tioning his ministry to reach the broadest possible spectrum. And
sixty years later, thousands of congregations have taken that same
path toward “mere” Christianity.
■ ■ ■If bridging to other Protestants was the beginning, it was his
reaching out to Catholics that most distinguished his leadership
from previous evangelists. He took a bold, almost unprecedented
step toward rapprochement with Catholics prior to his 1950 cam-
paign in Boston, a Catholic stronghold. This was an era of suspi-
cion and hostility between Catholics and Protestants. Catholics
were forbidden to enter Protestant churches. Conservative Protes-
tant voices called Catholics “papists” or “idolators.” The term
“mixed marriage” in the 1950s usually referred to the rare
Catholic-Protestant marriage, not one across racial lines.
In Boston, Catholics and Protestants had publicly clashed over
many issues, including the city’s recent sale of a parcel of land to
Boston College, a Catholic institution, for one dollar. Prominent
Protestant voices called it “a giveaway of the public trust.” A
Catholic newspaper, in turn, called these critics “enemies of the
church.”
Into this polarized setting Billy arrived, hoping to gain the sup-
port of both Catholics and Protestants for his meetings at Boston
Garden.
Despite the advice of some of his supporters, Billy sought out
Archbishop Richard Cushing’s blessing. He met with Cushing and
emphasized the core of his message: justification by faith on the
authority of the Bible. Cushing was so impressed with the spirit
and conviction of the young evangelist that he wrote an editorial
for the diocesan newspaper entitled, “Bravo Billy.”
When reporters asked Cushing what he wanted to tell
Catholics about the Graham meetings, he said unambiguously,
“Go hear Billy.”
When Cushing was made a cardinal, and upon his return from
Rome, he said to Allan Emery that he had learned three things
Building Bridges