TRENTON, N.J. — “No matter how you start, when you have a man like Michael Days, your ending won’t be the same.”
Edward Days spoke thus at his father’s funeral Mass on Saturday in New Jersey, where hundreds gathered to honor the legacy of a trailblazing journalist and industry-revered mentor who died suddenly earlier this month at 72.
The pews of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Trenton were laden with mourners from around the country who knew Days as a family member, friend, coworker, fellow parishioner, or even a student. The livestreamed liturgy, concelebrated by Msgrs Dennis Apoldite and Federico Britto among others, also featured music from the gospel choir in which Days sang for years.
“There’s a time for everything, A time for everything under the sun,” said Apoldite during his homily, based on the Book of Ecclesiastes and beginning with the sad reality of Days’ death before transitioning to remembrance and hope.
“There's a time to say thanks. Thanks for the many years of service that Michael gave to his parish. No matter what church he was affiliated with, he was always the outstanding leader, a wonderful example and a man whose heart was filled with a beautiful sense of humility.”
Nate Tinner-Williams
The lyrics of Alma Bazel Androzzo’s “If I Can Help Somebody,” sung by soloist Riva Thomas, rang through the church during the Presentation of the Gifts at the altar, thematically encapsulating the life of a man who tirelessly gave of himself to those in need.
Though his accomplishments were not listed in detail at the ceremony, his widespread impact as a media leader needed not to be rehashed to a crowd who knew well his work. Days was the first Black executive editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, and also served at the Philadelphia Inquirer, which merged with the Daily News in 2019. He led diversity efforts for the two papers' parent company before his retirement in 2020.
His decades of impact in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond were perhaps best captured at the funeral by his first-grade teacher, Cora Marie Billings, a Black Catholic in the Sisters of Mercy.
“All of us here, all the people who have ever encountered Michael, he was close to you. You loved him. You learned from him. You listened to him. You were able to really be in the presence of a man of God,” she said in remarks following Communion.
“He loved everybody and, most especially, he loved his God. And he made sure that you, too, loved your God.”
Billings’ speech helped close the liturgy, which also saw an official commemoration honoring Days from the Knights of St. John, of which Days was a longtime member. Their tribute was matched by that of his former choir, whose selection of a Walter Hawkins tune also captured his essence as a man who relied on God and lived for others.
“I will open up my heart to everyone I see, and say, ‘Jesus Christ is the way!’”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
