The Monsignor Who Saved Savannah's Cathedral

After a $12,000,000 restoration, Savannah's newly restored cathedral stood pristine until a gunman stormed in and lit the bishop's chair on fire.

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When a gunman stormed into the cathedral in Savannah, Georgia, what happened next wasn't in the missile. It was a shocking display of courage, profanity, and grit by an Irish priest that saved the beautiful church.

It was a quiet morning in 02/2003 when a would be arsonist entered Savannah's Cathedral Of Saint John The Baptist, a neo gothic revival masterpiece built by Irish immigrants after the Civil War. Among the Catholic faithful, it was and is the crown jewel of the South. 30 2 year old Stuart Vincent Smith was filled with rage and intent on burning one of the masterpieces of Catholic architecture in The United States down to the ground. What he had encountered on was the firm resolve of Monsignor William O'Neil, who had personally overseen every detail of the cathedral's recently completed multimillion dollar facelift. When Monsignor O'Neil heard the commotion of Smith in the sanctuary lighting the bishop's chair on fire, he rushed to see what was happening, and what he saw made him furious.

He found himself filled with a level of courage that shocked everyone, including him, the cops, and especially the gunmen. Words then echoed loudly through the sanctuary that had never been spoken before in that sacred place. A litany of spicy words often spoken by sailors and those without the ability to tame their tongues. But even though his role as priest requires displaying virtuous behavior, Monsignor O'Neill was furious at what was happening, and in the heat of the moment, he was determined to stop the arsonist and save the cathedral no matter the cost. Later, he would write in his memoir, to say that I was extremely angry was, to put it very mildly, I was raging and had lost my sense of fear.

He remembered that when the man approached him with a gun, he used a litany of vulgar words, telling him to drop the blanking gun or he would strangle him and knock his blanking head off. The gunman was shocked. The words from the priest froze him in place, still pointing his weapon at Monsignor O'Neil. Years later, the Monsignor would recall that it wasn't very priestly of him to use such vulgar language, but that he believed that it actually helped to save his life. As firefighters and police swarmed the scene, Monsignor O'Neil recalls urging a nearby officer to take out the gunman.

He was still so furious that he told him if he wouldn't, the officer could hand him his gun, and he would do it himself. When the officers finally subdued the gunman, they cuffed Monsignor O'Neal as well to restrain him from attacking the would be arsonist. Repairs to the church would cost $500,000. Stuart Vincent Smith was later sentenced to twenty years in jail. At his sentencing, a statement was read from Monsignor O'Neal whose passionate rage had subsided into care for his attacker.

O'Neal's statement read, even though the defendant claims he does not believe in a god, I want him to know that I will continue to pray for him every day, that he will find peace and courage to live responsibly. The arsonist went to prison, and O'Neil continued to serve as rector of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist for another decade. He died in 2021. Savannah's Cathedral stands today not just as stone and spire, but as a testament. Courage can roar, yet compassion must endure.

Monsignor O'Neil taught us, sometimes it's the fight and the forgiveness that makes us human. Doing the right thing isn't always polished or pious. It's raw, real, and messy. On that fateful day so many years ago, a priest's fury saved a cathedral, but his mercy afterward sowed the seeds for salvation. It's a reminder that true strength isn't just fighting fire with fire.

It's also daring to love after the flames.