Legendary former Representative Charles B. Rangel’s funeral mass was in St. Patrick’s Cathedral last Friday, but Harlem was present, in the house of the Lord, for a man known as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue.” Each of the four noted speakers found a way to invoke the community –– where he was born and served in congress for 46 years –– which Gov. Kathy Hochul began after Dr. Jennifer Pasqual’s stirring prelude, “God of our Fathers.”
“When I ran for state office,” the governor recalled, “he made sure I met everybody. He gave me the Charlie Rangel seal of approval and whether it’s biscuits at Sylvia’s or on the streets of Lenox Avenue. He was there for me and stood for me time and time again.” She announced that she was working with Mayor Eric Adams and her team “to ensure there is a prominent street in Harlem that bears the name, the ‘Charlie Rangel Way.’”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries cited a number of ways Rangel inspired him. “He was a courageous man, a passionate man, a heroic man, a humorous man, a hardworking man, and above all Charlie was a Harlem man.” And that brought a thunderous applause… “He taught us how to get reelected, something he was able to do more than 20 times to the House of Representatives without losing a race.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer compared Rangel’s raspy, adenoidal voice to the great saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, and then thanked him “being a mentor, for being a dear friend, for being one of the first to believe in me, for a lifetime of service to Harlem, to New York, to America, and to the globe.” Rangel, he continued “kept his head down, his eyes forward, his voice speaking out for those in need. He was brilliant, old, funny, and fearless. All at the same time, and Charlie believed in America.”
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Former President Bill Clinton recounted the time when Rangel was instrumental in helping him establish an office in Harlem on 125th Street and the opening with Cicely Tyson and Rangel was by his side. “I will never forget the smile on his face, the spring in his step, and the steel in his spine,” Clinton said. “And finally the world he loved and the country he believed in. Thank you.”
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With the main speakers finished, there were introductory remarks from Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, who blessed the body and placement of the pall. The mass continued with The Liturgy of the Word, with Rangel’s grandsons, Joshua and Howard Haughton delivering the readings from the Bible. During his extended homily, Father Gregory Chisholm emphasized Rangel’s Catholic roots and his worshipping at St. Aloysius Church in Harlem. “Charlie would remain faithful, committed, and loving to the men and women of color in Harlem,” he said. He paused to relate Rangel’s connection to Basil Paterson, Percy Sutton, and David Dinkins, who were often known as the “Gang of Four.” The famous four were noted again when members of their family –– Steven Rangel, Keisha Sutton-James, Daniel Paterson, and Donna Dinkins Hoggard presented gifts during The Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Earlier during the Prayer of the Faithful, Sister Loretta Theresa Richards began with readings by Gretchen Wharton and Charles Haughton, another Rangel grandson.
The mass concluded with the Communion and other rites but not before June Townes enlivened the church with her thrilling version of “We Shall Behold Him” which must have resonated with the attendees as they filed from the majestic church. Resonant too was the recessional rendition by Br’ Von Neal and the Praise Ensemble of “When We All Get To Heaven,” and it was hard not to think of Rangel’s comments at the close of his autobiography about meeting St. Peter and getting that room with a view.