and they shall beat their swords into plowshares
April 30, 2016 5:02 PM Subscribe
Father Daniel Berrigan, SJ - teacher, poet, and Jesuit priest; lionhearted activist for peace and FBI Ten Most Wanted alum; who set Vietnam War draft files on fire with homemade napalm, co-founded the Plowshares Movement to end nuclear war and weaponry, ministered to men and women with AIDS at St. Vincent's starting in 1984, and Occupied Wall Street in his late 80s - has died at age 94, on the 41st anniversary of the Vietnam War's end. He loved a good arrest photo.
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posted by lalochezia at 5:07 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by lalochezia at 5:07 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by Sing Or Swim at 5:07 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by Sing Or Swim at 5:07 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by Smart Dalek at 5:19 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:19 PM on April 30, 2016
. In hope of peace. His, and the world's.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
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I read The Geography of Faith shortly after college, and it was one of the first times that I really started to understand both the upheavals that happened before I was born and also the distinction between "liberal" and "leftist" ideology.
posted by selfnoise at 5:21 PM on April 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
I read The Geography of Faith shortly after college, and it was one of the first times that I really started to understand both the upheavals that happened before I was born and also the distinction between "liberal" and "leftist" ideology.
posted by selfnoise at 5:21 PM on April 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by mostly vowels at 5:22 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by mostly vowels at 5:22 PM on April 30, 2016
Via James Martin, SJ: Daniel Berrigan's 'Ten Commandments.'
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [6 favorites]
Peace, man.
posted by wormwood23 at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wormwood23 at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
I had no right / but for the love of you
posted by zamboni at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 5:24 PM on April 30, 2016 [4 favorites]
He was the best of what it can mean to be a Catholic, an activist, an American, a human. And I find it so appropriate that someone who often spent time as a "fugitive from injustice" (as he put it) and entangled with our judicial system had a name meaning "God is my judge."
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posted by sallybrown at 5:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [17 favorites]
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posted by sallybrown at 5:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [17 favorites]
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posted by dinty_moore at 5:29 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by dinty_moore at 5:29 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by quazichimp at 5:32 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by quazichimp at 5:32 PM on April 30, 2016
Thank you for your service, Father.
posted by irisclara at 5:33 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by irisclara at 5:33 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by carping demon at 5:40 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by carping demon at 5:40 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by Maastrictian at 5:47 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by Maastrictian at 5:47 PM on April 30, 2016
Ahimsa and satyagraha, no matter what language.
Thank you for sharing. I read all the links.
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posted by infini at 5:51 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Thank you for sharing. I read all the links.
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posted by infini at 5:51 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Looking Back In Gratitude: A conversation with Daniel Berrigan. " “I could have done sooner the things I did, like Catonsville,” he replied. That historic act of burning draft files took place in the parking lot of a U.S. Selective Service Office in Catonsville, outside Baltimore, Md., on May 17, 1968. ... Before the stunned eyes of Selective Service employees, several of the group lifted the files from their drawer marked A1 and carried them out to the parking lot, because, said Berrigan, “we didn’t want to endanger anyone in the office.”"
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:56 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:56 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
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My mother took me to meet him a couple of times on marches. Definitely one of the people who influenced my view of the world. I always thought I was lucky to have shared a name with him.
posted by herda05 at 6:01 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
My mother took me to meet him a couple of times on marches. Definitely one of the people who influenced my view of the world. I always thought I was lucky to have shared a name with him.
posted by herda05 at 6:01 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:13 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:13 PM on April 30, 2016
What? No. No.
posted by joycehealy at 6:20 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by joycehealy at 6:20 PM on April 30, 2016
... and immortalized in song: "(...) the press let the story leak, and when the radical priest come to get me released, we was all on the cover of Newsweek." --Paul Simon ("Me and Julio...)
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 6:23 PM on April 30, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 6:23 PM on April 30, 2016 [11 favorites]
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posted by praemunire at 6:30 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by praemunire at 6:30 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by viramamunivar at 6:31 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by viramamunivar at 6:31 PM on April 30, 2016
Those Jesuits, setting the world on fire.
I did not know about Fr Berrigan. Thank you for sharing this.
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posted by kellygrape at 6:32 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I did not know about Fr Berrigan. Thank you for sharing this.
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posted by kellygrape at 6:32 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I have a relative who marched with him several times and was a Catholic activist in the same circles and organizations; she was a suburban housewife mother of three who used to sometimes just tell her husband, "Hey, get dinner for the kids, I'm probably going to get arrested today," and she and her nun BFF would head off to a Vietnam War protest or a nuclear protest or whatever, and sometimes they'd be home on time and sometimes they'd be in jail.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:43 PM on April 30, 2016 [33 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:43 PM on April 30, 2016 [33 favorites]
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My favorite quote of his is "You have to struggle to stay alive and be of use as long as you can." Amen. He worked among people who feel that struggle. People who feel used up, discarded, invisible, useless. And I lean on this quote so often when people share their struggles with me. While they may not see an end to that struggle there is an alleviation of suffering, there is healing, there is help to be found in offering mercy to the guilty, love to the abandoned, and care to the broken.
I've spent the last ten years as a Catholic Worker. This man, his ideas, his actions, and the movement that sprung up around him have taken such a huge role in my life. The man was never content to merely be outraged, no - his rage always held an element of theatricality. I consider myself lucky to have learned from him, to have spent time with him, his descendants and disciples, to have developed a vocabulary of the heart steeped in all this.
I'm sorry to see Father Berrigan go, but I'm glad he lived long enough to see generations after him take up his work.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 6:50 PM on April 30, 2016 [29 favorites]
My favorite quote of his is "You have to struggle to stay alive and be of use as long as you can." Amen. He worked among people who feel that struggle. People who feel used up, discarded, invisible, useless. And I lean on this quote so often when people share their struggles with me. While they may not see an end to that struggle there is an alleviation of suffering, there is healing, there is help to be found in offering mercy to the guilty, love to the abandoned, and care to the broken.
I've spent the last ten years as a Catholic Worker. This man, his ideas, his actions, and the movement that sprung up around him have taken such a huge role in my life. The man was never content to merely be outraged, no - his rage always held an element of theatricality. I consider myself lucky to have learned from him, to have spent time with him, his descendants and disciples, to have developed a vocabulary of the heart steeped in all this.
I'm sorry to see Father Berrigan go, but I'm glad he lived long enough to see generations after him take up his work.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 6:50 PM on April 30, 2016 [29 favorites]
Homeskillet, I would be really interested in what it means to be a Catholic Worker , on a day-to-day basis.
(Also, "homeskillet" is actually what I call my older brothers when I call them on the phone.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
(Also, "homeskillet" is actually what I call my older brothers when I call them on the phone.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
A quote
“Your faith is rarely where your head is at and rarely where your heart is at. Your faith is where your ass is at! Inside what commitments are you sitting? Within what reality do you anchor yourself?”
He suggested that the inscription over his grave might read: “It was never dull. Alleluia.”
A conversation with Daniel Berrigan
In spite of his very catholic view on abortion a very admirable man.
We need more of his ilk.
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posted by adamvasco at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
“Your faith is rarely where your head is at and rarely where your heart is at. Your faith is where your ass is at! Inside what commitments are you sitting? Within what reality do you anchor yourself?”
He suggested that the inscription over his grave might read: “It was never dull. Alleluia.”
A conversation with Daniel Berrigan
In spite of his very catholic view on abortion a very admirable man.
We need more of his ilk.
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posted by adamvasco at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
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posted by likeatoaster at 7:39 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by likeatoaster at 7:39 PM on April 30, 2016
... and sometimes they'd be home on time and sometimes they'd be in jail.
Which is why this shitty, two income, dead union, "entitlement" clawback economy is working out so much better for the powers that be.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:56 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Which is why this shitty, two income, dead union, "entitlement" clawback economy is working out so much better for the powers that be.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:56 PM on April 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I read a book by Daniel Berrigan, who was later to become a good friend, about the resistance action he and his brother had carried out in Catonsville, Maryland, where they burned Selective Service files. In the book, he asked why more people weren't following their example. For me, it was like a Zen experience, a flash of light going through me. That's it! That's what I should be doing! It was scary, but it was also clear, that's what I should do.- The Strength Not to Fight, p47
These are some of my dad's words, telling part of the story of how he napalmed draft files and spent a few years in prison. He was, amazingly, able to meet and spend some time with Dan right after his prison release. He stayed in touch and remained a strong influence in my dad's life. He will be missed deeply.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:19 PM on April 30, 2016 [11 favorites]
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posted by jim in austin at 8:29 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by jim in austin at 8:29 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by pdxjmorris at 8:33 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by pdxjmorris at 8:33 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by cotton dress sock at 8:47 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:47 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by dialetheia at 9:19 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by dialetheia at 9:19 PM on April 30, 2016
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posted by but no cigar at 9:40 PM on April 30, 2016
posted by but no cigar at 9:40 PM on April 30, 2016
Prince, Bowie and Abe Vigoda all just moved down a notch on the list of "2016's Most Significant Deaths."
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:05 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:05 PM on April 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescat in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:00 AM on May 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 2:00 AM on May 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Daniel Berrigan, hero, was a beacon of hope and courage during the hopeless Reagan war machine years. I celebrate him.
posted by mississippi at 3:10 AM on May 1, 2016
posted by mississippi at 3:10 AM on May 1, 2016
"Know where you stand and stand there."
- Daniel Berrigan's commencement speech at Xavier High School (full text).
RIP
posted by crazylegs at 5:13 AM on May 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
- Daniel Berrigan's commencement speech at Xavier High School (full text).
RIP
posted by crazylegs at 5:13 AM on May 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
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posted by JoeXIII007 at 6:02 AM on May 1, 2016
posted by JoeXIII007 at 6:02 AM on May 1, 2016
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posted by mondo dentro at 7:19 AM on May 1, 2016
posted by mondo dentro at 7:19 AM on May 1, 2016
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I had the honor of playing a role in a staged reading of a script that Daniel Berrigan wrote. It was based on the trial of the Catonsville nine who broke into a selective service office and poured blood on the files. He played himself, and it was incredibly powerful to stand on stage next to him and hear him read the words he had said to the judge at the time. What a loss.
posted by umbú at 7:58 AM on May 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
I had the honor of playing a role in a staged reading of a script that Daniel Berrigan wrote. It was based on the trial of the Catonsville nine who broke into a selective service office and poured blood on the files. He played himself, and it was incredibly powerful to stand on stage next to him and hear him read the words he had said to the judge at the time. What a loss.
posted by umbú at 7:58 AM on May 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
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posted by heurtebise at 8:43 AM on May 1, 2016
posted by heurtebise at 8:43 AM on May 1, 2016
An important figure for peace and social justice, and for Ithaca NY back in the day (where I live).
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posted by aught at 11:43 AM on May 1, 2016
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posted by aught at 11:43 AM on May 1, 2016
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posted by RolandOfEld at 5:19 PM on May 1, 2016
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:19 PM on May 1, 2016
“A Daniel Berrigan Reading List,” Sojourners, March 2010
posted by ob1quixote at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Democracy Now dedicated today's episode entirely to Father Berrigan:
RIP Father Daniel Berrigan: Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Antiwar Priest & Poet
posted by homunculus at 4:52 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
RIP Father Daniel Berrigan: Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Antiwar Priest & Poet
posted by homunculus at 4:52 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by benito.strauss at 5:06 PM on April 30, 2016