F or more than 40 years, Monsignor Thomas Campion was the face of the Apostolate to the Handicapped. And Campion was remembered in Monroe Friday - not only as a advocate for the handicapped and ill, but as a spiritual leader and grandfatherly figure to the young and old alike.
Campion's friends said they were in shock when they heard he died Thursday at his home. He was 79.
A mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 at Monroe High School. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26 at MHS. Shriner-Hager-Gohlke Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Campion, who was ordained as a priest in 1957 and as Monsignor in 2000, began the annual Apostolate to the Handicapped more than four decades ago. Part of that effort included weekly Masses, broadcast every Sunday by WISC-TV Channel 3 in Madison.
The popular Christmas and spring dinners started in January 1968 at Holy Name Seminary in Madison. The dinners were moved to Monroe in 1971, when Campion was named chaplain at St. Clare Hospital, now Monroe Clinic.
About 800 disabled people from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois came to the dinners every year. They came to see friends, enjoy a meal and visit with Campion. Whether it was a handshake or a hug, they wanted to show their love and friendship for Campion.
"They enjoy coming to Monroe because they know no one will make fun of them," Campion once said of the dinners. "They're treated like everyone else."
His comment was a reflection of the special bond he felt for the disabled.
After he was treated for prostate cancer a few years ago, he attended the annual Apostolate Christmas dinner. He was weak and tired and had lost weight, but he shared a light moment in the midst of his own pain.
"I know how many of you who have had to spend time in the hospital feel," Campion smiled. "There should be a special place in hell for the guy who invented the bedpan."
But it wasn't just the disabled who befriended Campion. Hundreds of teens volunteered to serve as helpers at the dinners. Still others volunteered or served as acolytes for the dinners. They affectionately called him "TC" or "Father Tom."
Ellen Marti, who has been secretary at the Apostolate for five years and a volunteer for about 30 years, said Campion's legacy will be the Apostolate to the Handicapped and the high school kids who volunteered to help.
"I'll always think of the kids in their 'Campion's Champions' shirts," said an emotional Marti. The T-shirts, seen worn in a variety of colors, have been a popular staple with Monroe teens who received them for participating in sports or volunteering.
High school students in Monroe established a Facebook page for Campion and asked everyone to wear their "Campion's Champions" shirts on Friday, Nov. 19.
Lately, Campion had suffered from respiratory problems, which required him to have an oxygen tank with him, Marti said.
Still, his death caught her offguard.
"Even though I knew his health was failing, it was still a surprise," she said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet."
She had just seen him Thursday, adding that "he had been out and about all this week."
Despite his health problems, he always was positive and optimistic. Campion had talked about death with Marti, saying he wanted his funeral held at St. Victor Catholic Church in Monroe. Marti told him she didn't think the church would be big enough to hold all of his friends and family.
"He said 'It doesn't matter - I'll have a good seat,'" she said.
"That was so typical of something he would say."
Despite the loss of Campion, the Apostolate dinner will continue this year, she said. The dinner is scheduled for Dec. 4 at Monroe High school. The event will begin at 9:45 a.m. and Bishop William Bullock will conduct the Mass at 10:45 a.m.
However, Marti said she doesn't know if the dinners will continue in the future.
Friends remembered Campion as a person who willingly gave his love and friendship to others. He was always there for other people, they said.
Hugo Espinoza and his wife Heidi, have performed at the Apostolate dinners for more than 20 years. He found it hard to express his thoughts.
"I can't believe we lost him," Espinoza said. "This isn't a good day. I can't believe last year was the last time we'd see him at an Apostolate to the Handicapped dinner."
Campion touched so many lives, Espinoza added.
"Whether shaking hands or talking to people he let them know they were important," he said. "He remembered everyone, their name, where they were from, everything."
Espinoza's daughter, Haylee, 14, grew up going to the dinners with Espinoza and his wife.
"She (Haylee) sent me a text at about 12:15 (p.m.) Friday that said, 'Oh my God, TC died'," he said. "It's hitting all of her friends."
There were kids of all ages who attended the dinners who loved Campion. He talked to them, hugged them and showed them that, despite their frailties, they were important.
Jacob Hawkinson, 12, was the youngest person to help Campion on his televised Mass. Hawkinson, who has autism, was devastated when his father, Steve, and mother, Connie, told him the news Friday. They took him out of class to tell him, knowing it would be difficult for their son.
"He cried, 'Why did he have to leave me?'" Steve said. "My son lost his best friend. Monsignor really watched out for him."
Skip Brennan, who commissioned the statue for Campion at St. Victor, said Friday was a sad day for the entire handicapped community and the people Campion helped. Brennan said he was happy that Campion was able to attend the statue dedication in June.
"He meant the world to all of us. We were blessed to have him in our midst," Brennan said.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, in a statement issued Friday, said Campion worked "tirelessly to reach out to the disabled."
"He has been a mentor and friend to so many and there is no doubt his legacy will continue to bring hope to all who knew him," Davis said. "Monsignor's compassion, strength and humor will forever be remembered and there is no doubt he has made our community and our state a better place."
In a statement released Friday by the Monroe Clinic, where Campion held morning Mass and served as chaplain for many years, Campion was remembered for his "passion, unparalleled humor and unconditional love for all."
"His goal in all endeavors was to touch those of all faiths, especially those who lived on the margins of society - sometimes the unwanted, sometimes the unloved, sometimes the forgotten," said Andrea Stephenson, senior communications specialist at the clinic.
"Like many others, I feel lucky that I had a chance to know him," said Mike Sanders, CEO of the Monroe Clinic. "If you want to point to a truly remarkable life of service, point to his. Even when he was very sick, he did not stop doing all he could to care for our community."
Bishop Robert C. Morlino of the Diocese of Madison, said Campion was the face of the Church's outreach to the disabled.
"We realize, perhaps more than ever, how he has inspired countless women and men to the their best in reaching out to see the tremendous dignity and worth of every human being," Morlino said.
Mark Coplien, church board chairman at St. Victor Catholic Church, said that what made Campion so remarkable was his ability to relate to others.
"He could identify with everyone, no matter how old they were or if they were disabled or not," he said. "He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten."
Campion's friends said they were in shock when they heard he died Thursday at his home. He was 79.
A mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 at Monroe High School. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26 at MHS. Shriner-Hager-Gohlke Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Campion, who was ordained as a priest in 1957 and as Monsignor in 2000, began the annual Apostolate to the Handicapped more than four decades ago. Part of that effort included weekly Masses, broadcast every Sunday by WISC-TV Channel 3 in Madison.
The popular Christmas and spring dinners started in January 1968 at Holy Name Seminary in Madison. The dinners were moved to Monroe in 1971, when Campion was named chaplain at St. Clare Hospital, now Monroe Clinic.
About 800 disabled people from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois came to the dinners every year. They came to see friends, enjoy a meal and visit with Campion. Whether it was a handshake or a hug, they wanted to show their love and friendship for Campion.
"They enjoy coming to Monroe because they know no one will make fun of them," Campion once said of the dinners. "They're treated like everyone else."
His comment was a reflection of the special bond he felt for the disabled.
After he was treated for prostate cancer a few years ago, he attended the annual Apostolate Christmas dinner. He was weak and tired and had lost weight, but he shared a light moment in the midst of his own pain.
"I know how many of you who have had to spend time in the hospital feel," Campion smiled. "There should be a special place in hell for the guy who invented the bedpan."
But it wasn't just the disabled who befriended Campion. Hundreds of teens volunteered to serve as helpers at the dinners. Still others volunteered or served as acolytes for the dinners. They affectionately called him "TC" or "Father Tom."
Ellen Marti, who has been secretary at the Apostolate for five years and a volunteer for about 30 years, said Campion's legacy will be the Apostolate to the Handicapped and the high school kids who volunteered to help.
"I'll always think of the kids in their 'Campion's Champions' shirts," said an emotional Marti. The T-shirts, seen worn in a variety of colors, have been a popular staple with Monroe teens who received them for participating in sports or volunteering.
High school students in Monroe established a Facebook page for Campion and asked everyone to wear their "Campion's Champions" shirts on Friday, Nov. 19.
Lately, Campion had suffered from respiratory problems, which required him to have an oxygen tank with him, Marti said.
Still, his death caught her offguard.
"Even though I knew his health was failing, it was still a surprise," she said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet."
She had just seen him Thursday, adding that "he had been out and about all this week."
Despite his health problems, he always was positive and optimistic. Campion had talked about death with Marti, saying he wanted his funeral held at St. Victor Catholic Church in Monroe. Marti told him she didn't think the church would be big enough to hold all of his friends and family.
"He said 'It doesn't matter - I'll have a good seat,'" she said.
"That was so typical of something he would say."
Despite the loss of Campion, the Apostolate dinner will continue this year, she said. The dinner is scheduled for Dec. 4 at Monroe High school. The event will begin at 9:45 a.m. and Bishop William Bullock will conduct the Mass at 10:45 a.m.
However, Marti said she doesn't know if the dinners will continue in the future.
Friends remembered Campion as a person who willingly gave his love and friendship to others. He was always there for other people, they said.
Hugo Espinoza and his wife Heidi, have performed at the Apostolate dinners for more than 20 years. He found it hard to express his thoughts.
"I can't believe we lost him," Espinoza said. "This isn't a good day. I can't believe last year was the last time we'd see him at an Apostolate to the Handicapped dinner."
Campion touched so many lives, Espinoza added.
"Whether shaking hands or talking to people he let them know they were important," he said. "He remembered everyone, their name, where they were from, everything."
Espinoza's daughter, Haylee, 14, grew up going to the dinners with Espinoza and his wife.
"She (Haylee) sent me a text at about 12:15 (p.m.) Friday that said, 'Oh my God, TC died'," he said. "It's hitting all of her friends."
There were kids of all ages who attended the dinners who loved Campion. He talked to them, hugged them and showed them that, despite their frailties, they were important.
Jacob Hawkinson, 12, was the youngest person to help Campion on his televised Mass. Hawkinson, who has autism, was devastated when his father, Steve, and mother, Connie, told him the news Friday. They took him out of class to tell him, knowing it would be difficult for their son.
"He cried, 'Why did he have to leave me?'" Steve said. "My son lost his best friend. Monsignor really watched out for him."
Skip Brennan, who commissioned the statue for Campion at St. Victor, said Friday was a sad day for the entire handicapped community and the people Campion helped. Brennan said he was happy that Campion was able to attend the statue dedication in June.
"He meant the world to all of us. We were blessed to have him in our midst," Brennan said.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, in a statement issued Friday, said Campion worked "tirelessly to reach out to the disabled."
"He has been a mentor and friend to so many and there is no doubt his legacy will continue to bring hope to all who knew him," Davis said. "Monsignor's compassion, strength and humor will forever be remembered and there is no doubt he has made our community and our state a better place."
In a statement released Friday by the Monroe Clinic, where Campion held morning Mass and served as chaplain for many years, Campion was remembered for his "passion, unparalleled humor and unconditional love for all."
"His goal in all endeavors was to touch those of all faiths, especially those who lived on the margins of society - sometimes the unwanted, sometimes the unloved, sometimes the forgotten," said Andrea Stephenson, senior communications specialist at the clinic.
"Like many others, I feel lucky that I had a chance to know him," said Mike Sanders, CEO of the Monroe Clinic. "If you want to point to a truly remarkable life of service, point to his. Even when he was very sick, he did not stop doing all he could to care for our community."
Bishop Robert C. Morlino of the Diocese of Madison, said Campion was the face of the Church's outreach to the disabled.
"We realize, perhaps more than ever, how he has inspired countless women and men to the their best in reaching out to see the tremendous dignity and worth of every human being," Morlino said.
Mark Coplien, church board chairman at St. Victor Catholic Church, said that what made Campion so remarkable was his ability to relate to others.
"He could identify with everyone, no matter how old they were or if they were disabled or not," he said. "He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten."