On General Sherman's Son

aka Father Thomas Ewing Sherman, S.J. (1856-1933):

For a time he was among the premier preachers of his day. Born to a religious skeptic of a father and a devoutly Catholic mother, Ellen Ewing Sherman, he was raised in the latter’s faith and grew up in Washington among the nation’s political elite. His uncle John was a United States senator, and at one time a serious presidential contender. Through his mother, Tom knew several prominent priests and bishops. One who made a strong impression on him was Peter De Smet, a Belgian Jesuit who worked extensively with Native Americans....In May 1878, he told his parents that he was entering the Jesuit novitiate in England. His mother was overjoyed, but his father wavered between denial and outrage. Having experienced lifelong financial troubles, he expected Tom to be the future support of the family. Father Joseph T. Durkin, a Jesuit historian, writes that General Sherman never fully forgave his son. He felt that Tom was shirking his family obligations. Tom tried to explain the situation to his sister Minnie:People in love do strange things…

Having a vocation is like being in love, only more so, as there is no love so absorbing, so deep and so lasting as that of the creature for the creator. What a grand thing it is always to be as it were shooting straight at one’s mark, living every hour, performing every action in direct preparation for the great hereafter...

Add this to the list of odd little nuggets of Catholic history in America.