President’s Day Blog – George Washington’s Catholic Conversion

February 9, 2024

George Washington’s Catholic conversion has been the source of intrigue and speculation since his death on December 14, 1799. For 225 years, Catholics and historians alike have debated the possible deathbed conversion of the nation’s first President. With President’s Day around the
corner, Washington’s possible conversion to the Catholic Faith deserves further consideration.

George Washington’s Religious Beliefs

Like most people in the colonial period and during the early days of the Republic, Washington was an Anglican. But like many of the Founding Father’s, Washington was highly influenced by Enlightenment philosophy. He was certainly influenced by various religions and Christian denominations. It is likely his personal faith and beliefs evolved as he encountered religious diversity as one of the nation’s founders.

Washington believed in more than mere religious tolerance. He affirmed the notion that the free exercise and practice of religion was an extension of human rights. Writing to the Hebrew Community of Newport, RI, Washington noted, “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.” Washington went on to affirm that, “For happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.”

George Washington and the Catholic Faith

George Washington helped advance the cause of the Catholic Faith in the early days of the United States. Washington had close Catholic friends and he appointed many devout Catholics as trusted advisors. John Carroll, and the Marquis de Lafayette were close confidents of the nation’s first President. Washington appointed Commodore John Barry as a naval officer and John Fitzgerald as one of his aides-de-camps.

Washington was a clear supporter of the Catholic Church. During the Continental Congress held in Philadelphia, Washington led a delegation to St. Mary’s Church to attend Mass. And it is believed he contributed more, financially, to the Church in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Virginia than John Carroll and his family. Source.
https://www.goodcatholic.com/george-washington-and-the-catholic-church-how-the-father-of-our-country-regarded-the-faith-of-our-fathers/

Evidence for George Washington’s Conversion to Catholicism

While ironclad evidence for any deathbed conversion is hard to find, there is enough support to give credence to the idea of Washington’s conversion. Washington’s household servants and personal aids are said to have prayed regularly with the first President, and they were observed to bless themselves with the sign of the cross, a uniquely Catholic practice.

Mount Vernon features a stained-glass window of the Blessed Virgin. This would have been an extremely irregular household decoration for an Anglican in the 18th century.

The most compelling evidence of George Washington’s conversion comes from the Jesuits. The story is that a Fr. Leonard Neale, SJ was called to Mt. Vernon on the night of Washington’s death. Tradition holds that the priest spent several hours with Washington just before he died. Fr. Neale’s written account of the evening was sealed in a letter and given to his superior who eventually sent the documents to Rome.

While these stories are interesting, they do not suffice as definitive proof. The formal account of Washington’s death gives no record of a visit from a Jesuit priest. But this can easily be explained given unpopularity of Catholics in late 1700s America.

Possible or Likely

It is certainly plausible and possible that George Washington converted to Catholicism at the end of his life. He was influenced by many religious faiths and clearly demonstrated a strong affinity
for the Catholic Church. But it is difficult to say if his conversion is likely. What is clear, is that the Jesuits may have the final clue in this American mystery.