M ONTHL Y N EWS L ETTER OF A NCIENT O RDER OF H IBERNIANS DIVISION 87, P ORT R ICHMOND , P HILADELPHIA , PA 19124
C HARTERED A PRIL 14, 1898—D AILY P RACTICING O UR M OTTO OF F RIENDSHIP , U NITY AND T RUE C HRISTIAN C HARITY
T HE B RIMMER
H AIL M ARY , F ULL
OF
G RACE
V OL . 119, I SSUE 7/8
S PECIAL P OINTS
OF I NTEREST
P RESIDENT ’ S MESSAGE
B
rothers, welcome to the
Dog Days of Summer!
Beat the Heat-Drink
Cold Beers at the always Air
Conditioned BinLids!
On Friday, Aug. 26, the
Carr-Stone-Carr Golf Outing will
take place at Juniata GC. It’s a 1
p.m. shotgun start. The price is
$90 and includes: shirt, prizes,
box lunch and after party. The
after party and awards ceremony
will be at the club (price for just
after party is $30). This is always a
great event; our Brother Jimmy
HiFi Carr does a great job putting
this together. This legacy golf
tournament was started in 2005
and is dedicated to the memory of;
Mary and Pat Carr, Patrick J.
Carr, Danny Stone and Daniel P.
Carr. And this year we will also be fondly remembering Anne and Tom McGovern.
No longer with us in person, but their legacies of love, laughter, friendship and true Christian Charity are alive and well in all of us.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Monday, Aug. 15, and commemorates the death of Mary and her bodily assumption into Heaven, before her
body could begin to decay — a foreshadowing of our own bodily resurrection at
the end of time. Because it signifies the Blessed Virgin's passing into eternal life, it is
the most important of all Marian feasts and a holy day of obligation. Our AOH
brothers in Ireland take this feast day very seriously and hold an annual march on
this date. Like always this march will be a dignified, peaceful and spiritual march
unlike the contentious parades that were witnessed this past July 12 from the Orange Orders.
In July, the national AOH elected a new E-board at the Atlantic City Convention. The Order’s new officers are: National President Judge James McKay
(Continued on page 6)

National AOH adopts “One
Ireland, One Vote” resolution.
Page 3

Kensington was ground zero
for the 19th century Nativist
riots.
Pages 4-5

Carr-Stone-Carr golf outing
is right around the corner.
Page 6

Details for 35th anniversary
Hunger Strike Mass.
Page 7
I NSIDE
THIS ISSUE :
O FFICERS LIST
2
M EETING
3
S ICK / DECEASED
3
1916 S OCIETIES
3
N ATIVIST RIOTS
4-5
C ARR -S TONE C ARR GOLF
6
H UNGER STRIKE
M ASS
6
M ALVERN RETREAT 7
D UES F ORM
7
C LUB R ENTALS
7
P AGE 2
T HE B RIMMER
D IV 87 C LERGY AND O FFICERS
H OME B OARD
Chaplain
Rev. Joseph Howarth
Resurrection of Our Lord
2000 Shelmire Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19152
215-745-3211
Standing Committee
Edward “Obie” O’Brien
3156 Aramingo Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19134
215-739-6560
215-300-6332
Chairman
Tom Lavelle Jr.
6 Nancy Dr.
Richboro, PA 18954-1325
215-942-9745
Deacon in Residence
Thomas McGovern
57 E. Main St.
High Bridge, NJ 08829
908-692-5095
[email protected]
Marshal
James Hughes
15050 Endicott St.
Philadelphia, PA 19116-1508
215-671-1361
[email protected]
President
James Lockhart Jr.
2442 E. Lehigh Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125-2347
267-226-8843
[email protected]
Sentinel
John Jones
11867 Colman Terrace
Philadelphia, PA 19154-2510
267-608-9694
[email protected]
Vice President
Gene Long III
7142 Cottage St.
Philadelphia, PA 19135-1202
215-594-9935
[email protected]
Immediate Past President
Chris Asinos
2021 Griffith St.
Philadelphia, PA 19152-3201
215-284-4275
[email protected]
Recording Secretary
Patrick Dever
2657 E. Schiller St.
Philadelphia, PA 19134-5412
609-760-4899
[email protected]
Historian
Robert McConomy
3214 Miller St
Philadelphia, PA 19134
215-426-1779
Financial Secretary
Sean Coyne
1438 Dreshertown Road
Dresher, PA 19025
610-405-8466
[email protected]
Treasurer
Brian Miracle
11622 Proctor Road
Philadelphia, PA 19116
215-514-8541
Catholic Action
Tom McDonald Sr.
5115 Roosevelt Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19124
Pro-Life
Joseph Golden
2318 Ripley St
Philadelphia, PA 19152
Financial Officer
Chuck Welsh Jr.
2817 Sellers St.
Philadelphia, PA 19137-1922
Recording Secretary
James McGinley
3255 Glenview St
Philadelphia, PA 19149
215-331-6239
Trustees
James Lockhart Jr.
2442 E. Lehigh Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125-2347
267-226-8843
[email protected]
Brian Miracle
11622 Proctor Road
Philadelphia, PA 19116
215-514-8541
Club Steward
Thomas Wenger
4050 E. Cheltenham Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19124
215-288-8140
Webmaster
John Jones
11867 Colman Terrace
Philadelphia, PA 19154-2510
267-608-9694
[email protected]
The Brimmer
Bill Kenny, editor
8606 Glenloch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19136
267-249-1768
[email protected]
J ULY /A UGUST 2016
P AGE 3
1916 S OCIETIES
AOH National Convention Endorses
“One Ireland, One Vote”
The 1916 Societies are pleased to learn that the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an important organization within
the Irish Diaspora in the United States, has unanimously endorsed a resolution put to their National Convention in
Atlantic City on July 14th, welcoming and lending support to our 'One Ireland One Vote' initiative.
'One Ireland One Vote' is the flagship campaign of the 1916 Societies - an Irish separatist movement we believe
that the Irish Republic should be a Sovereign Independent United Country. The 1916 Societies are committed to
fostering and promoting Irish unity as set out in the 1916 Proclamation. The 1916 Societies believe in the right of the
Irish people to national self-determination. We demand that this right is recognised in the form of a 32 county referendum on Irish Unity.
The 1916 Societies call on all to unite behind a declaration of the self-evident truth. “The people who live in Ireland are
best placed to make the decisions that affect Ireland.
Only an all inclusive 32 county referendum can insure true democracy.
Our vision for a 'New All-Ireland Republic' is now
gaining traction among the Irish Diaspora, something we
N EXT D IV . 87 M EETING
are immensely proud of given the connections that have
long existed between Irish America and the Republican
Movement, connections we know to be of utmost imporTues., Aug. 9, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
tance to the cause of Irish Independence.
Donnelly Hall, 2171 Wakeling St.
Moving forward, republicanism and its hopes for a
united and free Ireland, while faced with massive challenges, yes, finds itself in a position whereby a changing
S ICK AND D ECEASED
world brings new opportunities.
In that context, we consider that our 'One Ireland
Please offer your prayers for the sick and
One Vote' proposal offers an effective platform to press
souls of the deceased listed below
ahead and maximize those same opportunities, holding
Committee for the sick: Erin Martin, Jerry
likewise that the endorsement by the AOH is a significant Blaney, Tom O'Donnell, Betty Joe Dougherty, John
development towards that end, as the campaign for Irish
McCaul, Mary Ellen Clay, Karen Wallace, Theresa
Independence enters what we hope will prove its final
Flaherty, Carmen Scotti, Marisa McAneny, Jamie
phase.
White, Amy Heron Dougherty, Charlie Dougherty,
'One Ireland One Vote' is a proposal by the 1916 Mike Mroz, Ernie Dever, Laureen White, Mrs. Betsy
Societies for an All-Ireland Referendum on Irish
Gibbons, Joe Dolan, Jack Irving, John McCool, Tom
Unity.
Neville, John Keller Jr., Dennie Hennigan, Steve TierIt contends:
ney, Quinn McCook, Jane Lockhart .
1. The Irish people have the right to selfDeceased: Mrs. McGovern, The 5 Dallas Officers,
determination in a Sovereign Republic that embodies Monsignor Kelly, Jim Burns, Jim Lafferty, Nancy Murthat right;
phy, Mary Moretti, The Victims in the Orlando Shoot2. A New and All-Ireland Republic, in line with
ing, Rita Grillone, Matt Levy, Colin McGovern, John
the 1916 Proclamation, should proceed from a NaMoran, Mark Power, Mike Sweeten, Len Skonsky, Ed
tional Referendum on Irish Unity.
Snyder
P AGE 4
T HE B RIMMER
N ATIVIST RIOTS
When Philadelphia was the center of
anti-Irish Catholic riots
By Zachary M. Schrag
Source: www.IrishCentral.com
Editor’s Note: Though known as the “City of
Brotherly Love” and the home of the 2016 Democratic
National Convention, back in 1844 Philadelphia
hosted one of the biggest ever anti Irish Catholic riots,
known as the ”Bible Riots,” after rumors spread that
Catholics were removing bibles from public schools. On
Monday night at the DNC, Philadelphia Mayor Jim
Kenney (an Irish Catholic himself) used his time at the
podium to take a look back at the days when the Know
Nothings and Bible Riots darkened his city’s streets,
and linked their attitudes and beliefs to those expressed
last week at the Republican National Convention.
"The Know-Nothings have returned, and last week, in Cleveland they vowed to take their country back this November," he said.
"Whether our families came to this country in 1776 or 1976 or 2016, this country belongs to all of us.” The following is the history of the Bible Riots.
In May and July 1844, Philadelphia suffered some of the bloodiest rioting of the antebellum period, as antiimmigrant mobs attacked Irish-American homes and Roman Catholic churches before being suppressed by the militia. The violence was part of a wave of riots that convulsed American cities starting in the 1830s. Yet even amid this
tumult, they stand out for their duration, itself a product of nativist determination to use xenophobia for political
gain. In the aftermath of the riots, shocked Philadelphians began debating new methods of maintaining order, a discussion that contributed to the consolidation of Philadelphia County in 1854.
Ethnic and religious antagonism had a long history in the city. Since the 1780s, Irish textile workers had come to
Philadelphia after losing their jobs to mechanization in the British Isles. As early as 1828, when an off-duty watchman
was killed after disparaging “bloody Irish transports,” Catholic presence had provoked anxiety among American- and
Irish-born Protestants. In 1831, Irish Catholics battled along Fifth Street with Protestants celebrating the anniversary
of the Battle of the Boyne.
Anti-Catholic agitation increased in the early 1840s, organized in part around a perceived threat to the Bible in
the public schools. Catholic Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick (1796-1863), an Irish immigrant himself, objected to
Protestant teachers’ leading students in singing Protestant hymns and requiring them to read from the King James
Bible. Nativists used Kenrick’s complaints to gain followers. In 1842, dozens of Protestant clergymen formed the
American Protestant Association to defend America from Romanism. In early 1843, editor Lewis Levin (1808-60)
made the Daily Sun an organ for attacks against Catholicism and Catholic immigration, and in December of that year,
he helped found a nativist political party called the American Republican Association.
Bible Reading as Flashpoint
In 1844, the Bible controversy intensified in the district of Kensington, a suburb to the northeast of Philadelphia
City and home to many Irish immigrants, both Protestant and Catholic. In February, Hugh Clark (1796-1862), a
Catholic school director there, suggested suspending Bible reading until the school board could devise a policy ac-
J ULY /A UGUST 2016
P AGE 5
N ATIVIST RIOTS
ceptable to Catholics and Protestants alike. Nativists saw
this as a threat to their liberty and as a chance to mobilize voters, and they rallied by the thousands in Independence Square. On May 3, 1844 they rallied in Kensington itself but were chased away.
The first serious violence broke out three days later.
On May 6, the nativists reassembled in Kensington, provoking another fight, during which a young nativist
named George Shiffler (1825-44) was fatally shot. By
day’s end, a second man—apparently a bystander—was
dead, and several more nativists were wounded, two
mortally. The next day, the First Brigade of the Pennsylvania Militia, commanded by Brigadier General George
Cadwalader (1806-79), responded to the sheriff’s call
for help. The troops faced little direct resistance, but
they proved unable to stop people from starting new
fires. On May 8, mobs gutted several private dwellings
(including Hugh Clark’s house), a Catholic seminary,
and two Catholic churches: St. Michael’s at Second
Street and Master and St. Augustine’s at Fourth and
Vine. Only a flood of new forces—including citizen posses, city police, militia companies arriving from other
cities, and U.S. army and navy troops—ended the violence by May 10.
The city remained superficially calm for the next
eight weeks, but both nativists and Catholics anticipated
further violence. In Southwark—an independent district
south of Philadelphia City and a seat of nativist
strength—a Catholic priest’s brother began stockpiling
weapons in the basement of the Church of St. Philip de
Neri on Queen Street. On Friday, July 5, a crowd of
thousands gathered to demand the weapons. When the
crowd reassembled the following day, the sheriff requested militia troops, and Cadwalader led about two
hundred into Southwark. Saturday ended without bloodshed, but the situation remained tense, with a small
group of militia—some of them Irish Catholics themselves—guarding the church and a group of nativist prisoners inside it.
Armed Clash in Southwark
On Sunday, July 7, the crowd reassembled, and this
time it armed itself with cannon. Egged on by nativist
speakers, the crowd forced the militia to surrender the
church and its prisoners. Cadwalader returned to Southwark about sunset at the head of a column and tried to
clear the area around the church. When the crowd attacked the militia with bricks, stones, and bottles, the
militia fired on them, killing at least two and wounding
more. Starting around 9pm, the crowd counterattacked.
For the next four hours, rioters and militia battled in the
streets of Southwark, with both sides firing cannon. By
morning, four militiamen and probably a dozen rioters
were dead, along with many more wounded. Southwark’s aldermen negotiated the militia’s withdrawal
from their district, but thousands of militia troops from
other parts of the state arrived to patrol the City of
Philadelphia.
Although American cities, particularly Philadelphia,
had endured a surge of riots since the early 1830s, few
individual riots lasted for more than a day, making the
1844 riots extreme in their severity and duration. While
some of the violence had been spontaneous, the ambitions of the nativist newspapers and political party in an
election year likely sustained nativist fury through the
spring and summer. Though the riots were more than
the simple transplantation of anti-Catholic violence from
Northern Ireland, they echoed the deliberate provocation seen there.
The riots did not resolve the place of the Irish in the
city. On the one hand, few Philadelphians were willing
to endorse publicly the attacks on Catholics, and more
than two thousand Philadelphians signed an address
praising the militia’s use of “lawful force which unlawful
force made necessary.” On the other hand, in the October elections, amid the heaviest turnout in Philadelphia’s
history, Levin and another nativist won congressional
seats and other nativists took lesser posts.
Meanwhile, Philadelphians began discussing plans
for a stronger police force to deter future riots. In April
1845, the legislature passed a law requiring each major
city and district of Philadelphia County to support at
least one police officer for each 150 taxable inhabitants,
and in 1850 it created a new Philadelphia Police District
to cover the entire metropolitan area, including the outlying districts of Kensington and Southwark. Though not
the sole cause, these steps contributed to the consolidation of Philadelphia County into a single government in
1854. 
* This article has been taken from the Philadelphia Encylopedia website, a project created by Rutgers University.
P AGE 6
T HE B RIMMER
(Continued from page 1)
(New Orleans), National Vice President Danny O'Connell (Ohio), National Secretary Jere Cole (New Jersey), National Treasurer Sean Pender (New Jersey). The national directors are Liam McNabb (New York), Dan Dennehy
(New York), Tom O'Donnell (Pennsylvania), Bill Sullivan (Massachusetts), Dennis Parks (Ohio) and John Wilson
(Missouri).
Let’s keep our new officers in our prayers. Nominations for Div. 87’s Home Board will be taken next month
(Sept. 12). Nominations for Executive Board will be taken in October. If you feel strongly about your Irish heritage,
your Catholic faith and our Hibernian Tradition, I urge you to consider running for office. Give Back to 87, what 87
Has Given You! In Our Motto,
Jimmy
P AGE 7
J ULY /A UGUST 2016
C HANGE
Hunger Strike
OF
A DDRESS & D UES
Member ID#, 36PH87____________
Name__________________________________
Commemoration Mass
New Address_____________________________
35th anniversary
State__________________________ Zip_______
Join the Philadelphia area Irish community
At the Irish Memorial
(Front and Chestnut streets)
On Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m.
Gathering to follow at The Plough & The Stars
(123 Chestnut Street).
With live music by Raymond Coleman
And discounted menu.
Call Bob Dougherty at 610-996-2016
Or Pat Bonner at 215-724-3992
For information.
Email___________________________________
AOH Div. 87 Catholic Action Committee:
Invites all members to an
Overnight Retreat
at Malvern House
315 S. Warren Ave.
Malvern, PA, 19355
Aug. 12-13-14
Reconnect with your faith and your brothers,
while rejuvenating yourself.
Details will be available at the Div. 87 meeting.
See Tony Donahue for info.
City____________________________________
Home Phone______________________________
Amount Paid ($35/year)___________
Check ___ Cash ____ Date______________
This form must be submitted to the Financial Secretary
when you change your address:
Sean Coyne
1438 Dreshertown Road
Dresher, PA 19025
610-405-8466 / [email protected]
Dues: $35 per Year!
C LUB R ENTALS
Hall Rental : 4 Hours
$275 for non-members
$250 for members
$225 for Brick Members
$30 for bartender
$30 cleanup
Overtime on rentals is available for an additional $75, with a
1-hour limit.
Beer (per 1/2 barrel)…………………………….……
Liquor (per liter)…………………………….………..
Premium Liquor (per liter)…………………………….
Wine (1/2 gallon)…………………………….……….
Soda (case)………………………………….…………
Orange Juice (1/2 gallon)…………………….………..
Table Covers (each)………………………….………..
Wine Coolers (case)……………………………….…..
Non-alcoholic Beer (O’Doul’s) case…………………….
Ice (40lbs)………………………………………….…
To arrange for rental of the hall,
Contact Gene Long at 215-594-9935
* Call for prices.
*
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Mailing Label Must Go Here
D IVISION 87
A NCIENT O RDER OF H IBERNIANS
I N A MERICA , I NC
2171 W AKELING S T
P HILADELPHIA , PA 19124
AOH D IVISION 87
P ORT R ICHMOND
2171 Wakeling St
Philadelphia, PA 19124
215-533-7070
A LL E VENT L ISTINGS A T
WWW.AOH87.COM
FRIENDSHIP, UNITY AND
CHRISTIAN CHARITY
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a Catholic, Irish American Fraternal Organization, whose members strive to live by our motto of Friendship, Unity and True Christian Charity. If you are interested in joining
our organization, you must be of Irish decent and a practicing Catholic.
Go to www.AOH87.com for more information on joining Division 87—
Port Richmond.