In August of 1834, a nunnery and a school in Charlestown, Massachusetts were burned to the ground by rioters and scared townspeople in search of a supposed captive young nun. The Ursuline Convent Riot is a short footnote in history, if remembered at all. But this event shows a great insight into the minds and the opinions of the time about Catholicism. That it was other, it was something to be feared. And the practitioners of it were dangerous. It was common at the time to accuse groups that were othered of holding innocent or vulnerable people hostage as a way to rile up even passive observers into a frenzy. It is called the Captivity Narrative. Typically it depicts a woman, held against her will by evil forces, praying to god or the good people will save her. This tactic is seen time and time again throughout American history. It is first seen with the puritans and the native american tribes when settlers first came to the North East.
This was no different when masses of Catholic immigrants came in the 1800s from Europe. There was constant fear and distrust surrounding them. First originating from the Protestant groups and old tensions from the religious wars in Europe. Then from the fear that the Catholics coming in would never be truly american or be loyal to the american government because of their connections to the Vatican in Rome. The Ursuline Riot was not the only time something like this had occurred, however, it holds special significance in its proximity to the large epicenter of trade and immigration that is Boston, Massachusetts. A city which is famously known for its large Irish-Catholic population and its still strong influence over the city.
The Ursuline Convent and School was founded by the Ursuline Nuns who had immigrated from Montreal Canada. It was a girls school almost exclusively used by upper class Protestant families in the area. At the time of this attack it housed forty one Protestant girl children and six Catholic girl children. Several theories were proposed as to the inception of the riot, displaced feelings from Protestant and existing citizens who felt the Irish-Catholic immigrants were replacing them in their jobs in the local brick factories. There was an alleged young girl named Rebecca who was being kept there unwillingly. There was also a report that a nun that had ran into a man on the street asking for directions had seemed to be behaving oddly. When the man allegedly went to investigate why the nun had left the convent, only to find that she had returned, claimed the behavior seemed odd and forced.
Whatever the initial fears or reasons may have been, it only played on the existing fears surrounding Catholics and Catholic schools. It was feared that the Catholic schools would indoctrinate the children and steal them away from Protestant ideals and have them swear allegiance to Rome. Although the racial element cannot be ignored. It was felt at the time that Irish-Catholic immigrants, and other Catholic immigrants from varying countries of european origin were less than white and uncivilized, and were to be looked down upon. They were not to be considered equals and were often cast into physically demanding dangerous jobs. If they were considered for employment at all. There would often be signs displayed openly and boldly stating “Irish Need Not Apply”. Having a woman leading the school did not help. Convents are run by the nuns, and their leader is the Mother Superior. The Mother Superior of this convent was allegedly brash and arrogant. Which did not blend well with the patriarchal ideals of the time.
Somewhere between two thousand and four thousand people gathered to watch the fires, allegedly even several fire companies were among the spectators. The group of rioters that were mainly composed of local workers came to the gates of the convent and demanded to see the alleged imprisoned girls. When they were refused by the Mother Superior, they tore down the fence and used it to start the fire. The Protestant fire fighters refused to respond to the fire. The Mother Superior allegedly riled the rioters by telling them that “20,000 Irishmen would burn the roofs above them”. It was likely a scare tactic that did not work except to further add fuel to both the metaphorical and physical fires. The Nuns and the students narrowly escaped while the crowd rampaged through the building, stealing and destroying anything and everything in their path. The next day several more rioters came back and destroyed the gardens and any structures left standing. As well as burning other Irish inhabitants' homes. This was condemned both by the state government and the City of Boston.
The following trial was long and difficult. With many fearing to testify, and the court of public opinion backing the assailants. The Mother Superior repeatedly tried to refuse to testify in fear of retribution being taken on the nuns in her care. The trial, albeit being lengthy, did not end in convictions. The arguments presented in the case only deeper entrenched the hatred and fear of Catholics in the public. This fear can be seen today in different variations throughout the decades. In the 1960s when President John F. Kennedy was elected into office, the fear that his Catholicism would lead to intercession from Rome and foreign influence being allowed into the American government. Culminating in him having to make several public statements that included the quote; “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”
In the twenty-first century, the United States has now its second Catholic president. Only its second Catholic president. Anti Catholic sentiment is brought up every election cycle. Catholic candidates are no longer forced to make statements as President Kennedy once did, but they are often forced to distance themselves from their own religion. President Joe Biden’s weekly attendance of Sunday Mass caused quite a stir in headlines. Raising concerns of his devotion to the presidential office if he is gone for several hours on Sundays. It also raised concerns among Catholic voters about his liberal views on topics such as abortion. As stated in Ruby Cramer’s article, “And yet he has arrived in the White House to discover that he is viewed suspiciously not by non-Catholics for being too Catholic, but rather by members of his own faith for not being Catholic enough.”
There was immense concern in the Democratic Party that his Catholic faith would be a hindering factor in many policy decisions, that he would allow his faith and his local priests to influence his opinions on matters of state. As well as immense fear of what he might say in confessional. While President Biden maintains that his faith remains within his personal life, many argue the president of the United States does not have the luxury of a personal life. His outspoken views on the constitutionality of abortion caused a massive uproar both among conservatives and Catholic voters. Many Protestant and Baptist conservatives questioned his devotion to his faith based on these statements. Issues that neither President Bill Clinton nor President Barack Obama faced when they announced their pro-choice opinions. That is to say they still faced backlash, but their faith was not questioned.
Even in May of 2023, there were significant arguments made in the world of sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers were putting on their yearly pride parade. Over a third of Los Angeles’s population is Catholic, and so many local organizations try not to offend the local officials. The Dodgers invited, then uninvited, then reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. A group known for its criticisms, satirization, and lampooning of traditional Catholic ideals and their liberal ideology. They are most well known online for their satirization of Catholic rituals and their criticisms of the Catholic church’s stance on homosexuality and transgenderism. They were originally invited to receive an award; given their significance in the local community, then uninvited out of fear of any offense that might be caused in the local community. There was a large local outcry given that this group does a significant amount of charity work, and so they were reinvited and given the originally intended award.
Whether or not the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s criticisms of the church’s political statements and dogma are valid. It begged the question of if it had been any other religion, would their lampooning be found acceptable. Many Catholics have spoken out about the constant satirization of their religion in both popular media and in various organizations as well. Citing that if the group had been lampooning Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. it would not have been as well received. Many people believe that the constant attempts at comedy at the Catholic church’s expense to be vestiges of historical anti Catholic sentiments and dog whistles of mistrust and discrimination of Catholics world wide.
References:
Baker, Gerard. “Opinion | the Bigotry That Proudly Speaks Its Name.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 29 May 2023, www.wsj.com/articles/anti-catholic-bigotry-is-an-elite-american-pastime-la-dodgers-white-house-sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-joe-biden-jfk-bde742cc.
Campbell, Donna M. Early American Captivity Narratives, public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/captive.htm. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
“Charlestown Convent Lies in Ruins.” “Good Will Hunting” Released, www.massmoments.org/moment-details/charlestown-convent-lies-in-ruins.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
Cramer, Ruby. “‘A Private Matter’: Joe Biden’s Very Public Clash with His Own Church.” POLITICO, Politico, 5 Sept. 2021, www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/05/joe-biden-catholic-church-509396.
Crawford, Allan. “The Burning of the Charlestown Ursuline Convent and School.” New, 18 Oct. 2019, charlestownhistoricalsociety.org/the-burning-of-the-charlestown-convent-and-school/.
Digital Exhibits, digital-exhibits.library.nd.edu/04f477d5b4/preserving-the-steadfastness-of-your-faith/showcases/33d9b247cb/the-burning-of-the-ursuline-convent. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
Fr. John Bapst Survives Tar & Fathers, et al. “Anti-Irish Know Nothing Mob Burns a Charlestown Convent in 1834.” New England Historical Society, 11 Aug. 2023, newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/know-nothing-party-takes-root-in-ashes-of-destroyed-charlestown-convent/.
“The Nunnery as Menace: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834: EWTN.” EWTN Global Catholic Television Network, www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/nunnery-as-menace-the-burning-of-the-charlestown-convent-1834-10894. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
Zeitz, Josh, et al. “When America Hated Catholics.” POLITICO Magazine, 23 Sept. 2015, www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/when-america-hated-catholics-213177/.