A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande
The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34096/hyg.n9.17214Keywords:
military chaplain, John McElroy, Mexico, catholicism, jesuitsAbstract
This paper examines the letters and unpublished diaries written by the Jesuit John McElroy while acting as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during 1846 and 1847, in the Mexican-American War. It is argued that, in addition to the inherent ambivalences of the military chaplain’s role, particular contradictions arose in this case: both McElroy and his companion, Anthony Rey, were Catholics (and Jesuits) serving a predominantly Protestant nation that was, furthermore, waging war against a Catholic country. In this regard, the political and religious purposes behind their mission are considered. McElroy’s comments on slavery, made during his passage through the American South, and on his interactions —while stationed at the base in Matamoros— with the Mexican population and the American troops are analyzed. Finally, the paper offers an assessment of the successes and failures of his pastoral activity.
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