Philip Berrigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Philip Berrigan |
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| Born | October 5, 1923 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, U.S. |
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| Died | December 6, 2002 (aged 79) in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Spouse |
Elizabeth McAlister
(m. 1973) |
| Children | 3 |
Philip Francis Berrigan (October 5, 1923 – December 6, 2002) was an American Catholic priest and a strong voice for peace. He belonged to a group called the Josephites. Philip Berrigan believed in using nonviolent actions, like peaceful protests, to speak out against war and nuclear weapons. Because of his protests, he was often arrested.
In 1973, he married Elizabeth McAlister, who was also a former nun. For many years of their marriage, they were separated because one or both of them were in prison.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Philip Berrigan was born in Two Harbors, Minnesota, a town where many people worked hard. He had five brothers, including Daniel Berrigan, who was also a well-known activist and poet. His mother, Frieda, was very religious. His father, Tom, was a railway engineer and believed in helping workers.
Philip finished high school in Syracuse, New York. He then worked cleaning trains. In 1943, he joined the military during World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later became an officer. He was deeply bothered by racial segregation (when people of different races were kept separate) he saw during his training. After the war, he earned a degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross.
Becoming a Priest and Early Activism
In 1950, Philip Berrigan joined the Josephites. This group of priests and brothers worked to help African-Americans, who faced a lot of unfair treatment and segregation in the United States. He became a priest in 1955.
He continued his studies, earning more degrees. During this time, he also taught at St. Augustine High.
Philip Berrigan became very active in the Civil Rights Movement. He marched for desegregation and took part in peaceful protests like sit-ins and bus boycotts. His brother Daniel said that Philip always stood with the poor and believed the Church should help fight racism.
Philip Berrigan was first sent to prison in 1962. During his many times in prison, he often taught Bible classes and helped other inmates learn about their legal rights. Church leaders did not always approve of his protests and arrests. He was moved to different locations, but he kept protesting. In 1964, he helped start the Catholic Peace Fellowship. He later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he began the Baltimore Interfaith Peace Mission, leading more protests.
Major Protests for Peace
The Baltimore Four Protest
Philip Berrigan and other activists took strong actions to draw attention to the anti-war movement. On October 27, 1967, a group known as the Baltimore Four entered a government office in Baltimore. They poured their own blood and some animal blood over military draft records. This was a symbolic act to protest "the pitiful waste of American and Vietnamese blood" in the Vietnam War.
The trial for the Baltimore Four was delayed. Philip Berrigan was sentenced to six years in prison for this action.
The Catonsville Nine Protest
In 1968, while out on bail, Philip Berrigan decided to protest again. He and eight other activists, including his brother Daniel, became known as the Catonsville Nine. They went into a local draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland. They took 600 draft records, covered them with a flammable substance called napalm, and burned them outside. This was a powerful protest against the war.
The Catonsville Nine, who were all Catholic, released a statement. They said that religious groups were too quiet about the country's actions in the war.
Philip Berrigan was found guilty of conspiracy and destroying government property. He was jailed in Lewisburg and sentenced to three years in prison.
The Harrisburg Seven Trial
Philip Berrigan again caught the attention of federal authorities. He and six other anti-war activists were accused of planning to kidnap Henry Kissinger and bomb steam tunnels in Washington. The government spent a lot of money on the 1972 Harrisburg Seven trial. However, the government did not win a conviction against them. This showed that the government sometimes struggled to prove such cases.
Other Important Actions
Philip Berrigan organized or inspired many other protests.
- In March 1969, the D.C. Nine, mostly priests and nuns, disrupted the Washington offices of Dow Chemical. They protested Dow's production of napalm for the Vietnam War.
- In May 1969, the Chicago 15 Catholics protested napalm and burned 40,000 draft cards.
- He supported the Milwaukee 14 in September 1968, who burned 10,000 draft files.
- He also supported the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, who broke into an FBI office to show how the FBI was watching war protesters.
- He was involved with the Camden 28, who protested at a draft board in Camden, New Jersey. The group was arrested but later found not guilty.
In 1968, Philip Berrigan also promised to refuse to pay taxes as a protest against the Vietnam War.
Marriage and Jonah House
While still a priest, Philip Berrigan married former nun Elizabeth McAlister in 1969. They made their marriage legal in 1973. For a time, they were officially removed from the Catholic Church, but this decision was later changed. Together, they started Jonah House in Baltimore. This was a community that supported people who resisted war.
On September 9, 1980, Philip Berrigan, his brother Daniel, and six others became known as the Plowshares Eight. They entered a General Electric factory in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where parts for nuclear missiles were made. They hammered on two missile parts, poured blood on documents, and prayed for peace. This event started the Plowshares Movement.
They were arrested and faced many charges. After nearly ten years of trials, they were released. Philip Berrigan helped set up Jonah House as the main place for the Plowshares organization.
Philip Berrigan's last Plowshares action was in December 1999. He and other protesters hammered on warplanes at an Air National Guard Base. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He was released in December 2001. In his lifetime, he spent about 11 years in jails and prisons for his peaceful protests.
In one of his last public statements, Philip Berrigan encouraged people to speak out against war. He believed that ordinary people could stop leaders from going to war.
Death
Philip Berrigan passed away on December 6, 2002, at the age of 79, from liver and kidney cancer at Jonah House in Baltimore. In a final message, he said that nuclear weapons were a "curse against God, the human family, and the earth itself."
Howard Zinn, a respected professor, said that Philip Berrigan was "one of the great Americans of our time." He admired Berrigan for the sacrifices he made for his beliefs.
Philip Berrigan's funeral was held at St. Peter Claver Church in West Baltimore, and he was buried in a nearby cemetery. His wife, Elizabeth McAlister, and others still run Jonah House. Philip Berrigan's four brothers, his wife, and their three children were all involved in the peace movement.
Personal Life
Philip Berrigan and his wife Liz had three children: Frida (born 1974), Jerry (born 1975), and Kate (born 1981).
Works
- No More Strangers, Punishment for Peace ISBN: 0-345-22430-2
- Prison Journals of a Priest Revolutionary ISBN: 0-03-084513-0
- Punishment for Peace ISBN: 0-345-02430-3
- Disciples and Dissidents, 2000 Haley's, edited by Fred Wilcox, authors Steven Baggarly, Philip Berrigan, Mark Coville, Susan Crane, Steve Kelly, S.J.. Tom Lewis-Borbely
- Widen the Prison Gates ISBN: 0-671-21638-4
- Fighting the Lamb's War, 1996 (autobiography) ISBN: 1-56751-101-5
- The Times' Discipline, written with his wife about Jonah House
- A Ministry of Risk: Writings on Peace and Nonviolence, 2024 edited by Brad Wolf ISBN: 978-1-5315-0628-5
See also
- Christian anarchism
- Christian pacifism
- List of peace activists
- Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (Josephites)
Images for kids
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Elizabeth McAlister's arrest in 2001
