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Trump: ‘She Never Wavered’
On September 5, 2016, Phyllis Schlafly died peacefully
at home, surrounded by members of her family.
In the midst of his campaign for President of the United
States, Donald Trump made an unscheduled trip to St. Louis
with his wife Melania, campaign chief executive Stephen
Bannon, campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, and
deputy campaign manager David Bossie. He met privately
with the Schlafly family to express his condolences.
Before the funeral service began at 2 p.m. on
September 10, Mr. Trump addressed the more than 1,000
mourners from across the United States who gathered at
the Cathedral Basilica o f St.
Louis. He received sustained
applause for his remarks.
Thank you very much.
What a great honor. And what
a great lady.
We are here today to
honor the life and legacy
of a truly great American
patriot. I wish first and most
importantly to extend my
deepest heartfelt condolences
to her six wonderful children
who she loved so much —
John, Bruce, Roger, Liza,
Andy, and Anne. And also her sixteen grandchildren and
her three great-grandchildren.
A movement has lost its hero. And believe me, Phyllis
was there for me when it was not at all fashionable. Trust
me. You have lost a mother. An amazing mother. And our
country has lost a true patriot. Phyllis was a strong, proud,
fierce, and tireless warrior; and that’s what she was — she
was a warrior. And she was a warrior for the country, which
she loved so much. Even at the age of 92, this beloved
woman had more strength and fire and heart than 50 strong
politicians all put together. Believe me, I witnessed it.
To borrow a phrase from a great poet, Phyllis was “that
strength which in all days moved heaven and earth.”
This incredible woman has been active in American
politics for one-quarter of American history think of
that. One-quarter of American history. And at the top! She
was the ultimate happy warrior — always smiling, but boy
could she be tough. We all know that. And in all of her
battles, she never strayed from the one guiding principle
— she was for America. And it was always America first.
People have forgotten that nowadays. With Phyllis it was
America first.
She never wavered. Never apologized. And never
backed down in taking on the kingmakers. She never stopped
fighting for the fundamental idea
that the American people ought
to have their needs come before
anything or anyone else. She
loved her country, she loved her
family, and she loved her God.
Her legacy will live on
every time some underdog —
outmatched and outgunned —
defies the odds and delivers a
win for the people. America has
always been about the underdog
and always about defying the
odds. The idea that so-called
“little people” or the “little
person,” that she loved so much,
could beat the system — often times the rigged system
(we’ve been hearing a lot about it) — that the American
grassroots is more powerful than all of the world’s
special interests put together. And that’s the way Phyllis
felt. She’s always felt that way.
That’s the romance of America; that’s the story of the
mother and the patriot that we honor here today. Phyllis,
who has rejoined with her late husband Fred, is looking
down on us right now and I’m sure that she’s telling us to
keep up the fight — no doubt. No doubt about it.
Phyllis we love you, we miss you, and we will never ever
let you down. God bless you, Phyllis. God bless her family.
And God bless everyone. Thank you very much, thank you.
Homily for the Funeral Mass of Phyllis Schlafly
by Rev. Brian Harrison — September 10, 2016
Dear Friends — Whenever Christian believers gather
in God’s house to mark the passing from this life of
someone we have esteemed and loved, the occasion is
inevitably marked by very mixed emotions: there is grief,
heaviness of heart, a sharp sense of loss and separation,
but also hope, reassurance, and thankfulness to God.
There is peace, joy that springs from our faith in Jesus
Christ’s promise of eternal life, and even, I would dare to
suggest, an awareness of beauty.
Beauty, you say? Can there be anything beautiful in
death? According to Sacred Scripture, indeed there is:
for we read in the Bible, and I quote, “Precious in the
eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.” Perhaps
that well-loved affirmation from Psalm 116 can serve as a
focus for our reflections this afternoon as we say farewell,
with reverence and in God’s presence, to Phyllis Schlafly.
At this moment, in this Requiem Mass, we are not so much
highlighting her prodigious accomplishments in public life
— her brilliant academic career as a young woman here in
St. Louis and at Harvard, her prolific authorship, her skill
in oratory and in campaigning for what she believed in,
in her zealous patriotic love for this great nation, and her
tremendous impact on its public life, sometimes against
great odds. Rather, we are recalling at this moment the
fact that, underlying all of this, as the bedrock of Phyllis’
soul, was her simple, constant, unshakeable faith — the
faith of a Catholic Christian. Seen in the light of eternity,
the most important thing about Phyllis is that she was
indeed one of God’s faithful ones, and so her death is
something precious, something beautiful in the eyes of
the Lord. Indeed, death, for such a one, comes as the final,
finishing touch to a beautiful work of art — a work which
in Phyllis’ case took 92 years to complete.
Moreover, these very moments right now, when
we are gathered together in worship, surrounded by the
magnificence of this great Cathedral Basilica, can also be
seen as moments of beauty for all of us. For there is genuine
spiritual beauty in a gathering at which all of our minds
are quietly focused on the great and ultimate issues of life,
death, and eternity. Why am I here? From whence did I
come? Where am I going? Every funeral service brings
to the fore these profound questions, because it inevitably
reminds us of our own mortality—that we ourselves too will
before long pass through that tremendous and mysterious
portal. The passage from St. Luke’s Gospel that we have
just heard reminds us that our own meeting with Jesus in
judgment may come at the hour when we least expect it. All
of us attending a funeral can be challenged by this: those
of us who are believers are challenged to renew our faith
commitment and perhaps to set in order our priorities and
goals in life; those who are not believers can be challenged
to consider again the possibility of a major ‘reset’ of their
core values and beliefs in the light of eternity and the
message of salvation proclaimed by Christ’s Church.
When I was asked to preach the homily in this Holy
Mass where we are honoring Phyllis’s memory and
praying for the repose of her soul, my first reaction was a
feeling of inadequacy. That’s because, while I have long
been a great admirer of Phyllis Schlafly — and had heard
her speak and had read a number of her books — it is only
quite recently that I have had the joy and the privilege of
getting to know Phyllis and some of her family members
personally. Many of you here today have known her much
longer and much better than I have. However, as I reflected
about the significance of today’s service in the light of the
issues I have mentioned —The challenge and the hope of
eternal life, the fundamental importance of faith in Phyllis’
own life, and the precious beauty of a peaceful death when
it comes to a faithful child of God such as she was — it
struck me that the short period of time that I have known
Phyllis and her family is not really such a disadvantage
in this context after all. And that is precisely because in
God’s sight, the end our life is the most important part of
our life. For it is how we die — our relationship with Jesus
the Savior as we draw our last breath — that determines
whether we will spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell.
More specifically, just a little over two weeks ago, as
the end was drawing near, I had the joy of an extended
visit with Phyllis and her dear long-time friend Kathleen
Sullivan at Phyllis’ home in Ladue. During this visit I was
able to hear what was to be her last confession to a priest,
and to give her the .sacraments of Holy Communion and
Anointing of the Sick. Now, that was on August 25th,
which in the Catholic Church’s calendar happens to be the
annual Feast of St. Louis, King of France, the patron saint
of this great city and of the splendid Cathedral in which
we are now worshipping. We can truly say that this part
of town is Phyllis’ spiritual home; for she was baptized
and went to elementary school in this Cathedral parish,
and in 1949 married her late husband Fred right here in
this Cathedral Basilica. These providential links between
Phyllis Schlafly and the great and holy medieval warrior
King who now from Heaven watches over this city, its
churches and its people, prompted some further reflections.
For Saint Louis, unlike most canonized saints, was
not a member of the clergy or a religious order. He was
a layman who was at the same time, paradoxically, both
a bestower of peace and justice in his own realm, and a
crusading warrior, who died of fever during an expedition
to reconquer the Holy Land from the Muslim Saracens.
So King Louis IX of France was a man whose path
toward holiness and heaven, in God’s plan, was not to be
in the cloister or in the quiet of a monastery. No, Louis
became a saint precisely in the theater of public life, of determined
perseverance in the rough-and-tumble, the rude
and harsh conflicts, of a patriotic life dedicated to love of
God and love of country! Now, doesn’t that sound quite a
lot like Phyllis Schlafly?!
I said at the beginning of these reflections that in saying
farewell to Phyllis during this funeral Mass it would be
appropriate for us to focus on her faith, on the deep spiritual
underpinnings of her life, rather than on the specifics of
her legacy in politics and the public affairs of the United
States. But of course, these two realms — the spiritual and
the temporal — cannot be neatly separated into two totally
distinct compartments. That’s not Catholic doctrine! And
Phyllis herself certainly didn’t separate them! After the
success of what was probably her best-known political
campaign in the ’70s and ’80s, she revealed that throughout
those years of struggle, she and some close, .associates had
all along been fighting with a secret weapon. And what
was that weapon? The daily praying of the Holy Rosary,
imploring the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, to
whom Phyllis had a deep devotion.
Indeed, during the very same historical period in which
Phyllis made her main contributions to American public
life — that is, in the half century since Vatican Council
II — the Catholic Church has emphasized more than ever
before not only that God calls all Christians to become
saints, but that he wants lay men and women to fulfill this
vocation to sanctity precisely in their secular, everyday
calling in the world. Article 13 of the Council’s Decree on
the Apostolate of the Laity sums up God’s specific calling
to lay people by affirming that they should “endeavor to
infuse the Christian spirit into the mentality and behavior,
the laws and structures of the community in which [they]
live.” My friends, I cannot think of a better one-line summary
of Phyllis Schlafly’s mission in life than these words
of the Second Vatican Council. She endeavored — with
considerable success and often against seemingly insuperable
odds — to infuse the Christian spirit into the mentality
and behavior, laws and structures, of the great American
nation in which she lived.
I will close these reflections by paying tribute very
briefly to just two specific aspects of Phyllis’ public legacy
which are particularly central to the Catholic Church’s
social doctrine. One of these doctrinal issues that were
very close to Phyllis’ heart, and a core element of her
public activity, was the integrity of the natural family. She
fought tirelessly to uphold and strengthen in our society
the family as our Creator has planned it; that is, the family
springing from the fruitful lifelong union in marriage
of one man and one woman, including the distinct but
complementary characteristics and roles that God has
inscribed in our natures as man and woman respectively.
The second of these great issues is just as important,
and indeed, even more fundamental to a Christian and
Catholic worldview. We all know that the social and
political initiatives which Phyllis spearheaded and
organized touched the lives of countless Americans. But
I believe we can truly say that one of these initiatives in
particular also saved the lives of countless Americans! I
am talking about then-unborn Americans who are now
alive and well, thanks to Phyllis’ ceaseless combat against
the scourge of abortion in the years after Roe v. Wade. Just
last Sunday, Pope Francis, in canonizing Mother Teresa
of Kolkata, said: “She was committed to defending life,
ceaselessly proclaiming that ‘the unborn are the weakest,
the smallest, the most vulnerable.’ . . . (Mother Teresa
was a pro-life warrior who spoke truth to power about the
injustice of abortion and used her influence to spread the
pro-life message.)” Those words of Pope Francis about
Saint Teresa’s pro-life mission could be applied equally to
that of Phyllis Schlafly.
In recalling Mother Teresa, I find it providential that
Phyllis died on the anniversary of this saintly nun’s death,
September 5th, and the very day after her canonization.
Now, please don’t get me wrong here! In drawing links
between Phyllis and St. Teresa of Kolkata and St. Louis of
France, I am not suggesting that we somehow “canonize”
Phyllis during this Mass. She had her faults and failings,
as we all do, and as a humble Catholic she would be the
very first to plead that we pray for her, and not to her!
That, after all, is the specific intention of this and all
Requiem Masses: the prayers of today’s liturgy reflect our
Catholic belief in the harrowing reality of Purgatory —
that mysterious purification in and after death which St.
Paul alludes to in I Cor. 3 and which most of those who
die in Christ will probably need to undergo before reaching
the glory of Heaven.
No, in noticing these providential links between
Phyllis and these two canonized saints, I am not suggesting
that she necessarily shares their heroic sanctity — that’s
something which in any case only God can judge. But I am
suggesting that the Lord is thereby hinting to us that there
is indeed a quality which all three have in common; and I
think the best word for that quality is simply. . . greatness.
Dear friends, and especially members of Phyllis’
family, I believe we are today praying for the eternal
repose of a truly great woman — one of the greatest in the
recent history of this country. Phyllis Schlafly was a great
patriot, a great American, and above all, a great Christian
and Catholic leader who strove to bring her beloved
country back to those spiritual and moral roots that sprang
— and will spring again — from the revelation given to
our forefathers in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.
With hope in the Lord’s mercy and his promise of eternal
life, we can surely be confident that Phyllis, after her long
and immensely fruitful life, will hear from Jesus those
wonderful words that we read in the Gospel: “Well done,
good and faithful servant! Come, enter into the joy of thy
Lord!”
‘Her Lamp Would Not Go Out’
Remarks by John Schlafly at the funeral o f his
mother, Phyllis Schlafly, at the Cathedral Basilica o f
St. Louis on September 10, 2016:
When my father, Fred Schlafly, reached the age of 75,
and realized he could no longer compete in the sports he
had enjoyed throughout his life, he turned to my mother
one day and said: “Phyllis, you probably have about 10
good years left.”
That conversation took place more than 30 years ago.
And those 30 extra years were good years: good for us,
of course, her family and friends who received her
wise counsel; and also good for our country,
as her political activism continued to
influence the 2016 election.
They were good years
for Phyllis, too, despite the:
increasing burdens of her
old age. She was able to
watch her family grow to 25
descendants, with more on
the way. In her final days, she
had the great joy of seeing
the infants and toddlers that
my father never knew.
My parents were partners
in their life together, and
Phyllis depended on Fred
for everyday- reinforcement.
He supported her career,
screened what she wrote, and
coached her on what to say. She called him “the censor.”
Fred Schlafly’s influence is apparent in Phyllis’ most
widely read article, “What’s Wrong With ‘Equal Rights’
for Women?” First published in the February 1972 issue
of The Phyllis Schlafly Report, that article has since been
reprinted in dozens of college textbooks and is considered
the classic expression of Phyllis’ opposition to feminism.
The 1972 article set forth the proposition that our
public laws and policies, as embedded in the fundamental
law of our nation, should reinforce the family as the basic
unit of any society. Phyllis expressed the idea in a way
that attracted tens of thousands of people, mostly of other
faiths, to what she called the “pro-family” movement.
Many of those she touched and inspired have honored our
family by coming here today.
We now take Phyllis to rest beside her husband, my
father, in the place she selected many years ago. Like
every place she ever lived, she decided the burial plot
needed another tree — a maple tree that turns bright gold
in the fall.
She selected a tree, planted it and drove there
frequently with buckets of water, to make sure the tree
survived. Since we buried my father there, 23 years ago,
the little tree that Phyllis planted has become a powerful,
majestic, stately canopy, and next month its color will be
gorgeous.
Reflecting on my mother’s long life, the singular
quality that explains her effectiveness is that she was
always prepared. Whether her task was to give a speech,
conduct a meeting, or meet a deadline, her careful
preparation made the job seem effortless and
gave her time to deal with unexpected
events.
Phyllis was never at a loss for
the appropriate words. She faced
crisis and conflict with grace, and
she infuriated opponents
with her unflappable good
humor.
In the parable of the
bridegroom, Jesus tells the
story of 10 women who
were called to light the way
for a wedding party. Five of
the women brought no extra
oil, and their lamps went
out before the wedding
party arrived. The other
five women came prepared
with extra oil in case the
wedding party was running late. The sensible five were
admitted to the wedding feast from which the foolish five
were excluded.
Phyllis would have been one of the five wise enough
— or sensible enough — to bring an extra flask of oil.
Even in her final year, she was planning for the future,
including America’s future as well as her own.
Phyllis Schlafly was a wise woman, a sensible woman,
a faithful woman. Her lamp would not go out, and I believe
she was prepared for today.
