By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The pro-life world is mourning the passage of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, one of the few members of the Kennedy family who refused to abandon her belief in the sanctity of life.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of former President John F. Kennedy and the beloved founder of the Special Olympics, died on August 11 at the age of 88.
Her family said in a statement that Mrs. Shriver was inspired by God, her family and a “relentless belief in the dignity and worth of every human life” to found the Special Olympics.
“She was forever devoted to the Blessed Mother,” the statement added. “May she be welcomed now by Mary to the joy and love of life everlasting, in the certain truth that her love and spirit will live forever.”
Mrs. Shriver was born to Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy on July 10, 1921 in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was the fifth of the couple’s nine children, which included President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Senator Edward Kennedy. She is said to have had a special relationship with her sister, Rosemary, who was born with a mental impairment, and whose life inspired her to devote her life to helping people with these disabilities.
She married Sargent Shriver in 1953 and had five children – Robert, California First Lady Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony.
When Mrs. Shriver founded Special Olympics International in 1968, 1,000 women and men with mental retardation from 26 states and Canada took part. Today, more than 1 million Special Olympics athletes participate.
As executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, Mrs. Shriver supported solution-oriented programs to eradicate discrimination and problems faced by the disenfranchised. The organization strives to be a leader “in the field of mental retardation and services to persons with mental retardation, both those born and unborn, and their families,” the mission statement reads.
Under her leadership, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development was established in 1962, and major centers for the study of medical ethics were developed at Harvard and Georgetown Universities.
Just prior to her death, the Vatican ambassador to the United States told the Associated Press that Pope Benedict XVI was “holding close to his heart Eunice as she is called home to eternal life.” Archbishop Pietro Sambi said the pope prays that Shriver is rewarded for her ardent faith and generous public service, particularly for those who are physically and mentally challenged.
Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley called the death of the matriarch of the country’s most famous Roman Catholic political family “a great loss for our Catholic Community.”
“She was always an example to others, as she dedicated herself to the social Gospel, the Gospel of Life. Her commitment to this Gospel was evidenced in her remarkable work with Special Olympics.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
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