November 13, 2005
Father Paul Francis Wattson, S.A., of Graymoor
We could hardly continue with our list of people in the metropolitan area who are considered possible candidates for canonization without mentioning the founder of the Society of the Atonement, also known as the Graymoor Friars. Father Paul Francis died in 1940, which means that I grew up, as did all Catholics in the New York area, knowing about this famous man who had once been an Episcopalian cleric and had become a Catholic priest and founder of a religious community. In the 1950s, only a few years after Father Paul’s death, his name and fame were widespread in this part of the country.
He was born in 1863, the son of a devout high-church Episcopalian cleric. Like Cardinal Newman, he had founded a small Anglican religious community, one with a Franciscan identity, at Graymoor, in Garrison, New York. This was situated on a beautiful mountain in the scenic Hudson Highlands, a few miles east of the river. Eventually, Father Wattson’s attempt to make a realistic bridge between the Episcopalian and Roman Catholic churches failed. On October 30, 1909, together with sixteen others, including friars, sisters, and laity, he was received corporately into the Catholic Church and was ordained a priest at St. Joseph’s, Dunwoodie, the following year. Accompanying him on his spiritual journey was Mother Mary Lurana White, an Episcopal nun, who with him founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement. (We will do another piece on Mother Lurana.)
The most famous of the works of Father Paul and the Graymoor friars was the establishment of the annual observance of the Chair of Unity octave, later known as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The octave (or eight-day period, that is, a week) extended from the commemoration of the Chair of Saint Peter (at that time celebrated on January 18) to the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul (observed on January 25). The observance has evolved through several stages until the present, and has become an important focus for those interested in ecumenical renewal and church unity.
Father Paul also founded Saint Christopher’s Inn, at Graymoor, for the care of homeless men, as well as the Graymoor Press. Older readers will remember the “Ave Maria Hour” on radio, which was something never to be missed on a Sunday afternoon. Gradually the two communities, the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, grew and had missions in many places. Father Paul also worked with Richard Doyle to found the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
Altogether, he led an incredibly busy, active, and original life, while at the same being very much a priest and religious. Older people may also remember that when Father Paul traveled by train, he would stand in the railway station with his Office book open, waiting for a passer-by to put money in the book so that he could buy his ticket. He followed the example of Saint Francis as best he could, trying to avoid direct contact with money. Nevertheless, was able to raise funds for many charitable and ecumenical works.
The Friars of the Atonement have undertaken the investigation into the life of Father Paul as a possible candidate for beatification. A good deal of information on the life and work of this fascinating and dedicated man is available through various Internet sites, including atonementfriars.org and prounione.urbe.it.
Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.
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