Father Peter Wojcik remembers Cardinal George

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Father Peter Wojcik, who knew Cardinal George very well, hopes people will remember him as a caring man.

He told ABC7 Eyewitness News on Thursday the cardinal recognized early on that the faces of priests in the Chicago area did not reflect the faces of people in the pews. He brought in priests from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Poland to make sure the faithful felt welcome in their local parishes.

Wojcik recounted a story about an 8-year-old boy with cancer who got to meet Cardinal George. He wanted to meet the pope before he died, but his body was too weak to make the journey to the Vatican. The boy was comforted after speaking with the cardinal.

Before the boy died, he asked after Cardinal George's health. When he was told they were taking a similar journey, the boy asked Wojcik to tell the cardinal, "I will wait for him in heaven."

Cardinal George, a Chicago-native, led the third-largest archdiocese in the country for 17 years. He died last Friday, after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.