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Posted On: October 7th 2026, 04:06 am
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On May 17, 1968, nine Catholic activists entered the draft board in Catonsville, MD, removed 378 draft files to the parking lot, doused them with homemade napalm, and set them aflame. Then the activists sang, prayed, spoke with reporters, and waited to be arrested by police.
“Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order," Father Daniel Berrigan told the court later. "The burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house. We could not, so help us God, do otherwise."
He added: "We have chosen to be powerless criminals in a time of criminal power. We have chosen to be branded as peace criminals by war criminals."
The Catonsville Nine were tried in federal court in Baltimore, found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to three-and-a-half years, totaling 18 years across the group.
The Catonsville Nine inspired many other anti-draft/anti-military actions, including the D.C. 9, the Silver Spring 3, the Chicago 8, the Harrisburg 7, and the Camden 28. It is unknown how many persons were spared the draft because of these actions.
How are faith leaders and people of faith today creating a new legacy of activism against war and inhumanity? Join us this Saturday, October 10, at Brooklyn Public Library for a dialogue between the Rev. Emily Brewer and the Rev. Kaji S. Douša titled TROUBLE THE WATER.
Held as part of UPRISING/DOWNFALL: Repression and Resistance in the Making of Democracy, on Saturday, October 10, 7-11pm. Presented by Brooklyn Public Library and BPL Presents. Brian Tate, Guest Curator.
Free RSVP at the link in the bio. Please share widely and don’t miss.
“Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order," Father Daniel Berrigan told the court later. "The burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house. We could not, so help us God, do otherwise."
He added: "We have chosen to be powerless criminals in a time of criminal power. We have chosen to be branded as peace criminals by war criminals."
The Catonsville Nine were tried in federal court in Baltimore, found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to three-and-a-half years, totaling 18 years across the group.
The Catonsville Nine inspired many other anti-draft/anti-military actions, including the D.C. 9, the Silver Spring 3, the Chicago 8, the Harrisburg 7, and the Camden 28. It is unknown how many persons were spared the draft because of these actions.
How are faith leaders and people of faith today creating a new legacy of activism against war and inhumanity? Join us this Saturday, October 10, at Brooklyn Public Library for a dialogue between the Rev. Emily Brewer and the Rev. Kaji S. Douša titled TROUBLE THE WATER.
Held as part of UPRISING/DOWNFALL: Repression and Resistance in the Making of Democracy, on Saturday, October 10, 7-11pm. Presented by Brooklyn Public Library and BPL Presents. Brian Tate, Guest Curator.
Free RSVP at the link in the bio. Please share widely and don’t miss.
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