The important story of Fr. James Coyle

On Friday, August 11, I have the privilege to preach at the Mass honoring the life and legacy of Fr. James E. Coyle. The Mass will be celebrated at St. Paul Cathedral in Birmingham, where Fr. Coyle was murdered on the porch of the church rectory on August 11, 1921.
It is important to keep alive the memory and the story of Fr. Coyle. He was born in County Roscommon, Ireland in 1873. He was ordained a priest for the then Diocese of Mobile in 1896 and was assigned to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile. He was appointed the first Rector of McGill Institute (now McGill-Toolen Catholic High School.) In 1904 he was appointed to St. Paul Parish in Birmingham. (At that time the Diocese of Mobile included all of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.)
There was a renewal of the Ku Klux Klan during World War I. The horrors of World War I contributed to a strong anti-immigrant feeling sweeping the country. Many people felt that immigrants from Europe would cause the US to be dragged into future European wars. The isolationist attitude of many Americans contributed to this anti-immigrant antipathy. The fact that many of the new immigrants were Catholic contributed to the mood in the country becoming even more anti-Catholic. In addition to hostility toward Catholics, there was a resentment of anyone who was not considered a “true American,” particularly those who were Jewish or Black. Millions of Americans across the country joined the Klan.
Fr. Coyle encountered this reality as he served in Birmingham. He spoke out against the bigotry of the Klan even though he was warned by Bishop Allen and the FBI of the dangers in doing so. 
In 1915, a young girl named Ruth Stephenson expressed an interest in becoming a Catholic, much to the opposition of her father who was a Methodist minister and a Klansman. Despite the disapproval of her father, Ruth eventually became a Catholic. A few months after her reception into the Church, Ruth decided to marry a Catholic Puerto Rican immigrant. Fr. Coyle agreed to officiate at the wedding. 
Fr. Coyle knew there was danger in agreeing to this. He predicted that Reverend Stephenson would shoot him. The wedding was celebrated at 5:30 p.m. on August 11, 1921. Fr. Coyle had the witnesses at the wedding stand a distance away from him because of the danger. Later that evening Fr. Coyle sat on the front porch of the rectory next to the church. It was his practice to pray his evening prayers on the porch. August 11 was no different. As Fr. Coyle prayed, Rev. Stephenson came up the walk, fired his gun and killed Fr. Coyle.
He was quickly arrested. There was a trial. Reportedly, several Klansmen were on the jury. In a blatant act of anti-Catholic bigotry, Rev. Stephenson was found not guilty.
We honor and applaud the courage which Fr. Coyle demonstrated on August 11, 1921. What we should not overlook is the fact that the strength of his character did not arise on that August summer afternoon. It had been formed over the years. 
I had the blessing of serving as Bishop of Biloxi 2001-2008. A powerful hurricane hit the Mississippi Coast in 2005. The catastrophic devastation is difficult to describe. More than 200 people died. Many people lost homes and livelihoods. One man told me that his teenage son had been a source of strength for him and the entire family. The man related that he had lost his home and his job. He said that he could not have made it without the support of his young son whom he described as a Rock of Gibraltar. The man told me “challenges have a way of building character.” I told him that I think it is more accurate to say that challenges don’t build character. Instead, challenges reveal character. I told him that because of the formation and example he and his wife had given their son, their son’s character was there before the storm. The dad had just not seen it until the storm came.
Fr. Coyle’s strength of character was formed in his childhood in the small village of Drum, Ireland, in his schooling and seminary education, in his 25 years of service as a priest. In all the everyday events of life, he formed his character as a man of God and a man for others.
May his example remind us that we are forming our character every day through what we say, what we do, the values we live by, the way we treat others. Our every act defines and shapes us. There is no escaping this reality. Does God really notice every small act? Yes. Jesus said that no one who gives even a cup of water in His name will go unrewarded. Everything we do shows who we are and makes us who we are. Perhaps it might be revealed in a dramatic moment of life, as was true for Fr. Coyle. It will certainly be revealed when we stand before God.