As an extension of my project, I have decided to reach out to members of my Jesuit community at Loyola Marymount University to discover what involvement the school had in the role of acting as a safe place. To begin with, Fr. Edward Whelan, S.J. was president of the university during 1942-1949. This is significant due to the fact that the Japanese American internment camps were built during 1942 and closed in 1946, exactly during Fr. Whelan’s time as president.

Through Rev. Michael Kotlanger, S.J., we have received information that Fr. Whelan wrote a letter to an article that was published on October 3, 1942 in America. This original publication defends the use of internment camps in the war, saying, “Some of that harshness [brought on by the camps] is softened by the thought that the removal of the Japanese is saving from insult and personal danger the thousands of Chinese and Filipino citizens of the evacuated regions” (“The West Coast Japanese”, America, 1942). The original article suggests that the camps are a necessary action taken place by the government in order to keep citizens safe.

Fr. Whelan disagrees with this thought pattern and responds to America in the form of a letter and his own article. Firstly, in a letter published on June 17, 1944, Fr. Whelan questions the authority of the government to put Japanese Americans in the camps. In this letter, he is highly critical of the president and what his actions imply for the rest of the citizens: “What has become of our constitutional rights? What will all this lead us to? Can we imagine our forefathers sitting idly by and accepting such a high-handed mode of procedure?” (“Constitutional Rights”, America, 1944). Fr. Whelan is making a bold statement in responding to the original article as well as going against popular opinion. He feels strongly about the social justice and civil rights abuse enabling this to occur. Additionally, in his article published in the America on October 7, 1944, Fr. Whelan deliberately states, “The Committee on American Principles and Fair Play … has met with great success in making people realize that they should not be moved by hysteria and prejudice” (“American Principles and Fair Play”, America, 1944). Throughout his article, Fr. Whelan explains that the United States acted out in a hysterical and irrational manner. The military stepped in and by moving people to internment camps, the United States is acting undemocratically. Whereas his first complaint was in the form of a letter, Fr. Whelan is taking more of a stand with a full article written about the topic.  

Furthermore, there is evidence of Fr. Whelan having a close relationship with one of the Japanese Americans, George Minamiki, who Whelan helped out after the war and was in favor of his acceptance to the Jesuit society. In a letter to Fr. Provincial Joseph J. King, S.J., Fr. Whelan says how he was originally “disappointed at the attitude” of the Los Gatos Fathers regarding George, and how “we often preach a great deal about inter-racial justice, and then proceed to do nothing about it” (Letter, 1944). Fr. Whelan believes that especially in his Catholic faith, it is important for him to practice what he preaches. He calls out the hypocrisy of the Fathers in Los Gatos, and is not afraid to have this open dialogue about racial prejudices. In response, Minamiki wrote a letter to Rev. Provincial Paul Belcher, thanking Fr. Whelan for helping in his high school education at Loyola, defending him and other Japanese Americans through Whelan’s article written for America, and assisting him in receiving a scholarship at Marquette University. Minamiki writes that this kindness extended beyond Fr. Whelan and to the overall Jesuit community: “I’ve always felt indebted for the kindness of the Loyola community for everything they did for me” (Letter, 1991). Through George Minamiki’s words, we have a grasp of the work that Fr. Whelan actually did for the Japanese community. He did not let societal pressures or bias block him from doing the right thing, and in this case, looking after the underdog.

On a larger scale, the university as a whole was active in the advocacy for the Japanese American community. In the newspaper, Province News, there is an article regarding the return of five Japanese persons who “are working in the kitchen and on the grounds” (Province News, 1945). The year of 1945 is still when Fr. Whelan was the president of the university, as well as the year that Japanese Americans were still interned. By having Loyola University accept returnees, the university would have been perceived as acting in a progressive nature during this time. In another letter written to Rev. Joseph J. King, S.J., Fr. Whelan even states that, “We have a Japanese colony here” (Letter, 1945). Fr. Whelan, of course, is suggesting the members of the Japanese and Japanese American community who he allowed to live on campus after they were freed from the camps.

When I reached out to Rev. James L. Fredericks, he told me about a graduate by the name of Harry Honda who later worked at The Pacific Citizen newspaper. Unfortunately Harry has since passed away, but Rev. James Fredericks stated that Harry had told him that, “During the internment period, the Jesuits let the Issei and Nisei store their furniture in the basement of Sacred Heart Chapel” (email, 2017). If this is the case, then the university has been helping since the beginning. By keeping furniture under the Sacred Heart Chapel, the internees would have been able to save some of their family materials instead of simply just tossing them away or selling them.

Although there are parts of the story that still might be unclear, it is clear that the university has held up to its Jesuit values and beliefs, even in the earliest of times. Fr. Whelan is a great example of a president who follows through with his ethical code and what it means to be Catholic. Finding these details about Loyola Marymount University has made me feel proud to be a student of a socially aware campus.

Jesuit Schools and their role in the story