The American Catholic Almanac by Brian Burch

Author:Brian Burch [Burch, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-553-41873-6
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2014-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

July 6: CHAOS IN PHILADELPHIA

The Nativists were at it again. On July 3, 1844, Father John Dunn, pastor of St. Philip Neri Church in Philadelphia, learned that the anti-Catholic group planned to go on parade and burn his church to the ground. Only two months before, the same crowd had torched multiple Catholic churches and homes, as well as a school and convent. During the riots, Catholic Philadelphia followed Bishop Francis Kenrick’s orders to avoid conflict and let the buildings burn.

But this time, regardless of what the bishop wanted, Dunn was determined to protect his church.

To that end, the priest sought permission from the governor to stockpile weapons in the parish. Dunn assured the governor that he would use them only if the Nativists attacked. He received permission and the weapons. A few of the muskets were faulty, though, so Dunn returned those and requested replacements.

Trouble started when the replacements arrived.

On July 5, a few Nativists saw the muskets delivered. They spread the word that Catholics were arming themselves, and soon thousands of Nativists stood outside St. Philip’s, demanding that the sheriff seize the weapons. Hoping to calm the crowd, the sheriff reclaimed a few muskets and asked everyone to disperse.

Instead, the mob demanded a second search, this time with their men. Seventeen Nativists forced their way into the church. There, they found the stockpile of weapons and gunpowder. Knowing the chaos such a discovery would unleash, the sheriff refused to let the search party leave the church and ordered the crowd to disperse.

Tensions only escalated. By the evening of July 6, 1844, three cannons and a large group of city guards had arrived outside St. Philip’s. The next day, the guards started firing those cannons. Soon after, the Nativists had cannons of their own and fired them at the church. Chaos reigned yet again.

That reign continued until July 9. By that point, at least 15 people were dead and 50 injured. This time, however, the city’s churches still stood.

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