Published Friday, December 21, 2001 in
The Miami Herald
Msgr. Bryan Walsh, the beloved Irish priest, devoted a lifetime to helping
the most vulnerable here in South Florida, many of them Cuban, Nicaraguan and
Haitian refugees. He will be missed and memorialized. He died yesterday at age
71.
Even his 1996 retirement as executive director of the Archdiocese of Miami's
Catholic Charities was an opportunity to serve: A dinner in his honor raised
$60,000 to help develop housing for dependent and abused teenagers.
Msgr. Walsh leaves his mark as an advocate of needy immigrants in America's
quintessential immigrant community. He will be remembered for his critical role
in Operation Pedro Pan, which brought some 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children
to the United States in the early 1960s. Msgr. Walsh was put on the spot by a
State Department official who asked if his agency would care for some children
whose parents wanted to send them out of Cuba. Unable to reach the bishop, the
young priest responded unflinchingly: ``I decided [that] to save 200 children
from Communism would be worth my career. I said, `Yes, we will accept
responsibility.' ''
The trickle of children turned into a torrent, with kids placed in foster
homes and orphanages in 35 states. Today those children, many devoted fans of
``godfather'' Msgr. Walsh, possess a slew of success stories.
But that was only the beginning. Msgr. Walsh successively welcomed waves of
disoriented foreigners. He took up the causes of Haitian, Mariel and Nicaraguan
refugees, of Cuban rafters and of people equally in need already here. He
defended their rights, preached fairness and understanding -- regardless of
race, nationality or beliefs. But for his work, South Florida would have
suffered far more trauma in absorbing newcomers.
By his humble, humanitarian example, Msgr. Walsh shaped our moral conscience
on behalf of victims of injustice, racial discrimination and poverty. His legacy
is now woven into South Florida's collective ideals.
Copyright 2001 Miami Herald | 
