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Storyteller’s performance at Holy Cross marks 60th anniversary of attack on USS Franklin.
 On March 19, storyteller Jay O’Callahan ’60 performed “Father Joe: A Hero’s Journey,” in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom. “Father Joe” is the story of Holy Cross math and physics professor, Rev. Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J., a Navy chaplain, who earned a Medal of Honor during World War II. March 19 marked the 60 th anniversary of Fr. O’Callahan’s heroism onboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, which was attacked in the Pacific during the war.
Fr. O’Callahan was the first Jesuit from the New England Province to enter the Navy during World War II. On March 19, 1945, the USS Franklin was attacked by a Japanese bomber. Fr. O’Callahan was injured while rescuing shipmates and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. O’Callahan left the Navy in late 1946; he later returned to Holy Cross to teach philosophy. In 1956, he wrote a book, titled I was Chaplain on the Franklin, recounting his experiences.
Jay O’Callahan ’60, Fr. O’Callahan’s nephew, is a professional storyteller who has been hailed as a “genius among storytellers,” by the New York Times. O’Callahan writes all of the stories he performs. In “Father Joe,” he re-enacts that fateful day on the Franklin, interweaving his narrative with personal reminiscences of his uncle.
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