The South’s Tolerable Alien: Roman Catholics in Alabama and Georgia, 1945-1970

225 Pages·2007·1.43 MB·English

by  Andrew S. Moore

ones. Comparing the responses to the struggle to end U.S. History / Religious Studies
Jim Crow among dioceses, Moore finds that, among M The South’s Tolerale Alien
Catholics, there was no simple liberal/conservative di-
o
chotomy. Instead, he argues that, in the South, the civil The South’s Tolerale Alien Roman Catholics in Alabama and Georgia, 945–970
o
rights movement was more important than the Second
r Andrew S. Moore
Vatican Council in reshaping the social and political e
stances of the Catholic Church. “An intelligent, probing study of a much under-studied and important topic.
By describing the relationship between Catholics Roman Catholics
Andrew Moore connects Catholic and southern history to the benefit of both.” In The South’s Tolerable Alien, Andrew S. Moore probes
and Protestants in the South from a Catholic perspec- Th the role of Catholics in the post–World War II South
—John T. McGreevy, author of Catholicism and American Freedom: A History Alabama Georgia
tive, Moore demonstrates that, despite the persistence of in and
and argues persuasively that, until the 960s, religion
anti-Catholicism throughout this period, white Protes-
e 1945–1970 rivaled race as a boundary separating residents of
tants were gradually coming to terms with the modern
S the Bible Belt. Delving deep into underutilized dioc-
South’s religious pluralism. With The South’s Tolerable
o esan archives, he explores the ways in which southern
“In exploring the conflicted role of Catholics in the South during the rise of
Alien, Moore offers the first serious analysis of southern
u Catholics worked to be both good Catholics and good
Catholicism outside of Louisiana and makes an enor- the civil rights movement, Moore deepens our understanding of southern re-
t southerners in a region largely defined by Protestant
mous contribution to the study of southern religion. ligious history. The ‘solid South’ of Protestantism looks different with this rich h
denominations, and explains how the burgeoning civil
recounting of the role of the ‘tolerable alien’ and the ‘welcome, if sometimes ’s rights movement ultimately breached these religious
T
uncomfortable’ alliance with white Protestants in defense of the South’s racial barriers.
o
order. This welcome book by an excellent young scholar helps us understand With religious intolerance integral to southern
l
the role of Catholics in the heart of the Bible Belt.” e Protestant identity, anti-Catholicism persisted longer
r in the South than in any other part of the country. Yet
—Paul Harvey, author of Freedom’s Coming: Religious Culture and the Shaping of a
despite the prejudices against them, southern Catho-

the South from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era l lics refused to shrink from public view, creating a sep-
e
arate subculture to sustain their religious identity as

A they marked out public sacred space from which they
l could engage their critics. Moore describes in detail the
i
e Catholics’ civic displays and public rituals—including
n the diocese of Mobile-Birmingham’s annual Christ the
King celebrations, which featured downtown parades
Andrew S. Moore is an assistant professor of history
of over 25,000 people. More than mere assertions of
at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
their presence, these pageants provided Catholics with
opportunities to craft a secular identity within the
Louisiana State University Press American mainstream.
Louisiana State University Press Press Baton Rouge 70803 As Moore maintains, the rise of the civil rights move-
Baton Rouge 70803 niversity smoeuntht esrlonwerlys adsi mviionleisnhte cdo rneflriogniotautsi otennss iino nS ealmmoa nagn dw Bhiitre-
U
www.lsu.edu/lsupress na State mstainndgh. Oamnc feo trhcee dc iCvial trhigohlitcss m, aosv wemelel nats woaths einrs f,u tlol stwakine ga,
uisia either support for or opposition to racial desegregation
007 Lo IìS<B(Ns9k7)8k-0(-=8b0d71c-b3c21i2< -8+ ^ -Ä - U -Ä-U> Andrew S. Moore became paramount and contributed to social and polit-
© 2 ical realignments along racial lines instead of religious
Printed in U.S.A. Jacket design by Barbara Neely Bourgoyne
MooreALIENjacket.indd 1 1/10/07 1:30:54 PM
The South’s Tolerale Alien

The South’s Tolerale Alien
Roman Catholics
Alabama Georgia
in and
1945–1970

Andrew S. Moore
Louisiana State University Press
Baton Rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2007 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing
Designer: Barbara Neely Bourgoyne
Typeface: Adobe Minion Pro, text; Brioso Pro, display
Printer and binder: Edwards Brothers, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moore, Andrew S., 968–
The South’s tolerable alien : Roman Catholics in Alabama and Georgia,
945–970 / Andrew S. Moore.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-3: 978-0-807-322-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
. Catholics—Alabama—History—20th century. 2. Catholics—
Georgia—History—20th century. 3. Alabama—Social conditions—20th
century. 4. Georgia—Social conditions—20th century. 5. Alabama—
Race relations—History—20th century. 6. Georgia—Race relations—
History—20th century. 7. Catholic Church—Alabama—History—20th
century. 8. Catholic Church—Georgia—History—20th century. 9.
Alabama—Church history. 0. Georgia—Church history. I. Title.
F335.C3M66 2007
975.0088'282—dc22
200605760
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
Council on Library Resources. ∞
fo Christie

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
—Proverbs 8:22

Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Good Catholics and Good Citizens 
. The Intolerable Alien: Catholics as “Other” in the South 
2. A Group Apart: Sacred Space and Catholic Identity
at Mid-Century 38
3. Southern Liberal in the South: Father Albert S. Foley and
Race Relations in the 940s and 950s 63
4. Practicing What We Preach: The Archdiocese of Atlanta
and Liberal Race Relations 85
5. Not Practicing What We Preach: Alabama and
Conservative Race Relations 2
6. Race, Vatican II, and the Catholic Crisis of Authority 38
Conclusion: The “Tolerable Alien” in the Modern South 6
Notes 65
Bibliography 97
Index 207
vii

Acknowledgments

In completing this book and the dissertation upon which it is based,
just about the only thing I did alone was sit in front of my computer
and put fingers to keys. It seems that at every other stage of the pro-
cess I enjoyed support and assistance that deserve more in return than
mere acknowledgment. Alas, that is all I have to offer; so offer it I do
with gratitude and humility.
Anthony R. Dees, of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, was the
type of archivist all researchers appreciate but few are fortunate to find.
In addition to running a tight ship in the archdiocesan archives, Tony
befriended me and took a personal interest in my project. His succes-
sor, John Hanley, has been helpful since Tony’s retirement. In Mobile,
Alabama, Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb kindly allowed me access to
Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen’s and Bishop John L. May’s papers. And
Bernadette Mathews graciously accommodated me in the chancery
and made photocopies for me. Charles Boyle, archivist at Spring Hill
College in Mobile, gave me complete access to Father Albert Foley’s
papers. The late Sister Mary Victory, archivist for the Catholic Diocese
of Savannah, was always a delight and never failed to remind me that
she was praying for me. Gillian Brown, the current archivist in Savan-
nah, has been helpful since I completed my research. Elisa Baldwin, of
the University of South Alabama’s archives, graciously accommodated
me when I dropped in unannounced one day. At the Diocese of Bir-
mingham in Alabama, Sister Mary Frances Loftin, D.C., permitted me
free access to the archives, and Gerry Nabors kindly photocopied tran-
scripts from the Oral History Collection for me. Finally, Carol Ellis,
then of the University of South Alabama (now at Rice University),
shared Joan Sage’s unpublished memoirs with me.
ix