Serving as head of the Archdiocese of Havana for almost 35 years pushed the cardinal into a prominent role as a spokesman for Cuban Catholics on national and international issues.

Callahan was an independent scholar working at the frontier where ethics meets medicine, law and religion.

From his appointment by President Gerald Ford in 1975 through his retirement in June 2010, he shaped decisions that touched countless aspects of American life.

During her lifetime, poetry turned into a vocation that helped Marie Ponsot achieve her true essence.

The much beloved bishop was recalled by many both in California and across the country as a churchman who lived by a simple code: "We are here to serve, and to do it with a touch of class."

Jean Vanier lived the beautiful mystery of our human condition that we need one another, young and old, strong and weak.