John Hogan

 

Catonsville Nine protester dies October 3, 2008

John Hogan, 73,
was a gentle and committed brother and friend.

In 1953, John Hogan, a Maryknoll Brother at the time, was assigned to work with indigenous villagers in Guatemala, where he supervised the construction of a hospital and a water system. He organized a co-operative and taught carpentry. For 15 years he worked with villagers until Guatemalan officials and Maryknoll leaders grew concerned about his work with radical Christian groups and ordered him back to this country. He left the order soon after. He had just returned to the states when he and eight others seized hundreds of draft records from the Catonsville U.S. Selective Service office, doused them with homemade napalm in a parking lot and set them ablaze. The actions of the protesters, known as the Catonsville Nine, sparked a dramatic trial, inspired generations of activists and is remembered as one of the country's most famous acts of civil resistance.

After his release from prison, John worked as a carpenter and devoted himself to a life of quiet service. He died Friday of complications from a stroke at Yale New Haven Hospital near his home in Hamden , Conn. He was 73.

"John might have been a quiet person, but, when he spoke, he was extremely profound," said Willa Bickham, a longtime friend and one of the founders of Baltimore's Viva House. He explained what he did in Catonsville by comparing it to seeing a car careening toward a group of children - "Wouldn't you make every effort to stop that car?"

John helped to make the napalm that they used to burn the files. He was active in carrying the files out of the office and he made sure that every 1-A file got burned. He acted with the understanding that these pieces of paper were hunting licenses that made killers out of young men. Years later, John acknowledged: "It didn't stop the war, but it contributed to [stopping] it. I felt like that time in Baltimore called for a drastic response."

John spoke gently and clearly, yet forcefully, about his actions. Like the other members of the Nine, he admitted what he had done and said that he had acted in accordance with the dictates of his conscience.

After he was released, he lived for a year with Willa Bickham and Brendan Walsh at Viva House Catholic Worker. Then he moved back to New Haven, where he met his future wife, Joan Henrickson. He worked as a carpenter and was co-owner of Oyster Point Construction in Connecticut. Until he retired three years ago, he spent a decade repairing and inspecting public housing in New Haven. He considered his work with the residents of public housing part of his lifelong commitment to the poor. For John, what was most important was helping people on a daily basis and being present for them.

The Hogans were frequent and welcome visitors to Baltimore and attended events at Viva House. His absence was keenly felt as people gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Viva House yesterday. He was a deeply committed human being. There was a humility to him that was astounding and yet not servile.

A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph's Church in New Haven. In addition to his wife, Joan, John leaves a daughter, Jennifer Henrickson-Hogan and two grandsons as well as two brothers, Robert and Thomas Hogan and a sister, Patricia Hogan. All are residents of Connecticut.