Irish Father James E. Coyle faced prejudice and threats and ministered during the height of the Spanish flu pandemic. One hundred years ago, he was shot and killed by a Protestant minister in Birmingham, Alabama. After ministering in Mobile, Alabama, for eight years, Father Coyle served as pastor of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham for almost 17 years. In Birmingham, he became chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, and his contemporaries cited his passion and fervor for the faith. At the time, the Catholic population of Birmingham was growing rapidly due to an influx of thousands of Italian miners and steelworkers. The growing Catholic presence was not universally welcomed. The Ku Klux Klan was the predominant influence in Alabama and dubbed itself a “patriotic” fraternity that targeted Catholics, Jews, African Americans and others.
Centennial of a murder: The priest, the Klan and a wedding remembered – The Catholic Sun
Centennial of a murder: The priest, the Klan and a wedding remembered – The Catholic Sun
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