A Priest’s Legacy: Blessing His Flock, and Organizing It

Soft light shone upon the body of the Rev. Neil Connolly, which lay in repose under the dome of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A procession of mourners — nuns, priests, family and friends — made their way up the aisle, hugging one another as they approached his open coffin, stopped and prayed, then gently touched his pristine robe as a final goodbye.