanian people.

00:35:58.570 - 00:36:24.100

How important was on a mainly in culture in your life, suddenly aware that my Panama, where is it? My parents, Panama flagged American today, and I was I was happy. Yes, when I don't came in the bus from the airport on, it's all way over the top floor of the Hotel Panama on the North American American flag outside the on Really together.

00:36:24.100 - 00:36:45.050

Yeah, and so with e think its's growing our love, you could call it love. Respect for Panamanian people and then for us, also has grown since the separation of the government. It seems like that's the way. It always should have been that way. But of course, what did you do at the beginning?

00:36:45.050 - 00:37:04.820

The more or less forced build a canal with American built in American ran an American jobs and then But they continued on that that can and grew and grew and grew. And now it's the workers on the Panama Canal. People who actually run that canal, they're great.

00:37:04.820 - 00:37:27.710

They know their business. They're good at it. They do a lot of come out really good, but engineering and got the Panamanian, like the University of Panama, have courses geared towards the mechanics that are involved in operating the canal, constructing such a canal. And now there's widening, which is going to go on for another 10 years on.

00:37:27.720 - 00:37:48.290

That's all being done with Vietnamese. There are some Boston because e think it's the Japanese. Want a big firms or Japanese engineers? E. I don't think the Panamanians we're gonna learn Japanese, but put it so for me. I really like the Panamanian people. Very my ALS, my friends.

00:37:48.290 - 00:38:13.290

My Christmas card list is 90% Panamanian. Okay. And, uh, just walking around here. You have yellow to me in Spanish or in English, right? Where e really like them? They good people, e people. Father Kenny, I was also it just occurred to me to ask you this question.

00:38:13.300 - 00:38:38.670

Um, what kind of impact or did the Second Vatican Council have on the church in Panama in the 60 years a lot of people have, I think churches awakened, been awakened. Church was It's a typical Spanish established church for 400 years. They don't stop that very easily.

00:38:38.680 - 00:39:13.440

They have their tradition, their devotion to the saints, which we approve, but not the way. Tell them, you know, ST No saint is God. He's a good friend of God. That's why we pray to them. And it's it's normal human nature, toe respect, people whom you admire, and we admire the saints, and she just can't push them off and make fun of them because they a lot of them they died to defend the faith they believe in, and they died for their debts.

00:39:13.450 - 00:39:43.450

They say this is the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians Wherever There have been people killed for the faith, like not so much in Panama, but there haven't seen a priest murdered in Panama. Father, Uh, what's his name? Alright. Starts with E. Think up there in l E his Hector Garcia.

00:39:43.460 - 00:40:12.880

Hector Hector, Hector Colombian. It was he was shot. Not because he well, because he was a priest. His parish was, um Santiago. Vera Aguas on some guy shot him because he didn't because he was trying to get the bar keepers not to sell boost to the teenagers.

00:40:12.890 - 00:40:36.090

Hey, defending the young people on, they call them the defense Tordella who went toe defendant that he was so there have been martyrs in Panama, but other countries where there have been marked Mexico several 100 mixing and priests and nuns were martyred there in in the 19 twenties and lately in Colombia.

00:40:36.090 - 00:41:08.190

Also, priests who dared preach against the narco traffic. 00 We have a bishop working with us in the States now, and, uh, he was bishop of three eastern part of Colombia on the border with Venezuela. Uh, and, uh, but he was trying to clear out the drug business, and the narco traffic candidates came to him.

00:41:08.190 - 00:41:29.780

They are they excellent? Yeah. If you utter one more sermon like that, you're dead. So what can you. He left. He left Colombia. He's been up there 10 years. He's working. He's of intention. Father was He's working with us and around New York area. And mainly with Hispanics on Long Island.

00:41:29.790 - 00:41:52.330

All with Hispanic people, a lot of Colombia. They love him because he's Colombian himself. So there is perfect. I didn't call me itself. Several priests and bishops have been killed by the But aside from that, it really seen the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.

00:41:52.620 - 00:42:15.990

And these debts have brought him resurgence of the faith. It's just a natural consequence. Did you know Archbishop Romero Romero? Hey was killed. I knew him. Hey, was bishop of El Salvador? E knew him? Well, In fact, I was at a meeting that he was at Bishop McGrath.

00:42:15.990 - 00:42:51.980

When I mentioned before, it was there also. Wow. Yeah. Hey, was killed. Choice saying mass. Hey, was at the altar. One of the military guys would. He said he was doing what his superiors told him to read. He came to the church, went, wouldn't have stood in the middle of the back door of the church and with a rifle, killed Bishop right through the heart while he was saying this in a place like Salvador, Because wait a Yeah, All right, We re lower Catholic, so we're gonna make more states.

00:42:51.990 - 00:43:09.230

Yeah, something like that. Well, Father Kennedy, I know you have ah busy schedule at the reunion, and a lot of people want to talk to you. So, uh, do you have any, uh, is there anything you wanted to talk about that we haven't had a chance toe talk about so far?

00:43:09.300 - 00:43:31.520

Mostly, but a theme. I comes to my mind. Occasions like this is to let people know that the Panamanian people, just because they drove us out, they love us. It's a Panamanian. Some politicians are a little bit way Don't come out publicly against them shooting me.

00:43:31.530 - 00:43:56.180

But the Panamanian people love the Americans and look at all the marriage is very happy. Happy marriages mixed between Panamanian. It's usually the theme the other way around. Panamanian girl marriage, American boy. But there's some very good Panamanian men who are married American women on working out there because they just seem to get along well.

00:43:57.100 - 00:44:19.640

And that's my name. Message would be. I love Panama e. They spend most of my life there. They want me to go back. I'm ready to go anytime. But that Z, that's the ball gives you love for Panama and willingness to help them that they need help to when they need help.

00:44:19.650 - 00:44:40.320

But Panama is not as badly off of the other country that they're not coming in great droves to the states on the border. Trouble we're having right now where they're from impoverished people who have nothing but thank God. Panama has been blessed by God with an economy that is pretty pretty steady.

00:44:40.330 - 00:44:58.930

Yeah. E remember when I was there in the eighties, there was such a difference between Panama and say, Honduras, Uh, night, day, night and day. Well, thank you so much for other Kennedy for I really appreciate you taking the time out.