Life Underground Episode 12 - The Church
Life Underground Episode 012
“The Church”
This is Life Underground. I’m Clark Grant. Today we’re looking at the influence and legacy of the Catholic Church in Butte, Montana, a history that spans more than a century. Back in the day, at its peak, Butte had 9 Catholic grade schools. The parishes boasted packed congregations and wielded tremendous influence over the lives of Butte people. The church was the center point for every important event in one’s life, from birth and marriage to death. Although the parishes have diminished and several of the historic Catholic Churches in Butte stand vacant, the church is still very much a part of people’s lives here. On today’s program, we’ll begin with some reminiscences from longtime Butte Catholics and hear about their childhoods in the church.
Bernie Boyle is a lifelong Catholic. He has been involved with the Knights of Columbus in Butte for decades, and began his Catholic school education at St. John’s in Butte in 1959.
[Bernie Boyle]
Bernie Boyle has a deep faith, evident in his tireless community work at the Knights of Columbus and in the Catholic school that remains open to this day. Of course, the Catholic education system in Butte isn’t what it once was, just simply due to population loss, let alone declining church attendance nationwide. And today the closure of Catholic grade schools in Butte serves as yet another measure of the city’s overall decline over the last century. Here Aubrey Jaap asks Bernie how those closures affect him.
[Bernie Boyle]
This is Life Underground and today we’re talking about the influence the Catholic Church has had in Butte, Montana. That was Bernie Boyle, a devout Catholic and a lifelong public servant who had a career as a firefighter. Bernie’s work at the Knights of Columbus is a testament to the Christian teachings he follows, and he really does seem to embody the golden rule. Up next, we’ll hear from another lifelong Butte Catholic, Kitty Brilliant, about her time in a convent and the meaning of the church to her. Stay with us.
Kitty Brilliant grew up in a little house on Woolman Street in Butte, one of six kids in a Catholic family. She remembers her childhood in Butte fondly, from playing in the streets with the other kids to going to the IC Tournaments up at the Immaculate Conception Hall. She was very musical and always outgoing. Kitty eventually felt a need to discover other places and leave Butte, and here reflects on that time and her childhood.
[Kitty Brilliant]
That was Kitty Brilliant, interviewed for the Verdigris Project, and talking about the steps in her life as a Catholic that brought her to where she is today. Kitty is one of thousands of people who grew up in Butte and by default were active in the Catholic Church. For many of them, her story is similar. It provided them a kind of direction and reassurance, through faith, that their life was on the right track. The Church was central to life in Butte, and often the story is about the quality education they received and the benefits people reaped from being part of a strong community.
But other stories are not so uplifting. Tom Satterthwaite grew up in St. Mary’s Parish on the Butte hill.
[Tom Satterthwaite]
This is Life Underground, and we’re hearing stories of a Catholic childhood from Tom Satterthwaite. As we near the end of the show, I’d like to touch on the widespread abuses within the Catholic Church. Though we’ve heard from other in the Butte community about the benefits of being involved with the church, it’s also important to highlight the lasting trauma from sexual abuse that so many have experienced. Tom shared with us another story from his time as a child in the Catholic Church. And a warning, this scene may disturb some listeners.
[Tom Satterthwaite]
That was Tom Satterthwaite, telling us about his life and sharing his story of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. I want to thank Tom for being so open and honest about his past trauma, and I think it’s brave that he was willing to record that story for our project.
In the Database of Publicly Accused Priests in the United States, there are 7225 entries. An amended civil suit filed in October of 2011 refers to Father James Barry, who Tom told us about, as a "credibly accused" sexual abuser, which according to bishopaccountability.org, ‘discounts church officials' prior public assertions that no priests from their diocese have been directly at fault.’
As one of the non-monetary terms for resolving the cases brought against the Diocese, the Diocese of Helena has agreed that: “For a period of not less than ten (10) years from the Effective Date, the Diocese will post on its website home page the names of all known past and present alleged perpetrators of the Diocese who are identified in the Sexual Abuse Claims or the complaints filed in the cases as child sexual abusers between the 1930s and 1970s.” Father Barry is the first one listed. You can find the full list at dioceseofhelena.org.
Driving up the Butte hill through St. Mary’s parish and past the vacant St. Mary’s cathedral and the vacant St. Lawrence church today, it’s easy to pass right by without thinking about all that took place inside those walls. How many stories like Tom Satterthwaite’s were never told? Like so many places in Butte, these churches now sit empty and quiet. Sitting so near to once-bustling mineyards now abandoned and fenced, and decimated neighborhoods, the quiet of the parish today is palpable.
This is Life Underground and I’m Clark Grant. Thanks for listening.
Sources:
https://diocesehelena.org/list-of-accused-personnel/
James Barry:
https://bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/PriestDBbylastName-B.html
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2011/09_10/2011_10_26_ThePrnewswire_AmendedCivil.htm
Database of Publicly Accused Priests in the United States: 7225 total