Former Missouri Catholic Conference Executive Director and General Counsel Louis DeFeo, Jr., passed away peacefully at the age of 90. DeFeo served for thirty-one years with the MCC.
DeFeo’s legacy with the MCC is indelible. Through his efforts, the Alternatives to Abortion program was started, which still exists today to help women in crisis pregnancies. During the 1993 flood, DeFeo saw that flood victims needed assistance long after the Red Cross had left, so he organized churches and worked with the state and federal government on relief efforts. On education, he spearheaded federal legislation that added a “bypass” to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which enabled the federal government to “bypass” state government and provide funding for kids who were falling behind. DeFeo set up a team to work with Catholic schools and dioceses to prove the schools were not receiving services on an equitable basis. In 1973, he worked tirelessly to respond to the Roe v Wade decision on the legal and legislative fronts. In 1999, he stood up for Governor Carnahan pardoning the sentence of Darrell Mease at the urging of Pope John Paul II, stating, it “isn’t for the prisoner, it’s for the benefit of the greater good.”
When DeFeo decided it was time to step down from the MCC in 2000, he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I enjoy what I do. One of my shortcomings is that I enjoy it too much.” He still had an unwavering dedication to the significant need poor people have for legal representation, which led to the birth of Legalcare. The mission was clear: “All, rich or poor, may experience the system of Justice as a place of fair play and peacemaking.”
“He taught me persistence and hard work,” said Mike Hoey, former MCC Executive Director. “He kept reminding me that you have to keep trying. You can’t give up. Also, he taught me how to have thick skin. People are going to say stuff. You have to go on.”
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.