PRINTER'S NO. 568
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
97
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY GALLOWAY, HENNESSEY, ZABEL, MURT, RYAN, HARKINS,
READSHAW, CALTAGIRONE, BIZZARRO, MULLERY, FREEMAN,
SCHLOSSBERG, T. DAVIS, LONGIETTI, KORTZ, HOHENSTEIN,
DiGIROLAMO, BURNS, MILLARD, DRISCOLL, GOODMAN, McCLINTON,
HEFFLEY, NEILSON, MARKOSEK AND MULLINS, FEBRUARY 25, 2019
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
FEBRUARY 25, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of March 2019 as "Ancient Order of
Hibernians Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) is the oldest
lay Catholic ethnic organization in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The AOH can trace its origins back to the 16th
century, when secret societies formed in Ireland to protect the
Irish people and the Roman Catholic Church against
discrimination during the Protestant Reformation; and
WHEREAS, Oppressive conditions and periodic crop failures
prompted many Irish to emigrate in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries; and
WHEREAS, Many Irish people settled in America and were faced
with ethnic and religious discrimination that prompted the
desire for a secretive society such as those that had existed in
Ireland; and
WHEREAS, In 1836, a group of miners from Schuylkill County
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known as the Hibernian Benevolent Society met with Irish
Catholics in New York City, which led to the formation of the
first division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians; and
WHEREAS, As the number of Irish people in America grew due to
emigration during the Irish famine of the 1840s, the AOH grew as
well, with a mission to assist Irish immigrants in finding jobs
and social services and to protect Catholic Church property; and
WHEREAS, The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians originated in
1894 when the ladies' organization Daughters of Erin was
officially recognized at an AOH national convention in Omaha,
Nebraska; and
WHEREAS, Today, the AOH is the most broadly based Irish-
American organization, with more than 46,000 members in America,
Canada and Ireland, including more than 7,500 members in
Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The AOH welcomes newly arrived Irish people to
America and seeks to provide a bridge with Ireland for those who
are generations removed from their ancestral homeland by
promoting Irish heritage and culture and the study of the Gaelic
language; and
WHEREAS, Every year, the AOH donates millions of dollars to
charitable causes and awards thousands of dollars in
scholarships to affiliated youths; and
WHEREAS, The AOH recognizes March 17 as one of its legal
holidays to honor the teachings and ideals of Saint Patrick;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of March 2019 as "Ancient Order of Hibernians Month" in
Pennsylvania.
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