In the good old days of ward politics, Morris Kaplan was the councilman from the 4th ward which consisted of a small but solidly Jewish neighborhood. In the way of politics, it came to pass the city was redistricted so that Morris’ ward became split and combined with a adjoining Catholic neighborhood.
Realizing that this would change the dynamics of the next election, Morris set out to win over as many voters among the local Catholics as possible. He spent his Sunday mornings attending mass and shaking hands with people after the service. He assisted in a fund raising program to repair the roof on the parish hall. He gave some of his time to the CYO basketball team and made it a point of showing up a wakes and baptisms to console the bereaved and to congratuate the proud parents.
In the tradition of ward politicians, he brought boxes of food to the poor, visited the sick, and ‘found’ jobs in City Hall for those who asked.
Finally, the day of reckoning came: the election. Morris carried the ward by a landslide.
After the election, his defeated opponent went to see the parish priest. “What did I do wrong, Father?” he asked. “Haven’t I always aspired to be a good Catholic?”
“Yes, my son,” agreed the priest. “But while you were aspiring to be a good Catholic, Morris Kaplan was aspiring to be a Saint.”