Except for St. Patrick’s and Independence Day, this society has worked quietly to alleviate the physical needs and satisfy the emotional needs of its Irish members. While its works of charity have passed without notice, its internal disputes have attracted public attention. The fact that the Order has survived and, at times, flourished is a testament to both the spiritual qualities and financial success of many of its members.

ROBERT W. HAYMAN is pastor emeritus of St. Sebastian’s Parish, Providence and currently the historian of the Diocese of Providence and one of its archivists. He retired in June 2010 after thirty-six years of teaching at Providence College where he was Associate Professor of History and where he also received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in history. Fr. Hayman is the author of two books on the history of the Diocese of Providence and is currently working on a history of the Irish in Rhode Island from 1820 to 1920. We welcome Fr. Hayman for this talk, his fourth for the Museum of Newport Irish History.