William Thomas Cummings (October 30, 1903 – January 18, 1945) was a Maryknoll mission priest and U.S. military chaplain, recognized by Maryknoll as a martyr of the Philippines, is one of the people to whom the quotation "

There are no atheists in foxholes "There are no atheists in foxholes" is an aphorism used to suggest that times of extreme stress or fear can prompt belief in a higher power. In the context of actual warfare, such a sudden change in belief has been called a foxhole conversion. The ...

" has been attributed. Some of the others possibly responsible for the aphorism's currency were also present at the

Battle of Bataan The Battle of Bataan ( tl, Labanan sa Bataan; January 7 – April 9, 1942) was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invas ...

in 1942, when Cummings might have said it. Ordained on June 16, 1928, Father Cummings was sent to Manila to teach in 1940, after working in San Francisco for ten years. On December 10, 1941, he was serving at

Sternberg General Hospital Sternberg General Hospital or Department Hospital, Manila P was a United States Military Hospital in Manila in the Philippines during the early part of the 20th century. The hospital was renamed after George Miller Sternberg on June 26, 1920. No ...

in Manila when that city came under attack, and is reported to have worked tirelessly. This was the first of many such episodes that made Cummings a legend in his own time. Page 26 Known for his openness to helping soldiers of all faiths, Pages 35-37 Father Cummings was taken prisoner with the men he was serving, continued to minister to them, and died a prisoner aboard ship.

References

External links

Father Cummings at Maryknoll Archives
Cummings William Thomas Cummings William Thomas Cummings William Thomas Cummings William Thomas Cummings William Thomas Cummings William Cummings William Thomas United States Army chaplains United States Army personnel killed in World War II 20th-century American clergy {{US-RC-clergy-stub