Daniel Berrigan

Daniel J. Berrigan, SJ, (born May 9, 1921) is an American Catholic priest, peace activist, and poet. He and his brother, Philip, were for a time on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for their involvement in antiwar protests during the Vietnam war. Berrigan was born in Virginia, Minnesota, a working-class town, on 9 May 1921. His mother, Frieda (née Fromhart), was of German descent. His father, Thomas Berrigan, was a second-generation Irish Catholic and active union member. Though Thomas left the Catholic Church, Daniel remained attracted to the Church throughout his youth. Although a life-long devotee of Notre Dame, he joined the Jesuits directly out of high school in 1939 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1952. In 1954, he was assigned to teach theology at the Jesuit Brooklyn Preparatory School. In 1957 he was appointed professor of New Testament studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. That same year, he won the Lamont Prize for his book of poems, Time Without Number. Berrigan developed a reputation as a religious radical, working actively against poverty, and on changing the relationship between priests and laypersons.

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