Abstract
Abstract: This essay reconstructs two accusations that roiled one of the early American nation's most prominent parishes, St. Peter's of Manhattan, in 1806. Both accusations involved violations of clerical celibacy. This small-scale study reveals the significant extent to which clergy, lay leaders, and prelate understood violations of clerical celibacy to threaten the reputation of Catholicism at a moment when Catholics were staking a claim to full participation in polity and culture. It demonstrates that despite concern over priestly misconduct, accusations were discussed only obliquely and addressed awkwardly and hesitantly. The array of perspectives evident in the archival record also offers a case study of the personal and institutional costs of alleged and real violations of celibacy: we see, albeit imperfectly, the thoughts and actions of clergy, of the bishop, and of a young woman who—in my evaluation of the evidence—was abusively treated.
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