From the bulletin of July 4, 2021
As we celebrate our Independence day, it is a fitting time to learn a little about the one Catholic who signed the Declaration of Independence: Charles Carroll of Carrollton. He was also the cousin of Archbishop John Carroll, who was the first Archbishop in the United States.
Born in 1737 in Annapolis, Maryland, Charles was a very well-to-do, very well-educated citizen of the English colonies despite the fact that he was originally born out of wedlock. His parents married in 1757 and after his education, his father entrusted Carrollton Manor to him along with the land he used to become extraordinarily wealthy. Although Maryland was started as a Catholic colony by the Calvert family (Baron Baltimore), the population shifted dramatically with the continual influx of colonists and a protestant majority gained power in the region, which allowed anti-Catholicism to take root. Because of this, Catholics were officially barred from political involvement, meaning Charles Carroll could not get involved and that he initially did not even want to try.
As tension grew between Britain and the colonies, Charles began to take an interest and wrote anonymous letters in the newspaper to speak against the injustices of the British government of the colonies. He grew in popularity when other local leaders attacked him personally in the newspaper and he responded with measured and rational arguments. He took part in some of the early rebellions in the Annapolis harbor (kind of like the Boston Tea Party, but in Annapolis) in 1774. Later that year, Charles was elected to Maryland’s committee of correspondence despite the law against it. In that role, he gained credibility and authority, eventually being elected to the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. He actually missed the vote for the Declaration of Independence, but Charles was able to sign it afterwards to express his agreement.
What’s remarkable about his signature is that he was a Catholic in a largely anti-Catholic culture and that he had the most to lose. He was the wealthiest person to sign the document and nearly the wealthiest person in the entire colonies. Yet, he valued freedom and justice enough to risk being convicted of treason by the British. Because his name was very common then, some people claimed he could sign without fear since no one could prove which Charles Carroll signed. In response, he added “of Carrollton” to make it clear to everyone who he was. After the revolutionary war, he continued to fight for religious liberty, especially for Catholics who did not really enjoy that liberty and acceptance. Charles outlived all the other signers and died in 1832. He is buried in the chapel at his home in Ellicott City, Maryland. A few years ago, Archbishop William E. Lori offered Mass there and spoke of Charles as “the only son of the Catholic Church who risked his life and freedom and property… so that he and his descendants would be free to practice their religion in peace.
While Charles Carroll is not a saint – there’s evidence he made some mistakes in his leadership and practice of the faith – he did do many things we can admire, particularly in risking his wealth for the sake of freedom and for defending our freedom to practice the faith. As we celebrate our Independence Day, it is a good time to remember his example, to pray for his soul, and just in case he’s already in heaven, to ask him to pray for us. Moreover, we should resolve to carry on his mission of defending religious freedom, especially as it is increasingly threatened by false ideas of liberty. Activists claim that freedom means they can force others to go along with their delusions about the world and about themselves, but we know that freedom must be rooted in reality. Activists also claim that freedom of religion only means freedom to go to Church and worship, but we, like Charles Carroll, know that our faith and worship includes living a life in accord with the Gospel. Practicing our faith means it must have a public manifestation in service to the poor, in defending the truth about God and the human person, and in calling others to a life of virtue. God Bless America, and may He grant us the grace to extend and preserve that blessing through a holy life!
– In Christ,
Fr. Albert