Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)
A Roman Catholic convert who founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, the first new community for religious women to be founded in the United States. In an 1809 letter, she described her mission in the tradition of the St. Vincent de Paul Society: to "assist the Poor, visit the sick, comfort the sorrowful, clothe little innocents, and teach them to love God!" Through her work as a dedicated volunteer, social minister and spiritual leader, Elizabeth Ann Seton left a legacy behind that included six religious communities with more than 5,000 members, hundreds of schools, social service centers, and hospitals throughout America and around the world. She was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.

Sister Aloysius and Sister James dress in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity in the play, DOUBT, A Parable. They wear a bonnet and long cape-like dress that the Sisters of Charity adopted, like other orders, from women in mourning in the 18th century.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
35th president of the United States who famously said "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." He served as president from 1961-1963 at which time he was assasinated (a death in which the identity of his perpetrator(s) is still being debated). Kennedy was Catholic, but during his campaign for president, found that some largley Protestant states didn't support him because of his religious status. To separate his religion from politics, he stated in a famous 1960 speech in Houston, Texas: "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters - and the Church does not speak for me." To this day, Kennedy still rates highly as a past president in public opinion ratings.

In Doubt, A Parable, Father Flynn refers to Kennedy's assasination as a time of "profound disorientation. Despair."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)
32nd President of the United States who served from 1933-1945. He was the only president to have served more than two terms in office (he was elected to office four times). During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Roosevelt initiated the New Deal, a program designed to provide relief for the unemployed, recovery of the economy, and reform of the economic and banking systems. He is also remembered for signing into law the Social Security system in 1935.

Sister Aloysius in Doubt, A Parable, cautions Sister James not to idealize Roosevelt because, althought he was "a good president…he did attempt to pack the Supreme Court." This is in reference to the "court packing bill of 1937" in which the President would have power to appoint an extra Supreme Court Justice for every sitting Justice over the age of 70 ½. This law was proposed by Roosevelt after the Supreme Court overturned several of his New Deal measures.

Monsignor
A title and an office conferred upon a male cleric by the pope.

Bishop
A high-ranking senior member of a Christian clergy usually in charge of a diocese who oversees priests or ministers.

Desegregation
The 1954 landmark case - Brown vs. the Board of Education - overturned the earlier ruling for segregation in the schools. As a result, black and white students were no longer required to go to separate schools. The issue of desegregation remained a highly charged topic well into the 60s, as is touched upon in Doubt, A Parable.