John Wayne's Baptism

[DihydrogenOxide]

I first heard this last night on Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s Crossing the Threshold of Hope.

Mitch said about John Wayne and his last days. A hospital nurse sister told him she’d pray for him. He was touched by this and said that’s the first time someone said they’d do something for him, wanting nothing in return. Not long after that he was baptized. This is the story from the viewpoint of his son: (a very beautiful story)

Then Patrick told me something that I don’t believe many people know about his father’s death. “Although Dad wasn’t religious, and not Catholic (we were raised in the Catholic faith by my mother, Josie), he used to say if he was anything he was a presbygoddamterian. By the time he was dying in the hospital, he still hadn’t been baptized. He was in a coma for his last ten days. I would go and sit and talk with him, even though he was in a coma. The Saturday night, two days before he passed away, he came out of the coma and my brother, Michael, Toni, and half sister, Aissa were there. He was awake for 2 hours, talking and responding, and then went back to sleep. We thought he was indestructible. On Monday, I was there and he was slowly getting worse and worse. The phone rings and it was the Catholic chaplain who wanted to come by. Even though Dad was still in his coma, I said , ‘Dad the chaplain wants to see you,’ expecting no response. I started to leave the room when I heard him say, ‘OK.’ I was stunned, but I called the chaplain, who showed up in 40 minutes. With him still in a coma. I said, ‘Dad, the chaplain is here,’ and, once again, he said, ‘OK.’ I left them alone for 15 minutes and could hear them talking. When the chaplain came out he told me he had baptized Dad.”

The rest of the story:
Patrick Wayne Reflects on John Wayne as a Father

I bet that sister was praying for him to come out of his coma and be baptized.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Wow, very touching. Nice to know.

 

[triumphguy]

What he might have been thinking: “You’re a persistent cuss, pilgrim”