By Michelle Harty

On Wednesday, October 25, hero Father John Corridan was remembered at Manhattan’s Pier 40 as a New York Harbor police boat was christened in his name. Father John Corridan (1911-1984), better known as Father Pete, was a Jesuit priest who fought against organized crime and corruption on the New York City waterfront.

He was the inspiration for the 1954classic film, On the Waterfront. Born to a County Kerry-born policeman in New York’s Harlem, Father Corridan was a labor priest, assigned to the Xavier Institute of Industrial Relations in 1946. Housed in St. Francis Xavier Parish on West 16th Street in Manhattan, Father Corridan was assigned to work with the longshoremen of the Chelsea piers.

This was a time when New York City’s docks werethriving, but the means to achieving profit included threats of violence and murder from mobsters and union leaders, who even had ties with the police. The longshoremen were in a constant state of terror, and Father Corridan quickly became a passionate advocate for reform. He was a stand-in union leader for the longshoremen, and helped the men build the faith that together they could stand up for themselves and earn the rights thatthey deserved.

Budd Schulberg, screenwriter of On the Waterfront, was interested in Father Corridan’s story, and became a close friend as he worked with him in writing his movie. Schulberg described Father Corridan as a “tall, youthful, balding, energetic, ruddy-faced Irishman whose speech was a fascinating blend of Hell’s Kitchen jargon, baseball slang, the facts and figures of a master in economics and the undeniable humanity of Christ.” He wrote that Father Corridan “led me to understand that there is nothing unusual about a Catholic priest’s involving himself in moral issues that find practical form in the daily lives of his parishioners.”

October 25 was a picturesque sunny day with puffy white clouds against a clear blue sky; the sun shone warmly and bounced off the water. Members of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, and Reverends John Garvey and Joseph D’Angelo, as well as Budd Schulberg himself were amongst the crowd gathered at Pier 40 to celebrate the christening of the Rev. John M. Corridan, S.J.

A sense of pride and admiration could be felt among the crowd as various people shared their thoughts. Budd Schulberg fondly recalled his days of friendship with Father Pete and called him his “guiding hand” in writing On the Waterfront. Said Thomas De Maria, Executive Director of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, “The tradition of christening ships traces back to the Egyptians who believed that the spirit of the name enters the vessel and remains forever. We are honored to name our vessel after Father John Corridan who continues to inspire the work of the commission. His spirit will continue to fight for justice in the port.”

At the end of the ceremony, the 27-foot Boston whaler zipped around the water, beginning its life of protection and justice in the spirit of Father Pete.