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From The Long Island Catholic
February 22, 2012
Reverend Monsignor Daniel
J. Hurley
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. .February 22, 2012 | Vol. 50, No. 41
Msgr. Hurley’s students recall his caring ways
Editor: On February 15, Msgr. Daniel Hurley, pastor emeritus
of St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa, passed away (see page 8).
As former students of Father H. who taught us Latin for three
years at St. Pius X Prep Seminary in Uniondale, we have many
fond memories of him.
We were some of Father Hurley’s slower students. We
attended his extra help classes. He used creative teaching
methods to help us understand the grammatical rules of Latin,
like the “magic stick” which was a way to remember
the verb endings for the different declensions. Many of us
went from F’s to A’s, because of Father H’s
kindness and patience.
Father Hurley was literally a legend in his own time. We
formed an unofficial club in his honor. Remember the Mouseketeers?
We called ourselves “The Merry Hurleteers” and
would begin each Latin class by singing, “Who’s
the leader of the club. ...”
On Wednesday’s, when we had Latin both in the morning
and the afternoon, to the tune of “The Ballad of the
Green Berets,” we sang “Father Hurley twice today,
Time for fun, and time for play, Magic Stick both night and
day, Latin’s fun the Father Hurley way. ...”
What makes a bunch of 14 and 15-year-old boys write silly
songs about a teacher who teaches a subject like Latin, not
the most interesting subject in the world? There were teachers
at Pius more dynamic than Father Hurley. There were others
who were funnier. But no teacher cared more about his students
than Father Hurley did.
In a time when scandals have shaken the Church, it’s
easy to get discouraged about our faith. When that happens,
remembering priests like Father Hurley can bring everything
back into proper perspective.
The Merry Hurleteers
Pius X, Class of ‘69
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