Msgr. Thaddeus Malanowski, retired chaplain and brigadier general, spent 28 years in the Army, but his biggest battle came later.

Msgr. Malanowski has been providing spiritual care to Terri Schindler-Schiavo and her parents for the past three years. On Oct. 18, after Terri's feeding tube was removed, Msgr. Malanowski was prevented from giving Terri viaticum — Communion for the dying. He spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake.

How long have you been a priest?

I've been a priest for 56 years. The Diocese of Hartford, Conn., originally ordained me. I spent 28 years as an Army chaplain for the Office of Chaplains in the Pentagon. I had four tours of service in Germany and also served in Korea. Fortunately, I never served in combat. I was alerted during the war with Vietnam but had a gall bladder operation. By the time I recovered, the war was over.

My fellow classmate, W. Thomas Larkin, was bishop of St. Petersburg, so I came to Florida in 1984. I've been here ever since and have spent nearly 12 years working with St. Brendan's Parish on the beach. I'll be 81 in November.

What led to your vocation?

I came from a good, solid, Catholic family and home. My mother had 14 living children. I have nine sisters and four brothers. We lived close to the church. I was an altar server, was active with the Catholic Boy Scout group and played the fife in the church's drum and fife corps. From fourth to ninth grade I attended a Catholic Polish school and then entered the Catholic seminary high school at age 13.

How did you come to know Bob and Mary Schindler and their daughter Terri Schindler-Schiavo?

During 2000, a family that knew the Schindlers approached me. At that time, Terri was in nursing homes, but during the summer of 2000 she was moved to a hospice. Once she went to the hospice, the court allowed me to go see her. Terri's husband, Michael, created a list with the names of 47 people he would allow to visit his wife. For the past three and a half years I would accompany Terri's parents nearly every Saturday. About 75% of the time that I've gone to see Terri, I've been with her parents. That's how I came to know the family.

You've spent a great deal of time with Terri Schindler-Schiavo. There has been much discussion about whether or not she is in a permanent vegetative state. What can you tell us based upon the time you've spent with her?

Terri's family and I, and some doctors, believe that Terri is not in a permanent vegetative state. I've been spending nearly an hour with her every week, and she is responsive. One time I told her, “Terri, you know that I come here every week and pray for you in English. Today, I'm going to pray for you in Polish,” and she laughed. Another time, the family and I were visiting on St. Patrick's Day. I told her, “Your mother and I are going to sing ‘When Irish Eyes are Smiling.’” Not only did we forget the words, but we were also off tune. Terri laughed. On Oct. 4I visited Terri with her parents. I told her, “Terri, this is your mommy,” and she gave her mother a big smile.

CNN has been telling the world that Terri is comatose. She's not comatose; she's never been comatose. She's never been on life support aside from a feeding tube. She laughs, she cries, she looks around, she smiles, she sits up, and she experiences pain. Sure, Terri's brain is damaged. She went 10 minutes without oxygen. But her brain is not damaged entirely. When doctors took tests in 1997, they showed she had developed brain cells.

How is Terri doing now?

The governor's executive order is in effect. They're feeding her and she is out of danger. She looks wonderful, and she's smiling. She's back at Woodside Hospice, a place for terminally ill people. She shouldn't be there. We visited her last Tuesday after they had given her a bath. At that time, she was sleeping on and off.

In the six days she was denied food or nourishment, you would think it would have damaged her liver and kidneys, but it didn't damage either. To me, that's a little miracle.

When Terri was being withheld nourishment, you attempted to give her viaticum but were denied the ability to do so. Can you tell us what happened?

Because of a court order, I have never been allowed to give her anything by mouth. They are afraid that she might choke and die.

However, once they removed the feeding tube, Terri began dying from lack of food and nourishment. Catholic teaching states she has the right to viaticum. One of the family's lawyers asked Michael Schiavo's lawyers if I could give Terri Communion. Michael said, “Yes, he can give my wife Communion.”

When Michael's attorney Deborah Bushnell asked how this would be done, I explained that I would dip the index finger of my right hand in holy water, use it to pick up a small particle of the host and place it on her tongue. That's when the battle began. They told me I could not do that.

Bushnell suggested I take the host, touch Terri's lips and consume it myself. I explained to her the Catholic teaching regarding the Real Presence. I told her, “It looks like bread, smells like bread and tastes like bread, but it's the Body of Christ.”

She responded, “Well, that's nice.”

The hospice Catholic chaplain suggested I do the alternative, saying the spiritual communion prayer over Terri. I've been doing that for three years. I insisted that now that she's on her deathbed it is her constitutional right to receive Communion.

When I went to Terri's room it was more like a prison. Three police officers stood outside of her room. Two stood beside her bed. I asked, “What would happen if I put the consecrated host on her tongue?” They told me, “We will deny you access to her mouth. We will resist you.” I was with Terri's brother at the time, and he suggested that we leave.

That's when I spoke with the media.

What happens next?

The battle is in the court system now. The opposition, attorney George Felos, submitted his 44-page brief. Now the governor and his lawyers have a week to submit their brief. Then the circuit judge will have a hearing. It's likely that each side will make an appeal to the appellate court and that it may again go to the Florida Supreme Court. Last time the court approved the appellate court's decision to remove the feeding tube. This time it's likely to go to the federal Supreme Court.

In the meantime we're battling to get a guardian ad litem for Terri. The judge wants both sides to agree to a person and has said he will appoint someone if we do not agree. There has been talk that the person he will appoint is an attorney on the faculty of the University of Florida who stated he supported the removal of Terri's feeding tube.

Do you draw any lessons from all of this?

There has been a tremendous amount of good this event has brought about. The most important value of this has been a greater appreciation for the value of life from the unborn to the handicapped. We've received ecumenical support from ministers and people of all faiths.

We've brought the precious gift and dignity of life to the attention of the world. Who are judges to determine who should live and die? That belongs to God.