The Catonsville Nine

Play depicting the trial of a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters who raided the offices of the draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned some of the files in May 1968, by one of the protestors.

In the spring of 1968, a group of Catholic antiwar activists barged into a draft board in suburban Baltimore, stole hundreds of Selective Service records, and burned the documents in a fire fueled by homemade napalm. The bold actions of the ''Catonsville Nine'' quickly became international news, and they remained in the headlines throughout the summer and fall of 1968, when the activists were tried in federal court. Shawn Francis Peters tells the fascinating story of this singular witness for peace and social justice.

The trial of the 'Catonsville Nine' was held in a Baltimore Federal court, October 5-9, 1968. A verdict of guilty was returned against each defendant on each of three counts: destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service records, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967. In composing this book, I have worked directly with the data of the trial record, somewhat in the manner of the new 'factual theater.'

In the spring of 1968, a group of Catholic antiwar activists barged into a draft board in suburban Baltimore, stole hundreds of Selective Service records, and burned the documents in a fire fueled by homemade napalm. The bold actions of the ''Catonsville Nine'' quickly became international news, and they remained in the headlines throughout the summer and fall of 1968, when the activists were tried in federal court. Shawn Francis Peters tells the fascinating story of this singular witness for peace and social justice.

Catonsville, a major suburb of Baltimore, retains much of its early 19th-century, genteel country-estate charm. In 1810, Charles Carroll bestowed the land that is now Catonsville upon his daughter, Mary, and her husband, Richard Caton. The Frederick Turnpike helped the area grow, and many estates and farms cultivated the community. By 1880, it was the preferred summer retreat from the heat of Baltimore City for some of Maryland's most prosperous merchants. The completion of the Catonsville Short Line Railroad in 1884 made the burg attractive to middle-income families; a diverse village was born. Highlighted in this volume are many long-gone homes, mansions, and institutions such as Castle Thunder, Ingleside, Nancy's Fancy, Catonsville Casino, Farmlands, and Arden, the centerpiece of Eden Terrace. Featured as well are monuments that still stand today: Uplands Mansion, Homewood, James Gary's Summit, Hilton, St. Mark Catholic Church, St. Charles College, Old Salem Lutheran Church, Mt. de Sales Academy, Belle Grove, numerous Victorian manors, and the early 20th-century homes that completed this hamlet.

In July 2012, a Holy Child sister and two Catholic Workers committed the largest breach in US nuclear security history. They entered an enriched uranium facility armed with candles, bread, Bibles, and roses, to pray and paint peace slogans. As Transform Now Plowshares, they hoped to put nuclear weapons—which target civilians in violation of the Geneva Conventions and UN treaties—on trial, making international news. This book shares their discernments of conscience and the civil resistance legacy of Plowshares with its background of Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker, while also engaging the work of the Berrigan brothers, the Catonsville nine, and the recent Kings Bay Plowshares seven. Learn their stories and see the principles of Catholic Social Teaching in action.

John Dear, SJ, believes that social activism and faith are inseparable. Acting in the name of the nonviolent Jesus, Dear has been arrested more than seventy-five times, has spent more than a year of his life in jail, and has been mocked by armed U.S. soldiers standing outside the doors to his New Mexico parish. A Persistent Peace, John Dear's autobiography, invites readers to follow the decades-long journey of social activism and spiritual growth of this nationally known peace activist and to witness his bold, decisive, often unpopular actions on behalf of peace. From his conversion to Christianity, to his calling to become a Jesuit, to the extreme dangers and delights of a life dedicated to truly living out the radical, forgiving love of Jesus, John's incredible story of social activism will touch anyone who believes in the power of peace.