Laurent Clerc was born to a devote Catholic family on the day after Christmas 1785 in La Balme, France. His mother was sure to raise him as a Catholic and when he went to the school for deaf mutes in Paris in 1797 he was put under the tutelage of the great Catholic priest, the Abbe Sicard.
Laurent, faithful to his Catholic upbringing promise the abbe when he sailed for the United States in 1816 that he would remain a Catholic. Of course he did not know that 3 years later he would fall in love with an Episcopalian, Eliza Boardman. This presented him with a dilemnia, betray his mentor or convert to the religion of his wife. Of course on the death of Sicard in 1822, Laurent took little time making the jump to Protestantism.
I have always wondered what the Catholics thought about that. Well, we had an idea from this article published in the The Catholic Bulletin on October 13, 1917, curosity of the U.S. Library of Congress.
Here is the text...
“The death, a few days ago, of Dr. E. M. Gallaudet, formerly President of Gallaudet College, Washington, and a teacher of the deaf and dumb for more than half a century, recall's the fact that it was his father, Dr. Thomas Gallaudet, who was the founder of the first school for the deaf and dumb in this country. An interesting bit of history in this connection is to the effect that when Dr. Gallaudet went to England for the purpose of acquiring the way of instructing the deaf and dumb from those who had a monopoly of the art—the Braidwood-Watson family—the terms were so exorbitant and humiliating that he refused to come to an agreement. Happening to meet in London the famous Abbe Sicard, he accepted an invitation to visit his school in Paris. Abbe Sicard was the successor of Abbe De l'Eppe, the father of the sign language for the deaf and dumb In Paris, the American received every assistance and Abbe Sicard allowed one of his best pupils, Laurent Clerc, to come to America. In the agreement drawn up between Dr. Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, it is stated: "He (Clerc) is not to be called upon to teach anything contrary to the Roman Catholic religion." Abbe Sicard writing to Bishop Cheverus, of Boston, said: "The extreme desire to procure for the unfortunate deaf mutes of the country in which you dwell and fulfill so well the mission of the Holy Apostles, the happiness. of knowing our holy religion, leads me to a sacrifice which would exceed human strength. I send to the United States the-best taught of my pupils, a deaf mute whom my art has restored to society and religion. He goes fully resolved to live and be faithful to the principles of the Catholic religion which I have taught him." But unfortunately, as Rev. F. A. Moeller, S. J. in his Catholic Encyclopedia paper of the "Education of the Deaf and Dumb," says—Laurent Clerc fell away from his faith and became an apostate*' and "the kindness of Abbe Sicard only served to lay the foundation of Protestant propaganda, which, ever since the opening of the Hartford school, founded by Dr. Gallaudet, has controlled the education of the deaf in America." Thanks, however, to Father Moeller and others, the Catholic deaf mutes are not forgotten today, and successful efforts are made in looking after their spiritual interests in various parts of our country.”
So they are not so happy but then again not so upset. Oh, and here is the full text of that document.
-Laurent-
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