Ironman RIP
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The 12th successor of John Carroll at the helm of the Baltimore church, which he led from 1974-89, the Indiana-born, Louisiana-bred prelate -- a particular favorite of the local crowd -- slipped away peacefully at 10.03 this morning.
A Bronze Star-winning Army chaplain during World War II, Borders kept a hard-charging pace even into recent months, and his grit through the years won frequent comparisons to Charm City's other Ironman -- Orioles' legend Cal Ripken, holder of baseball's record for consecutive games played (2,632). Before his promotion to the nation's mother-church, Borders was ordained the founding bishop of Orlando in 1968 -- a circumstance that, given the new diocese's boast of Cape Canaveral within its bounds, led the new prelate to dub himself the "Bishop of the Moon." (The Orlando church's best-known attraction -- Walt Disney World -- opened in 1971.)
Funeral plans remain pending, but it is known that Borders wished to be interred at the "New Cathedral" of Mary our Queen. More as it comes in.
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