Kennedy Redux: Teddy Finally Laid to Rest

Saturday was a day filled with sadness, humor and hope for the Kennedy family. All three were embodied in the funeral Mass by the address given by Teddy Kennedy Jr., who, while normally outside of the public glare that accompanies his surname, certainly inherited the Kennedy voice. He was emotional as he recalled his father telling him "there is nothing you can't do" to encourage him after he lost his leg to cancer.

The funeral began in the morning rain of Dorchester, traveled to Mission Church, which was filled with famous faces from Patrick Kennedy to President Obama, and Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jacksona, Lauren Bacall, and Jack Nicholson. The next stop was Hanscom Air Force Base. Kennedy left Massachusetts for good from there on the way to Washington, D.C. and a visit to the Senate in a hot late August day. Everywhere Senator Kennedy's body was taken, crowds gathered to pay their respects.

Late in the day, the funeral motorcade reached Arlington National Cemetery where Ted Kennedy was placed where he will stay. He joined his brothers who were there waiting for him and was accompained by his family. Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington, D.C. presided over the burial. He read excerpts from letters exchanged by Kennedy and Pope Benedict XVI. Kennedy's letter reflected a man accepting the end of his life, acknowledging his shortcomings and essentially asking for forgiveness because he had "tried to right my path" through public service.

There has been talk of this being the end of an era. The image of Kennedys from the next generation viewing President Kennedy's eternal flame seems to suggest Ted Kennedy's causes are enduring ones.