My Childhood Icon

 See this statue of George Washington.  How many times did I pass this statue, when I was a child?  It was on Lawrence Street, in my home town of Methuen, MA.  Lawrence Street is one of the main streets, in town.  I also went to Junior High right across the street, from the statue.  I must have stared at it hundreds of times.  Finally, I went to high school at Presentation of Mary Academy, just down the street from the statue.  Oh how I wished the gates and iron fence, surrounding the area around the statue,  weren't there.  Maybe then I could have cut across and taken a shortcut to school.  

Sometime, when I was in Junior High, I think, a school was being build there.  The church I went to was building a parochial school.  Then the statue was gone.

I always thought it was because it was in the way of the building.  Progress--and all. 

Now I read in The Pilot, the history of the statue.  It was moved to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.  The next time I visit my relatives in California, I going to see my childhood icon.

Freedom of Conscience

“To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”  George Washington, 1790

These are the words, hubby and I read at the Touro Synagogue.  We’re vacationing in Newport, RI.  On our “To Do” list, was a visit to America’s oldest synagogue, Touro Synagogue. 

The original congregation was founded in 1658 by Jews fleeing the Inquisition.  Eventually, enough Jews settled in Newport to request a rabbi.  Remember that Roger Williams founded Rhode Island based on religious tolerance.  So the Jews felt accepted.  Not Catholics, they weren't welcome; but that’s a different thread. 

After the Revolution, before the Bill of Rights, the warden of Touro Synagogue, Moses Seixas, wrote a letter to President George Washington.  He wanted to be sure that the president understood the concerns of the Jewish people in America.  The Jews were tired of being persecuted and dispersed; they wanted assurance that their religion and culture would be respected.

George Washington responded with the words written above.  I was very interested that “Freedom of conscience” was mentioned by the leader of our fledgling government in 1790.

The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

I particularly admire Washington’s closing comment.   “… while every one (sic) shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” 

Again, this doesn’t apply to Catholics?  Nowadays, Catholics are afraid their hospitals will be forced to perform abortions, their social service agencies are afraid they’ll be forced to accept policies against their beliefs, their schools be forced to teach prejudicial curriculum, and their churches be forced to perform marriages that our religion forbids.  Where or where is the vine and fig tree under which Catholics can sit and not be afraid?

"Boston" --St. Patrick

Did you know that Boston was the first city in America to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a parade? That's right, 1737. One version of the story is that on March 17th, some of the drinking in the taverns spilled over into the streets. Sounds plausible to me.

And then when the British troops occupied Boston around 1760, the Irish regiments
celebrated St. Patrick's Day with marching, feasting, and dancing. On March 17, 1775, 70 Redcoats, paraded through the streets of Boston in regimental form.

But then the revolution happened. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, British troops had retreated to Boston where the Continental Army held them besieged for 11 months. But Washington's troops had positioned cannon on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city. The British would occupy Boston for only a few more days because they could see they would lose that battle. And you know what? They never returned.

Washington was well aware that the liberation of Boston occurred on St. Patrick's Day. A number of the men on his command staff were of Irish descent. The General Orders he issued that day specified that anyone wishing to pass through Continental lines would give the password "Boston," to which the reply would be "St. Patrick." It is said that as the British troops departed, an American band played "St. Patrick's Day in the Morning."

h/t to Fr. Gabriel, who told this story at Mass this morning. h/t to Mass Moments, which is probably where Father got his info. ;-)