Reverend Leonard Edward Feeney

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An important yet controversial character in American Catholicism A Jesuit priest who brought a group of followers to Harvard

A controversial Jesuit priest and writer (1897 to 1978) who subscribed to the belief that anyone who wass not baptized in the Catholic Church would be condemned to hell. Among other controversies, Feeney was known for being antisemitic and anti-Protestant. Feeney was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1953. Feeney would enter into Harvard’s history when he brought a group of young followers–men, women, and children–to a large house in Still River. This community would eventually turn into the Saint Benedictine’s Center.. Toward the end of his life, Feeney was accepted back into the Catholic Church.

Source, “Sects: The Slaves of Leonard Feeney.” In Time Magazine. January 1, 1965.