Archbishop Lori’s mother passes away at 103

Margaret Lori, mother of Archbishop William E. Lori, died Sept. 3 in New Albany, Ind. She was 103 years old.

Margaret (née Caradonna) married Francis Lori when he returned from serving on a U.S. Navy ship in World War II. The couple had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January 2020 before Mr. Lori died a month later.

On the occasion of his installation as archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Lori said his parents fostered his vocation to the priesthood. “One of the first things I must have come to know was how seriously Mom and Dad took their faith. The rosary was very much a part of our life, as was Sunday Mass. When Mom and Dad could, they were daily communicants.”

In a homily in January 2020 for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and also to mark his mother’s 100th birthday and his parents’ wedding anniversary, Archbishop Lori said, “Your life and your marriage are a great blessing, certainly to us, your sons, whom you continue to love as only good parents can do, and indeed to all of us – because, in one way or another, we’ve been touched by your example of strong faith and enduring love.

“You have worked hard and you have faced challenges and hardships, but in the midst of it all, your love for each other and for us has only grown stronger,” the archbishop said. “I think of the loving care you gave to your eldest son, my brother Frankie; your ministry of visiting nursing homes, bringing the Eucharist and a word of cheer; your practice of praying the rosary every day; Sunday Mass without fail and daily Mass whenever possible; and the encouragement and love you continue to give your family and many others.”

In an interview for the Catholic Baltimore radio show at the end of 2019, the archbishop expressed his gratitude for his parents. “I’m so grateful to God that he saw fit to plop me into this particular family.” He said his parents worked hard all their life as members of what Tom Brokaw called “The Greatest Generation.”

After the archbishop’s father came back from the war, Francis and Margaret married at ages 26 and 27, respectively.

“We were not a wealthy family. We were a hard-working family, and they provided a beautiful, faith-filled home,” the archbishop recalled. “I had a brother (Frank) with special needs. I saw Mom and Dad not just go the extra mile, but go the extra five miles, and they loved my brother until he died several years ago with truly tender parental love.

“And they provided a good, beautiful, secure home for me and my other brother, Joe, and encouraged me in my priestly vocation. And to this day, I receive encouragement whenever I talk to my parents,” Archbishop Lori said in the radio interview.

In his column to mark his 10th anniversary as archbishop of Baltimore in May 2022, Archbishop Lori recalled, “I think especially of my parents – my dear father, Francis, who went home to the Lord more than two years ago, and my mother, Margaret, who is now 102 years old, and whom I call almost every evening.

“Nine cardinals attended my installation back in 2012, and as they departed, each one of them stopped and gave my mom a kiss. At dinner that evening mom said, ‘I never dreamt I’d be kissed by so many cardinals!’”

Margaret Lori is survived by her sons Archbishop Lori and Joseph Lori. She was preceded in death by her husband, Francis, and their son, Frank.

Viewing and visitation will be held Sept. 6, 4-8 p.m. CDT, at Kraft Funeral Home on Charlestown Road, in New Albany. Archbishop Lori will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial Sept. 7, 10:30 a.m., at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Clarksville, Ind. Interment will be at Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park in New Albany, with a reception to follow.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:

Most Rev. William E. Lori
Archdiocese of Baltimore
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Archdiocese of Baltimore in support of the formation of seminarians, 320 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201.

Also see:

From 2020: Francis Lori, father of Archbishop Lori, dies at 98.

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@catholicreview.org.

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