August 31: Bull Feeney

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is August 31st, and our story is Bull Feeney. In the late 1960s, director John Ford sat down with a reporter for an interview. As they spoke, the reporter described himself as an atheist.

Ford responded by pulling out his rosary beads and pressing them into the young man's hands. Such a public display of faith was atypical for Ford, to say the least. For as long as anyone could remember, Ford, who was christened John Feeney, cared almost as much about his reputation as a tough guy as he did about his films. In his Portland, Maine high school, his classmates called him Bull Feeny, and as a director, he bullied stars and studio executives in equal measure.

He was, said character actor Henry Brandon, the only man who could make John Wayne cry. Besides his temper, Ford had problems that put him at odds with his church, including his marriage to a Protestant divorcee, a wandering eye, and an addiction to alcohol.

Yet, Ford never left the church. He just didn't obey her. Regardless of his personal struggles, Ford's private charity was as legendary as his public gruffness. As one story goes, during the Depression, he publicly rebuked a man who asked him for $200 to pay for his wife's surgery, then privately gave the man $1,000, flew in a specialist to perform the operation, and he was able to pay for his wife's surgery. And bought the couple a house. Ford also brought a distinctly Catholic vision to his films, which depict redemption unfolding within a community and where grace abounds in the midst of everyday life.

With roughly 100 films to his credit, Ford was one of Hollywood's most prolific Catholic directors, and, arguably, its greatest. His work includes the monumental World War II documentaries shot for the U.S. Navy, and the films that earned him Academy Awards for Best Director, The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, and The Quiet Man. Ford died on August 31, 1973. His funeral mass took place in his parish, Hollywood's Blessed Sacrament Church.

Ford's legacy encourages us to pursue excellence, live faithfully, and embrace redemption in our own lives, even amid personal flaws. Reflect on one talent or skill you can use today to benefit others or glorify God, quietly, without seeking attention.

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, September 1st, for another story of faith and courage in America.