Thanks, Mr. Casserly

Bernie Casserly died last Thursday. He was 91.

Mr. Casserly, as I always called him, was a legend in local journalism circles. He was a reporter for 10 years for the Minneapolis Star before becoming editor of the Catholic Bulletin in 1957, a post he held until 1982. Mr. Casserly turned the Catholic Bulletin into a real newspaper, reporting on the developments of the Second Vatican Council and its implications during the 1960s and 1970s. For a journalist covering religion, there was no bigger story in the 20th Century. Today, the Catholic Bulletin is called the Catholic Spirit.

My parents subscribed to the weekly newspaper all the years I was growing up. Mom and Dad considered a subscription to the Bulletin to be as important for living the faith as sending us kids to parochial schools. As a high school kid, I would read Mr. Cassserly's columns. He impressed me so that I sent one of the first articles I wrote for my high school newspaper to him for a critique. He responded with advice I hold to this day. He told me I didn't need that "button" sentence at the end of the article. A button sentence is a superfluous closer, such as "and a good time was had by all." Of course, Mr. Casserly was right; I didn't need that sentence. Now, when I coach young writers, I give the same advice.

One of Mr. Casserly's sons, Charlie, went to high school with me and we became friends. He even worked for me for a short while in the 1990s. I haven't seen Charlie in a while but I suspect I will see him tonight at the wake.

I remember running into Mr. Casserly about two years ago. We got to talking about journalism. He was interested in blogs and we talked about how print was adapting to the internet. I was always impressed by the way Mr. Casserly stayed engaged in his craft. He wrote up until the end of his life. He wrote nationally syndicated columns until he was 89.

Mr. Casserly found a unique way to live his faith on the job. I am grateful for his contributions to journalism and to the Catholic community, both across the country and in the Twin Cities.

Comments

[Christina]

I, too, shared one of my first published articles with Bernie! I always considered him a giant in the Catholic press. And it's true that he lifted the Catholic Spirit (then Bulletin) to a new standard. He credited, in part, the higher wages he secured for writers. And obviously he was a first-rate leader.
Interesting that he was curious about blogs and modern media. He did remain engaged and lucid. Such a brilliant mind and kind man! He will be greatly missed.