The Battle for St. Mary’s Pulpit
A bitter ethnic divide pits Irish and American parishioners against the church hierarchy in Tacoma.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Members of St. Mary's Catholic church in Tacoma have received word that their appeal to Mgr. Satolli regarding a decision by Bishop Yunger has been refused. Led by Policeman John O'Connor and ex-Commissioner John McGoldrick, a group of 500 parishioners claims that while Tacoma has several priests, they are exclusively Belgian or German due to the influence of Bishop Yunger and Father Hylebos. The Irish and American Catholics have demanded an English-speaking priest. St. Mary’s, which owns eight lots at the corner of Yakima Avenue and 24th Street valued at $10,000, has been without a pastor for two years. The congregation has vowed to withhold financial contributions to local denominational objects until their grievances are addressed.
“Mr. Connor says that he will agitate the matter until St. Mary's gets its rights, cost what they will.”
Parish conflicts over language and ethnicity in the 1890s reflect the ongoing struggle for representation within religious institutions as they adapt to diverse immigrant demographics. The spatial footprint of this dispute—the corner of Yakima and 24th—remains a historic site of Tacoma's development.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.