Episode 51
Father John Bapst, SJ ministered in Maine for years, building churches and evangelizing. But the anti-Catholic “Know Nothings” became active in the area and set their sites on Father Bapst. He was kidnapped by them, beaten, tarred, and feathered, and left for dead. He survived the attack. Eventually he became the first president of Boston College.
More Information
- Father John Bapst and the Know-Nothing Movement in Maine
- Fr. John Bapst Survives Tar & Feathers, Becomes 1st Boston College President – New England Historical Society
- Father John Bapst, S.J.: An Evangelist Among the Know Nothings – Crisis Magazine
- 164 years ago, this Bangor priest was tarred, feathered and ridden on a rail – Bangor Daily News
- Tarred and feathered — the 1854 letter of Father Bapst.
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