Monsignor Eugene Boyle Personal Papers SC.051
Chris Doan
Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Saint Patrick Seminary
320 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, California 94025
aasf@sfarch.org
Contributing Institution:
Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Title: Guide to the Monsignor Eugene Boyle Personal Papers
Creator:
Boyle, Eugene A., Reverend Monsignor, 1921-2016
Identifier/Call Number: SC.051
Physical Description:
26.73 Cubic Feet
; 24 records center boxes, 2 document boxes; and 2 flat boxes
Date (inclusive): 1934-2016
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research. For detailed information about the collection's contents and questions about reproducing
materials, please contact the Archivist.
Series 1: Biographical Materials
Series 2: Clerical life
Sub-series 2.1: Talks, Speeches, and Sermons
Sub-series 2.2: Diocesan Business Files
Sub-series 2.3: National Federation of Priests Council
Series 3: Campaign for the California State Assembly
Series 4: Faculty Papers
Series 5: Subject files
Series 6: Objects and Audio Recordings
Series 7: Oversize Materials
Monsignor (Father) Eugene "Gene" Boyle was the leading social activist in the Archdiocese of San Francisco during the 1960s
and 1970s. Born in 1921, and raised in San Francisco, California, Father Boyle entered the Saint Joseph minor seminary in
Mountainview at the age of 14, and completed his seminarian studies at Saint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park before finally
becoming an ordained Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1946.
After ordination, Father Boyle served in parishes in San Francisco, Livermore, Palo Alto, and Morgan Hill. From 1956 until
1960, he was a member of the San Francisco Archdiocesan Mission Band, and from 1960-1968, he served as Director for the Archdiocese's
first spiritual retreat house for women, Vallombrosa in Menlo Park.
In 1962, the Archdiocese appointed Father Boyle to be the moderator and advisor for the Catholic Interracial Council, the
first organizational effort to educate the Catholic community on the plight of racial discrimination being experienced by
African-Americans and develop action and strategies directed toward civil rights issues. Father Boyle continued in this work
while serving as the director of the Archdiocesan Social Justice Commission, and in 1964, he served as a co-founder of the
San Francisco Conference on Religion and Race and Social Concerns (SFCRRSC), the first ecumenical effort to direct the resources
of the churches and synagogues of the San Francisco Bay Area towards addressing the aggravated social problems in the area
at that time.
From 1968 to 1972, Father Boyle served as pastor at Sacred Heart Parish, located in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood.
To help address the economic and social concerns that were impacting the surrounding community, a coalition of priests, religious
sisters, and Catholic laity formed the Sacred Heart Urban Team. The team supported community organizing efforts and established
outreach services, including providing a location for the Black Panthers' free breakfast program for children in the basement
of Sacred Heart Church. The Sacred Heart Urban Team also formed an alliance with the Western Addition Community Organizing
(WACO), which held its convention in 1971 at Sacred Heart Church with Father Boyle presiding as its President.
While Father Boyle served on faculty at Saint Patrick Seminary, he responded to a request from the SFCRRSC to produce a report
on race relations in San Francisco. He enlisted his students from his Social Action seminar, and the final work completed
was a 600-page study entitled, "San Francisco: A City in Crisis." The report contained a wealth of sociological and statistical
information on the conditions of African Americans in San Francisco and examined police-community relations, employment, housing,
education and welfare. Father Boyle continued his instructor role at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, where he
was Director of Field Education and responsible for the placement and supervision of graduate students in community based,
action-oriented settings.
From 1958 to 1972, Father Boyle was a radio commentator on local radio stations, founding the program, "Underscore" on KCBS,
a weekly dialog on religion and modern life, speaking on issues such as teaching religion in public schools. In 1965 and 1966,
he was awarded the Gabriel Catholic Media award for "Underscore".
In 1972, Father Boyle became Director of Peace and Justice for the National Federation of Priests Council (NFPC), and was
responsible for coordination of national programs and action strategy in areas of world peace and justice for priests' councils
throughout the United States. He also directed workshops in corporate responsibility and church investment, and developed
a program in peace education.
In 1974, Father Boyle announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the California State Assembly's Sixteenth District
in San Francisco. His campaign slogan was, "Loyal to the People", and despite losing the race to John Foran, he still managed
to capture 45% of the Democratic vote.
One of Father Boyle's interests was in aviation, and he became a licensed private pilot, keeping a flight log that included
trips to the migrant worker fields in the Fresno and Coachella valleys. He was actively involved with the United Farm Workers
(UFW) and helped to coordinate boycott activities; and served as mediator and negotiator for one of the first contracts between
the UFW and Perelli-Minetti Vineyards.
Upon the creation of the Diocese of San Jose in 1981, Father Boyle was officially transferred from the Archdiocese of San
Francisco to the new diocese. At the time, he was serving as Director of Stanford University's Newman Center and at Saint
Ann Chapel in Palo Alto. In 1985, Bishop Pierre DuMaine named Father Boyle the Episcopal Vicar for Interreligious and Public,
which allowed him to remain active in supporting the farmer workers' cause in the Santa Clara Valley and in issues related
to fair labor practices. Father Boyle officially retired in 1990, and in 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II named Boyle as a Prelate
of Honor with the honorary title of Monsignor. In 2016, Father Boyle passed away at the age of 94.
Itemized inventories for each series are available upon request from the Archivist.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Monsignor Eugene Boyle Collection, Box
number, Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (AASF).
Physical rearrangement of the collection was completed to rectify issues of disorder; and an intellectual arrangement of identifiable
series was established to reflect the significant areas of Father Boyle's life and career. A complete appraisal of the collection's
contents with some de-accessioning of items occurred. Items removed include those materials that were in very poor or unsalvageable
condition; multiple duplications; and photocopied articles and newspapers. Preservation tasks performed on the collection
included light cleaning of materials; removal of most paper fasteners; transferring files into acid-free folders and boxes;
unfolding and flattening large format paper; sleeve-ing certificates and photographs; and digitizing a selection of audio
recordings.
The Monsignor Eugene Boyle Personal Papers is comprised of materials Father Boyle created and kept about his life as an ordained
Roman Catholic priest; an instructor of seminarian education; his economic, racial, and social justice advocacy work; and
his run for political office. The bulk of the collection spans Father Boyle's clerical life and ministerial activities as
a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco from 1946 to 1976, and particularly during the period when he served as director
of the Archdiocese's Commission on Social Justice from 1964 to 1972. The collection also includes a limited amount of materials
from when he served in the Diocese of San Jose from 1981 until his death in 2016.
The collection provides a personal perspective into the developing role of the Catholic clergy in the social justice movement's
early history, and a glimpse into the ecumenical coalition-building that existed between civic and religious faith groups
during the 1960s and early 1970s. The series within the collection that most reflect this historical collaborative relationship
are: the Diocesan Business Files (Sub-Series 2.2) and Subject Files (Series 5), which include correspondence, meeting minutes
and related materials from grassroots organizing efforts like the Sacred Heart Urban Team (Sacred Heart Church) and the Western
Addition Organizing Committee (WACO), and parish and local-level educational events and social justice awareness campaigns
organized by groups like the Bay Area chapter for the Catholic Interracial Council. Series 5 also includes a 600-page study,
"San Francisco: A City in Crisis" (1968), a comprehensive report on the African-American community and race relations in San
Francisco that was commissioned by the San Francisco Conference on Religion and Race and Social Concerns and completed by
Father Boyle's seminarian students in his Social Action seminar.
Correspondence is located throughout the collection, and major topics discussed include the controversy between Father Boyle
and Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken regarding Father Boyle's political ambitions and the Black Panther Party's Coloring Book
scandal. Father Boyle also saved letters he received from the general public that were both supportive and critical of his
position to support the Black Panther Party and on running for public office.
Father Boyle's speeches, talks, and the sermons he delivered for daily Masses ( Sub-Series 2.1) include topics related to
social justice concerns, and one sermon in particular, "Sacred Heart Urban Team and the Western Addition Community: a Theological
Reflection" was distributed widely. Additional writings and talks are located in Series 5, including Father Boyle's personal
account of participating in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
The collection also includes election campaign materials for Father Boyle's California State Assembly run in San Francisco's
16th Assembly District; his faculty papers from when he was an instructor at Saint Patrick College and Seminary; speeches
he made at rallies and conferences; memorabilia; photographs; and audio recordings from his appearances on local radio programs
and of meetings and retreats he facilitated and attended.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Archivist
at the Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (AASF), 320 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Consent is given on
behalf of the Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Catholic Church--California--San Francisco
Social justice and education--California--San Francisco
Migrant agricultural laborers--California--Central Valley
Black Panther Party
Race relations--1960-1970
Student strikes--California
Series 1: Biographical Materials 1934-2016, bulk, 1945-1972
Physical Description: 2 Cubic Feet; 2 records center boxes
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series includes correspondence, photographs, and biographical miscellany. Personal correspondence includes that received
from Bishop Merlin Guilfoyle (1936) while Father Boyle was a seminarian, and a limited amount from cause collaborators and
supporters like Sister Margaret Cafferty, PBVM. Biographical miscellany includes class papers Father Boyle wrote as a seminarian
(1934-1944), official appointment letters (1948-1960); his notes on labor and farm worker issues and rights (1971); and paperwork
filed for his arrest in Fresno during the Gallo Wine grape strike (1973). Photographs in this series feature Father Boyle
as a youth and seminarian; his family; while as a pastor serving at Saint James and Sacred Heart Churches in San Francisco;
his activities with the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Social Justice Committee and the United Farm Workers; and of him concelebrating
Mass with Brazilian Archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara at the Stanford University Chapel in 1972. Also included in this series is
Father Boyle's newspaper column, Underscore from the Diocese of San Jose's newspaper, Valley Catholic (1986-1989).
Series 2: Clerical Life
Physical Description: 3 Cubic Feet3 records center boxes
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series has 3 sub-series: Talks, Speeches, and Sermons; Diocesan Business Files; and National Federation of Priests Council.
Sub-series 2.1: Talks, Speeches, Sermons 1953-2002, bulk,1960-1979
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet; 1 records center box
Includes Father Boyle's sermons and homilies delivered at parishes, on marriage retreats held at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo
Park, and when he was pastor of Campus Ministry at Stanford University. Sermons include "Toward a Theology of Justice" (1967);
his baccalaureate address delivered at Stanford University, "Humanization of the World: the Business of Church" (1971); "Social
Justice in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, a Personal Reflection, 1962-1972"; and talks he gave on Cesar Chavez (2000).
This series also includes untitled and partial drafts of speeches Father Boyle made on racial equality, anti-war and peace,
and labor rights. The series also includes a complete run of weekly sermons Father Boyle delivered from 1976 to 1981, as a
priest of the Diocese of San Jose.
Sub-series 2.2: Diocesan Business files 1958-1992; bulk, 1969-1979
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet; 1 records center box
This series is primarily comprised of official correspondence written by Father Boyle during his tenure as Director of the
Archdiocese of San Francisco's Social Justice Committee (1969-1971), including those received from community organizers with
attached copies of his replies; and correspondence between Father Boyle and Archbishop McGucken related to the Seminary Controversy
(1968-1971). The series also includes correspondence and related materials for Cursillos en Cristiandad, (an apostolic movement
of the Roman Catholic Church), the Newman Center at Stanford University, and Saint Ann's Chapel in Palo Alto (1976-1985, incl.);
and Father Boyle's work on the Campaign for Human Development in the Diocese of San Jose, including his involvement with labor
rights and issues in the Santa Clara Valley (1986-1992, incl.).
Sub-series 2.3: National Federation of Priests Council files 1970-1974
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet; 1 records center box
The series includes the files Father Boyle kept while he served on the National Federation of Priests Council (NFPC), a national
federation of diocesan senates or associations of priests founded in 1968. Materials include convention materials, correspondence,
and issues of The National Interest, an internal communications bulletin Father Boyle published throughout his term.
Series 3: Campaign for California State Assembly 1974-1975
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet; 1 records center box
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series includes Father Boyle's prepared remarks and notes on campaign issues, correspondence, photographs, ephemera,
fliers, and newspaper clippings. Correspondence includes that between Father Boyle and Archbishop McGucken on the topic of
his run for political office; and hate and support mail Father Boyle received about his campaign stances. The series also
includes a limited amount of photographs showing Father Boyle on the campaign trail.
Series 4: Faculty Papers 1967-1972
Physical Description: 1.5 Cubic Feet; 1 records center box and 1 document box
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series includes records and materials primarily pertaining to Father Boyle's tenure as a faculty member of Saint Patrick
College and Seminary, including official correspondence; faculty meeting notes and minutes; and course materials for his classes
taught on social justice issues. This series also includes meeting minutes and correspondence about the seminarian student
class strike in 1970.
Series 5: Subject Files 1959-1985, bulk, 1965-1979
Physical Description: 15.5 Cubic Feet; 15 records center boxes and 1 document box
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
The largest series in the collection, it includes business and personal correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters, personal
notes, and related materials that Father Boyle created and kept in an alphabetically arranged subject file. Subject areas
covered include a wide range of social, religious, and political issues and justice concerns relating to race, religion, poverty,
and housing; the anti-war and peace movements; police and community relations; and urban redevelopment. Numerous organizations,
individuals, movements and causes that were active in San Francisco and the Bay Area during the 1960s and 1970s are mentioned.
This series also includes correspondence, official communications, publicity materials, and newspaper clippings documenting
Father Boyle's involvement with organizations for farm workers' rights such as the National Farm Worker Ministry, the United
Farm Workers, and the Urban Farm Workers Union National Labor Relations Board; and references to boycotts organized against
the Coors Brewing Company, Gallo Wines, and Safeway groceries, and labor contract negotiations.
This series also includes the meeting minutes, correspondence, and related materials about the activities of the Sacred Heart
Urban Team; and the report, "San Francisco: A City in Crisis" (1968) commissioned by the San Francisco Conference on Religion
and Race and Social Concerns and completed by Father Boyle's seminarian students in his Social Action seminar.
Series 6: Objects and Audio Recordings
Physical Description: 2 Cubic Feet; 2 records center boxes
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series includes memorabilia, commemorative objects, and audio recordings. Among the items included are the Gabriel Catholic
Media awards Father Boyle received in 1965 and 1966 for his radio program, Underscore; his political campaign ephemera; and
his participant badge for the first United Farmworkers and AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention held in 1973. Audio recordings
include Masses delivered by Father Boyle; his theological reflections given at Saint Ann's Chapel in Palo Alto and Vallombrosa
Retreat Center; commercial radio spots made for Father Boyle's political campaign and the United Farm Workers; and a partial
recording of the Western Addition Community Organizing (WACO) meeting held in 1971.
Press Conference, Police Community Relations 1968
Press Conference, Police Community Relations: 1968-
WACO Convention and Conference on Race and Religion recordings 1970-06-06
WACO Convention and Conference on Race and Religion: 1970-
Father Boyle political campaign ads 1974
Father Boyle political campaign ads: 1974-
Series 7: Oversize materials 1941, 1956, and 1960-1974, incl.
Physical Description: 1.73 Cubic Feet; 2 flat boxes
An itemized inventory for this series is available upon request from the Archivist.
This series features large-format photographs, posters, certificates, and newsprint. Featured items include a photograph of
Father Boyle delivering Mass at the United Farmworkers of America and AFL-CIO First Constitutional Convention held in Fresno,
California in 1973; California State resolutions Father Boyle received; multi-lingual political campaign materials; and newspapers
published by various labor and community organizations in California.