MONROE - Monsignor Thomas Campion Sunday said he wanted people to think about more than just him when they see the statue dedicated to him in front of St. Victor Catholic Church.
He wants them to think about the Apostolate to the Handicapped.
"The name Campion will go away. A generation from now, people won't remember me," he said. "We can't let the Apostolate to the Handicapped go away."
Surrounded by family and friends, Campion watched as the statue commissioned by Skip Brennan was unveiled Sunday.
The statue is a gift from Brennan to Monroe and to St. Victor Catholic Church. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Campion bring the Apostolate to Monroe and the church's 150th anniversary.
Campion, who is founder and director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped, thanked the disabled for all they've done for him.
"You made me a better person," he told them. "You honor me by being here today. I love and thank each one of you."
Although he wanted the focus to be on the Apostolate, it was a day to honor Campion.
Bishop William H. Bullock called Campion "the best champion of the handicapped."
The disabled are special people in God's kingdom, Bullock said. Some day, they will be the first to be brought into God's kingdom, he added.
"Certainly standing in the middle of those who served so well here on earth will be Monsignor Thomas Campion," he said, "not a bronze sculpture but a loving, open and full-hearted person.
"Monsignor Campion, we all know you have had strong, broad shoulders where the handicapped could come to rest."
The Rev. Mike Klarer said people came to celebrate "the life of an extraordinary man.
"We dedicate this statue in honor of a man who called us to see Jesus through the disabled," he said in his prayer.
Campion joked that he spent three hours trying to talk Brennan out of the idea of having a statue.
"The Irish are bull-headed," Campion said with a smile.
There are a couple of things he liked about the statue, he told Jerry McKenna, the sculptor who made the statue.
"You made me 6-foot-2, and you took 20 years off," he laughed.
He wants them to think about the Apostolate to the Handicapped.
"The name Campion will go away. A generation from now, people won't remember me," he said. "We can't let the Apostolate to the Handicapped go away."
Surrounded by family and friends, Campion watched as the statue commissioned by Skip Brennan was unveiled Sunday.
The statue is a gift from Brennan to Monroe and to St. Victor Catholic Church. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Campion bring the Apostolate to Monroe and the church's 150th anniversary.
Campion, who is founder and director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped, thanked the disabled for all they've done for him.
"You made me a better person," he told them. "You honor me by being here today. I love and thank each one of you."
Although he wanted the focus to be on the Apostolate, it was a day to honor Campion.
Bishop William H. Bullock called Campion "the best champion of the handicapped."
The disabled are special people in God's kingdom, Bullock said. Some day, they will be the first to be brought into God's kingdom, he added.
"Certainly standing in the middle of those who served so well here on earth will be Monsignor Thomas Campion," he said, "not a bronze sculpture but a loving, open and full-hearted person.
"Monsignor Campion, we all know you have had strong, broad shoulders where the handicapped could come to rest."
The Rev. Mike Klarer said people came to celebrate "the life of an extraordinary man.
"We dedicate this statue in honor of a man who called us to see Jesus through the disabled," he said in his prayer.
Campion joked that he spent three hours trying to talk Brennan out of the idea of having a statue.
"The Irish are bull-headed," Campion said with a smile.
There are a couple of things he liked about the statue, he told Jerry McKenna, the sculptor who made the statue.
"You made me 6-foot-2, and you took 20 years off," he laughed.