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"How long are you going to stay?" queried his skeptical Black parishioners. "I hope to die here," responded Denis, their new White pastor. With that commitment, he encouraged their sense of self-worth and urged them to claim their rights in the church and in the broader community. As he gained their trust, they called him, "Father O, not to be familiar, but in love." Working with Black ministers, he endeavored to improve the quality of life for everyone by creating the Chester Community Improvement Project and Better Housing for Chester. As tensions arose between Black parents and White teachers in his parochial school, and as his outspokenness provoked the city's politicians, complaints were made to Cardinal Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia. Citing anonymous sources, the cardinal fired Denis as pastor. When he moved to another parish in obedience to the cardinal, Denis lamented, "All I want to do is cry, these are my people." Because Cardinal Krol would not identify his anonymous informants, Denis refused to resign as pastor and demanded a hearing in accordance with canon law. The dispute was resolved when the cardinal permitted Denis to accept a position at Saint Mary Seminary in Baltimore. There, before dying of cancer, he devoted himself to teaching young seminarians the nuts and bolts of being a pastor. Admonishing them to be good shepherds, he affirmed, "if you are going to live the gospel. you have to speak out." As he learned, you also have to be prepared to suffer the consequences.
