Father William Davitt: Knight of the Doughboy

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2017, 2 – 3PM:
Dr. O’Brien holds a Ph.D. in history from Boston College and is an authority on the history of the military chaplaincy. In addition to many scholarly articles on the subject, he is the author of Blackrobe in Blue: The Naval Chaplaincy of John P. Foley, S.J., 1942-1946. His talk will focus on the role of the military chaplain throughout history and how Father Davitt, a Massachusetts diocesan priest, exemplified that role before paying the ultimate price for his faithfulness. Father Davitt became a Knights of Columbus World War I chaplain during the Great War and after many acts of heroism, was killed on the last day of the war.
The Knights of Columbus Museum’s exhibition, World War I: Beyond the Front Lines, continues through Dec. 30, 2018.