Frank Sinatra...

 When we hear the name of the famous entertainer, Frank Sinatra, our minds can conjure up certain images from all the news and information that we've heard over the years.  You don't have to be in your 70's, or older, to know that he was married multiple times, or that he and the "Rat Pack" (from the 1960's) hung around together, accompanied by some very beautiful women, not to mention heavy drinking and the like...

Mr. Sinatra was a Catholic.  He passed away in 1998 at the age of 82.  I wonder if he came back into the good graces of the Church just before he died?  It is very possible, as his funeral Mass was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, Ca...

I know that he faced our Lord at his Particular Judgment when he died, as we all will have to face some day, knowing that our works will follow us...

It is not our job to judge his raucous, sometimes raunchy lifestyle, except that his public, scandalous sins should have been admonished by a faithful Catholic priest, warning of the consequences... But I wanted to mention some information that recently came to light by the lewrockwell.com writer, Yvonne Lorenzo, that might shed some light on a side of Mr. Sinatra that not too many folks are aware of...

Contrast this story with that of the poor beggar, Lazarus, and the rich man in St. Luke 16:19-31, King James Version...

The following is an excerpt from Yvonne's article: 

"It was one night back in the mid-70s, around Christmas time, and as always Jimmy Weston’s supper club in New York City was crowded... and the snowy weather outside added to the festive spirit of the season.

Before midnight, Frank Sinatra walked in with his best friend and trusted companion, Jilly Rizzo... After warm greetings and a hug, I escorted Sinatra and Jilly to Sinatra’s favorite table, number seventeen. It was a round corner table near my desk, where I could keep an eye on things, and we always kept it reserved for Sinatra while he was in town.

Later, after a few drinks, Sinatra decided to have pizza at his favorite joint. “Hey Greek, you got that old Chevy outside?” he asked me.

“Yes, it’s outside,” I said.

He stood up, peeled off a couple hundred dollar bills from his wad, and gave it to the waiter. “Greek, you just got yourself drafted,” he said. “Let’s go.”

I asked our captain George Pappas to take charge while I was gone and the three of us walked outside, where Sinatra’s limo was waiting. He told his driver to wait there and we got into my Chevy. It was bitter-cold, snowing heavily, and everything was covered with snow—although driving is not a problem on the streets of New York City: the snow melts fast from the steam coming out the subway grates.

“Where we going?” I asked.

“Uptown,” Jilly said.

We drove uptown on Park Avenue until we reached Harlem, and made a beeline for First Avenue between 117th and 118th Streets, to Patsy’s Pizzeria. It was then I realized that it wasn’t a good idea to arrive there in a limo in the wee hours. I parked in front of the place and went in with Sinatra and Jilly.

We were greeted by Carmela, the owner, and a one-hundred percent amazing Italian woman. When she saw Frank, she rushed to him with open arms.

“Frankie, sweetheart, it’s good to see you!”

She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug–but when she pulled away Sinatra’s overcoat was now white with flour from her apron. Embarrassed, Carmela started talking fast in Italian-as though cursing herself-while trying to brush off Sinatra’s coat.

Don’t worry about that darling,” Sinatra said. “Just make us your delicious pizza.”

Carmela rushed away–and soon came back with a hot pie. As we started to eat, Sinatra looked out of the window and saw two homeless guys staring at us. They looked cold and very hungry. He waved them in and he ordered pizza for them. Soon more guys showed–and soon the place was packed with Sinatra’s impromptu and ravenous guests—and he ordered pizza for all of them.

Meanwhile, Jilly and I finished our slices, but Sinatra had only taken one bite of his: his eyes were tearing up from watching these poor hungry guys gobbling down the hot, steaming slices as fast as they could. That got Jilly’s attention. He tried to make a joke to divert Sinatra’s attention.

“You see Frank,” he said, “you’re not as famous as you think you are. No one even recognized you here.”

“If you were as hungry and cold as they are, you wouldn’t recognize me, either,” Frank said.

We stayed and ate with these poor guys putting away the pizza faster than Carmela could make it and it was a magical night: only Sinatra couldn’t hold back the tears.

So finally Jilly stood up. “It’s time to go now,” he said.

We got up, and Frank pulled out his wad of hundreds and gave it to Carmela: all of it, without counting it. “What the hell, it’s Christmas,” he said. “Keep the pizza coming through Christmas, darling,” he told Carmella. “I’ll send you more money, and keep everything under wraps.”

(Read the entire story here: A CHRISTMAS STORY: “Hey Greek, you got that old Chevy outside?” )

End of excerpt...

Now you know the private generosity of Mr. Frank Sinatra...

May God have mercy on his soul...

Pray for strength and honor!

Viva Cristo Rey!  Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, pray for us...

Gene DeLalla