How should Metro Detroiters remember Father Coughlin ?

[ferntruth]

Herr Coughlin, oops, "Father Coughlin", must be remembered fondly by the teabagger crowd.

Apparently by Danny as well, even though his sense of history could not be more wrong.

[sumas]

Light a roman candle????

[maxx]

Because the OP likes to point out how evil religion is and a thread like that wouldn't fit into their agenda.

Actually, someone started a thread on Henry Ford so I started this one with a similar title. When I lived in Detroit, I lived near people who worked for the Shrine and told me they'd never heard of Fr. C. I don't need Coughlin to point out the problems of the catholic church or any religion. Whether one likes it or not, Coughlin is a historic figure.

[dtowncitylover]

I may or may not have a pic of Fr. C and Bob Hope together on a golf course. I know it's Fr. C, but I'm unsure if it's Bob Hope, looks exactly like him of course, but never had it authenticated.

[Mikeg]

Herr Coughlin, oops, "Father Coughlin", must be remembered fondly by the teabagger crowd.

Your homophobia is irrelevant to this discussion.

[mikefmich]

Well that was a fast rush......from RO Mich to the Weimar Republic.

[Hypestyles]

...what, if anything, did this guy have to say about African-Americans.. seems the polar opposite of Father Cunningham..

[Jimaz]

Your homophobia is irrelevant to this discussion.

So's yours:

Attachment 9078

[[signed, sealed, delivered)

[English]

...what, if anything, did this guy have to say about African-Americans.. seems the polar opposite of Father Cunningham..

From what my folks tell me, it was.

[SWMAP]

A 1990 history of the AoD, Seasons of Grace [[WSU Press), by Dr. Leslie Woodcock Tentler, a professor of history at UM-Dearborn devotes about 30 pages to Fr. Coughlin and the controversies surrounding him. He was a fervent Irish nationalist, thus despising the English. He built a parish on the outskirts of Detroit with the understanding that the suburb would eventually flourish But was deep in debt when the depression came. He was afraid that the Ku Klux Clan was making good inroads in Royal oak and that Catholics would avoid moving there.

Because he was a very good speaker, his radio sermons began as a way to raise some money for his parish. His early radio sermons spoke in idignant terms about the suffering of the poor and warned that the poor might turn to communism.

His vague, but insistant radicalism came to dominate his broadcasts in 1930 and 31. You can see how he progressed to theories of money and banking, but his Jewish vitriol was not yet apparent. He went from being an ardent supporter of FDR to being so opposed to him and the failures of the New Deal that, during WW II he was later on the verge of being charged with sedition.

Although all the Bishops in the U.S. became deeply concerned and warned Bishop gallagher time and again to stop Coughlin, gGllagher would not intervene except very delicately, with his old friend, despite even public criticism of Coughlin by the U.S. Bishops. As only a priest's Bishop and the Vatican can step in to discipline a priest and Gallagher would not, Coughlin was allowed to escalate. only Gallagher's death and the arrival of Edward Mooney ended things. But not fast and not easily. Mooney was very cautious himself and historians feel that his circumspect tactics with Coughlin damaged his own prestige and that of the American Catholic church.
Finally in 1938, Mooney brought ecclesiastical sanctions against Coughlin and required him to submit all his statements to him in advance. Finally Coughlin cancelled his radio broadcasts, saying that he would only be permitted to talk in platitudes and and that "he could not say what he thinks, but only what the archbishop thinks." Eventually ,he defied the archbishop, continued to broadcast but his remarks on Jews were censored repeatedly by the AoD. There was even one broadcast so heavily censored that Coughlin responded with his infamous, "silent broadcast." Finally Mooney said he would suspend Coughlin, ending his priestly life. Coughlin agreed to stop speaking and publishing, under threat of ecclesiastical suspension and federal indictment.

[beachboy]

Getting back on topic.... Father Coughlin may have been the precursor of all the media demagoguery that plagues both sides of the politcal spectrum today [[a plague on both the Dems and Reps).... but he left us one of America's finest Art Deco churches.... one would be hard pressed to find a more magnificent example of that style.

Amen! The Shrine is open during the day and is well worth a tour - beautiful materials and workmanship, stunning architecture.

The tower looks a bit anatomical [[<ahem!>) but fitting, as Fr. C's broadcast studios were in the top. My grandpa and his cronies listened to Fr. C's broadcasts every week...Mom recalled that well into her 80s.

A Sunday service there is quite an event - the Kilgen 4-manual, 100-rank organ was restored recently [[I played it shortly afterward - what an experience!!) and they have several lovely choirs. The visuals are spectacular, some "Mayan"-like detail [[a bit reminiscent of old Fisher Theatre):



Supposedly the best preserved Art Deco church on the planet...

[beachboy]

A bit more on the SotLF organ [[specifications drawn up by Chas. Courboin & Pietro Yon),,,

http://database.organsociety.org/Sin...p?OrganID=9055

and here are two pix:


Organ console - 4m/96r Kilgen [[c. 1931)


Expression pedal [[volume control assignment)
matrix [[upper right of this image). Big ugly
black thing to lower right of photo is a mic,
God only knows what for... not original equipmt!

This organ has lots of funky controls and sounds [[an Oboe d'Amore...go figgah) and a computer-updated version of a late-1920s-technology-whizbang that lets you map individual tonal divisions to individual expression pedals [[foot-operated volume controls, seen in the center of the console below the lowest keyboard). The mapping gizmo is in upper right of second photo, sorta like a small version of what we might today call a "crossbar switch".

This is a really beautiful "orchestral" organ with many string-imitative sounds, flutes, color reeds, and celestes [[make a shimmering sound with strings) that are simply gorgeous for organ transcriptions of orchestral works - and lotsa fun to play and listen to!! Also some nice percussions [[harp, celesta, and vibraphone) that weren't restored yet when I played this organ [[bummer...) and... just like Radio City Music Hall... dual matching consoles!!

Wanna bet 56packman, gistok, and detroitbob would trip out on this masterpiece??

[FlyingJ]

OP is trolling, but what's the point?-Fr. Coughlin was Canadian-from Hamilton ONT. 'sides, that chubby commie Diego Rivera tweaked him in his "Industry" mural @ the DIA oh, only a mere 78 years ago. Ironically the OTHER big religious hypocrite of the era was born a mere 90 miles West, near Ingersoll; Aimee Semple McPherson. And between these two cities lies the source of all evil, Brantford, the town that brought forth BOTH Justin Bieber AND Wayne Gretzky

[NorthEndere]

I'm just laughing, over here, about whenever someone/something is brought up, Gistok tries to find some redemptive architectural angle on everything as if it's relevant to any of the discussions. lol Hell, Hitler commissioned some brilliant structures; excuse my French, but what the f%ck does that have to do with his character?

Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the show, indeed. lol Between that nastiness, and Danny's bat-sh%t [[and offensive, might I add) certifiable insanity, this place is a hoot, but not a good one.

[socks_mahoney]

Coughlin was very much against big business running the country [[he preached the Jews were in control of the businesses and banks.

[I]Technically its true, Most of the Jews since the mid renaissance period in Europe started their public bank system because they believe that having interest rate system or running the loaning system is not a SIN to them. To Christians in the mid renaisance Europe they can't run the banks because they will get in interest and loaning system in which it's a SIN of "MONEY CHANGING." But they borrow money from the Jewish owned banks, but trying to avoid the interest rates.

Actually, charging interest on a loan is always against Jewish law and always has been. You need to check you're information before you go blaming the world's problems on one of the smallest groups of people. Even today, Jews number only 10-12 million in the whole world.

Can you say scapegoat?

[dtowncitylover]

OP is trolling, but what's the point?-Fr. Coughlin was Canadian-from Hamilton ONT. 'sides, that chubby commie Diego Rivera tweaked him in his "Industry" mural @ the DIA oh, only a mere 78 years ago...And between these two cities lies the source of all evil, Brantford, the town that brought forth BOTH Justin Bieber AND Wayne Gretzky

Wow ok, I would like to know what Rivera's weight has to do with anything? I hate when people attack others, especially about their weight, sex, eyesight, you know the things that shouldn't really matter in a civil discourse. And Bieber comes from Stratford.

[NorthEndere]

Oh boy, and it keeps on going. He calls the guy a "chubby commie", with the second term clearly being used as a slur, and your offensive meters goes off at with the use of the word "chubby." lol This place is totally upside down.