The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-12
CRADLE OF RELIGIOUS liberty
M A RY AND WAS THE FIRST
STRONGHOLD OF RELIGIOUS
ToLERATION IN AMERICA.

ToLERATIoN IN AMERICA.
Two hundred and eighty-two years
ago body of 300 Catholics landed at
what is now st. Mary's, Maryland.
They were under the leadership of
Leonard Calvert, son of the English
Catholic Lord Baltimore, who had OBJ
tanned charter fer the colony from
Protestant England To these few
Catholics and their intrepid followers
belongs the glory of having enacted
the first law embodying the tire spirit
of religious freedom in the. civilized
world" Richardson, Side-Lights on
Maryland History, Vol. l, p. 1922
Nor wee the colonists satisfied
with merely granting religious free
dom. Shortly after the foundation of
the colony they took steps to eliminate
all causes for needless religious strife
They passed proclamation for the
suppression of all disputes in relig-
lon, and during the Catholic occu-
pancy of the colony all offenders were
severely punished in accordance with
this law. (ArchiVes of the State of
Maryland, Vol. iv, PIP. $500
However, there are only two cases
on record in the Archives in which
this law was violated. Both the of
tenders were Catholics and both were
tried and convicted by courts COM
posed of Catholics. One of these
trials, in the light of subsequent de-
velopments, is particularly worthy of
mention, for it proves how the rights
of Protestants were respected by the
Catholic colonists.
In 1912 one Thomas Gerard, a
Catholic and member of the Colonial
Assembly, was arrested for Selling
some books and keys belonging to a
Protestant chapel. In his defense he
maintained that he had certain prop
erty rights and it was within his
privileges to seize the articles for Sc
curity. The Catholic court over-ruled
this defense and fined him so lbs. of
tobacco to be applied to the support
of the next Protestant minister who
should reach the colony. (Archives,
1637-1664, p. 119)
Religious Liberty Rescinded.
However, things did not progress in
this happy state very long In 1912
the Anglican government of Virginia
declared the Church of England to be
the religion of the State, and ordered
the deportation of all who were not of
this faith. Five years after two Puri-
tan ministers sought and found refuge
in Maryland, and were shortly joined
with large body of their followers
The Puritans, however, chaffed at the
thought of Catholics having the same
privileges as themselves and, since
the law of the colony did not disturb
them, they set out to disturb the laws
They would not take the required
oath of fidelity to the government, al
leging religious scruples, although, as
DR.. Brown aptly remarks, that seems
breaking of it when taken" George
and Cecilius Calvert, Barons of Ba1ti-
more, p. 1881
In 1854 the Puritans seized the gov
eminent, and their first legislative act
was to summon an assembly For
which assembly all such shall be dis
abled to give any vote or to be elect
ed members thereof as have borne
arms in war against the Parliament
or profess the Roman Catholic Re-
1i0ioY1 - Enoofn1 TY1Iu 1eEI Ar
chives Vol. iii, 3. 319.)
Nor was this ALL They denied to
Catholics all civil and religious privi-
leges (Bacon's Laws of Maryland,
1854 and you may read in the Ar
chives, Vol. x, PIP. 425-429 a detailed
account of how well the provisions of
this act were carried out. But when
few years later the government was
restored to Catholics, full religious lib
erty was at once re-established.
Catholicism Ostracized.
In 1892 the Anglican Church came
into power and long list of offenses
may be laid to the door of this denom-
inatiOn. During the year mentioned,
there was passed IAN Act for the Serv-
ice of Almighty God and the estab-
lishment of the Protestant Religion
within this Province" which estab-
lished the Church of England CAR
chives xiii, p. 425) and taxed for it's
support men of all denominations
(Archives xiii, p. 429, ibid p. 3D.
Seven years later the test oath"
calling for reputation of faith in the
Blessed Sacrament, in the Sacrifice of
the Mass, invocation of the Saints,
prayer to the. Blessed Mother, etc.,
was required for holding any political
office. (Archives XIV, p. 68 and Ar
chives viii, PIP. IL and 448.)
In an act passed Sept. 80, 1904,
priests were forbidden to say Mass or
exercise any of their priestly func-
lions under pain of fine and imprison-
ment. Any Catholic teaching or even
boarding young people was arrested
and sent to England for trial, while
Catholic children were urged to apos-
tatize and duty of 20 shillings was
levied on all Irish Catholics who en-
tered the colony. (Archives, Vol.