Facts about the Ancient Order of Hibernians
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The AOH
is the oldest ethnic organization still operating in
the United States.
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The
Hibernians represent the most broadly based
Irish-American organization with over 80,000 members
in 46 States, Canada and Ireland.
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The twin
constitutional goals of the Irish and Catholic
membership is to assist in the re-unification of
Ireland and to support the church and it mission.
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Hibernian monuments to famed Irish or Irish-Americans
(Commodore Barry, Robert Emmett) and memorials to
events like the Great hunger or the slaughter of
abortion are in every major American city and in
Mobile, AL (Fr Abram Ryan), Washington, DC (Nuns of
the Battlefield), Valley Forge, PA (Medal of Honor
grove), and Chicago, IL (Mt. Olivet Cemetery).
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The
history of the AOH lies not just in big cities but
tracks America’s expansion West along the Lewis and
Clark Trail (St Anne’s, Great Falls, MT), along the
Cherokee trail (Sacred Heart, Pueblo, CO) and along
side the Central Pacific Railroad from Ogden, UT (St.
Joseph’s) to Sacramento, CA (Old Cathedral).
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The
march of the AOH across the continent stretches from
first stop on the National Road (St Patrick’s,
Cumberland, MD) to Seattle, WA (St James Cathedral)
with lesser known stops along the way that have all
but vanished…Hinckletown IA, Snoddy’s Mill, IN, Kalo,
IA . Forty Fort, PA, Irwin, GA and Iron Mountain, MO.
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Early
history and growth of Hibernians is linked to mining
for gold (Yreka, CA), copper and silver (Butte &
Anaconda, MT), iron ore in Escanaba, MI (St Patrick’s)
and Mt Pleasant, PA (St Joseph’s), hard rock mining
(St Peter’s, Rutland, VT) and coal in Schuylkill CO,
PA. where the infamous Molly Maguire trials were held.
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Hibernians shared meeting halls with other fraternal
societies like the Foresters, Odd Fellows, Knights of
Columbus, Knights of Pythias, and the GAR but were
bitter opponents of the anti-Catholic and anti-Irish
Know-Nothing ‘s who burned and attacked Catholic
churches throughout the country.
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Members
of the AOH have included labor leaders Terrence
Powderly and John Sweeney, Bishops John Lennon and
Fulton Sheen, and John Cardinal O’Connor, astronaut
James McDevitt, President John F. Kennedy, insurance
industry leader Bill Flynn, actor Pat O’Brien, Civil
War General Francis Meagher, and two recipients of the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
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