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Robert Mooney ’52 has been writing Nantucket history for 25 years—with a particular interest in characters who were famous during the island’s whaling days.
He recently wrote More Tales of Nantucket, his seventh book. One chapter, titled “The Nantucket Jesuit,” tells the story of John D. Whitney, who was born in 1850 into a long line of Congregationalists. Mooney recounts that, while Whitney and his mother were on a walk, they passed a Catholic Church—Harmony Hall on Federal Street in Nantucket. When the youngster asked his mother if he could go inside, she replied, “Absolutely not.” With that, the boy’s curiosity was peaked.
Years later, as a young Marine, Whitney had lengthy discussions with other officers about the Church and read numerous books on Catholicism. One day, he met a Jesuit chaplain aboard ship, who impressed him greatly; Whitney soon told the chaplain that he wanted to convert to Catholicism. The priest, however, counseled the young man to think it over, explaining that changing one’s faith was not something that should be done lightly.
In 1870, Whitney visited a Jesuit church in New York City. It was All Saints’ Day, and the church was ablaze. Overcome with emotion, Whitney realized the depth and genuineness of his desire to convert. Baptized a few years later, he entered a Jesuit seminary—and was ordained a priest. Twelve years later, he became the president of Georgetown University, and, later, the treasurer of Boston College. When Whitney died, he was buried at Holy Cross.
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