Holy Cross History Revisited by Author James O'Toole

WORCESTER, Mass. – On Tuesday, October 22 at 4:00 p.m. in the Rehm Library James O'Toole, associate professor of history at Boston College, will discuss his book Passing for White: Race, Religion and the Healy Family, 1820-1920. James Augustine Healy, valedictorian of the first Holy Cross graduating class in 1849, was also the first African American to become a Roman Catholic Bishop. This event is free and open to the public.

James O'Toole is an expert on American religion and the history of American Catholicism. His book recalls the story of Irish immigrant and southern plantation owner Michael Morris Healy, his slave and wife Mary Eliza, and their ten children.

O'Toole chronicles the hardships endured by this mix-raced family as they struggle to eventual success. He stresses that many of the opportunities presented to the Healy family would not have been possible had the children not been able to "pass" for white.

Although it was not legal for slaves to be educated, many of the Healy children attended Holy Cross as "white" students. James and his brother Hugh were in the first graduating class of 1849, of which James was the valedictorian. Younger brothers Patrick, Sherwood and Michael also attended Holy Cross.

James went on to attend seminary school in both Montreal and Paris and became the first African-American to be ordained a Roman Catholic Priest. It was in his honor that Holy Cross established the Bishop Healy Committee in 1979. The committee works to assist the Admissions Office in recruiting and retaining a diverse population of students at Holy Cross.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture in cooperation with Africana studies and the Black Student Union.