KKK Burned Tony’s Cousin’s Church — What He Did in 5 Days Made FBI Beg Him to STOP

Although Mike Licardo wasn’t supposed [music] to be a priest, his family expected him to join the business, the Icardo family business, like his cousins, like his brothers. But Michael had a calling. At 17, he entered seminary. At 24, he was ordained. By 1950, at age 32, he was assigned to St. John’s Baptist Church on Chicago’s Southside. St.

 John served a black congregation. In 1950, most white priests wouldn’t take the assignment. Too dangerous. Too controversial. Michael volunteered. Jesus didn’t turn away anyone. Neither will I. For 13 years, Father Michael served St. John’s, baptized their children, married their daughters, buried their fathers. The white Catholic priest, who loved his black congregation-like family, and they loved him back, called him Father Mike, invited him to Sunday dinners, protected him like one of their own.

 But in 1963, tension was rising. the civil rights movement, integration, change, and the KKK didn’t like change. In June 1963, Father Michael received his first letter. Crude, racist, threatening. Stop serving colorards. Close your church or we’ll close it for you. Michael threw it away. Kept preaching. In July, a rock through the window. Another note.

 Last warning. Michael called the police. filed a report. Nothing happened. In early August, a cross was burned on the church lawn. 300 a.m. Nobody saw who did it. Michael called his cousin Tony. Not for help. Just to talk, to process what was happening. They’re trying to scare me, Tony. Trying to make me close. St.

John’s. Are you going to? Never. This is my church, my congregation. I won’t abandon them because of cowards in hoods. Be careful, Michael. These people are serious. So am I. On August 12th at 2:34 a.m., Father Michael woke to smoke. His room was in the rectory attached to the church.

 The smoke was thick, acid, chemical. He ran downstairs. The church was burning. Flames everywhere. Multiple fires. This wasn’t an accident. Michael called 911, grabbed the Eucharist, ran outside. By 3:00 a.m., firefighters were battling the blaze. By 4:30 a.m., they had it under control. By 6:00 a.m., it was clear. St.

 John’s Baptist Church was destroyed. Investigators found evidence immediately. Gasoline accelerant, five separate ignition points, professional arson, and in the parking lot, a burned wooden cross. still smoldering. At 8:00 a.m., Father Michael called Tony. They burned it. The whole church. Everything’s gone. Tony’s voice was calm. Are you hurt? No. I got out.

 But Tony, the church, 47 years, generations of families, all their memories, the baptismal records, the wedding registers, all of it burned. The cross they left. Is it still there? Yes. Why? Because that means they’re still in Chicago. They’re not running. They’re celebrating. And that’s a mistake. Tony hung up, made one call. Joey, St.

 John’s Baptist Church was burned last night. KKK, I need names. Every member in Chicago. I want a complete list by tonight. By 6 p.m., Joey had it. 19 members. the entire Chicago KKK chapter. Tony studied the list, addresses, jobs, families, everything. 5 days, Tony said. In 5 days, there won’t be a KKK member left in Chicago.

 Boss, that’s a lot of exposure. 19 targets. People will notice. Let them notice. They burned a church. A house of God. There are lines you don’t cross. They crossed one. Day one, August 13th. Thomas Walsh, KKK member number one, owned a construction company. His crew had done the church burning, provided the gasoline, set the fires. At 9:00 a.m.

, Walsh arrived at his warehouse to find it empty. Every piece of equipment gone. Trucks, tools, materials vanished. At 10:00 a.m. his bank called, “Mr. Walsh, we’re calling your loans. You have 30 days.” At 11:00 a.m., every contractor he’d worked with called, “We can’t do business with you anymo

re.” By 5:00 p.m., Walsh’s company was bankrupt. By 8:00 p.m., he’d left Chicago. Members two and three disappeared that night. No bodies found, just gone. Day two, August 14th. The remaining 16 KKK members realized what was happening. Held an emergency meeting. Aardo’s coming after us. We need to go to the police and tell them what? That we burned a church and now someone’s retaliating.

 We need to leave all of us tonight. But five more didn’t make it out. Tony’s crew was faster by end of day two. Eight down, 11 to go. Day three, August 15th. The FBI got involved. Not because they cared about the KKK, because a pattern was emerging. Eight people missing or bankrupted in 48 hours, all connected to white supremacist groups.

 Special Agent Robert Henderson visited the burned church, saw the cross, understood. This is retaliation. Someone systematically destroying the KKK. We need to stop it before it becomes a race war. Henderson’s partner disagreed. Maybe we let it play out. The KKK burned a church. Someone’s handling it. That’s not how law works.

 By end of day three, 12 down. 7 to go. Day 4. August 16th. Henderson went to Tony’s house. Didn’t call ahead. Just showed up. 2 p.m. Tony answered the door. Agent Henderson, this is unexpected. Mr. Ricardo, we need to talk. May I come in? No. Say what you came to say. Henderson pulled out a folder. Photos of the missing KKK members.

 12 people in 4 days. All connected to the church burning. All disappeared or bankrupted or fled. Sounds like karma. Mr. Aardo, I understand your anger. Your cousin’s church was destroyed. But if you continue this campaign, we’ll have violence, retaliation against retaliation, a race war. Tony’s voice was ice cold.

 You had 47 years to protect that church. 47 years to stop the KKK. Where were you when Father Michael received death threats? When they burned crosses on his lawn. When they warned him three times before burning his church. We’re investigating. You’re investigating now. After it’s Ash, after it’s too late. So, here’s what’s going to happen.

 I have seven more names on my list. By tomorrow night, all seven will be gone. Then I’m done. But until then, stay out of my way. I can’t do that. I have a job. Then do your job. Arrest me. Charge me with what exactly? Making phone calls. Having conversations. You have no evidence. No witnesses, nothing but a pattern you can’t prove.

 Henderson’s partner, Morrison, spoke up. Mr. Ricardo, we’re not here to arrest you. We’re here to ask you to stop. For the city, for the community. The community Father Michael served. The one you didn’t protect. I’m doing what you couldn’t. I’m delivering justice. It’s not justice if it’s revenge. Then what do you call burning a church? If that’s not evil, I don’t know what is.

And if law enforcement won’t handle evil, someone has to. Tony started to close the door. Henderson put his hand out. Please, 24 more hours. Give us 24 hours to find the remaining seven. Let us handle it legally. Tony looked at him. You have until midnight tomorrow. Anyone still in Chicago after that belongs to me.

 Day five, August 17th. The FBI worked frantically, found four of the remaining seven, offered them a deal, federal witness protection, in exchange for testimony about the church burning. All four took it, relocated, new names, new lives, gone from Chicago. That left three. At 11 p.m. Henderson called Tony. We got four.

 The last three fled on their own, left the state. The Chicago KKK chapter is done. It’s over. Are you certain? We’ve been monitoring. All 19 are accounted for. Gone. Disbanded. It’s over. Tony hung up. Called Father Michael. It’s done. Everyone responsible is gone. The church is avenged. Michael was quiet.

 Tony, I appreciate what you did, but I need you to promise me something. What? No more violence. Please. They destroyed a building. A building can be rebuilt, but if you destroy lives to avenge it, you’re no better than them, Michael. They tried to destroy more than a building. They tried to destroy faith, hope, community. That’s worth fighting for.

 Fighting? Yes. Killing? No. Promise me. I promise it’s over. Two weeks later, the FBI closed their investigation. Insufficient evidence to pursue charges. The KKK members who’d fled stayed gone. On September 1st, 1963, ground was broken for the new St. John’s Baptist Church. Anonymous donor. Full funding. Better than before.

 Father Michael knew who paid for it. never asked, just accepted with gratitude. The new church opened Easter Sunday 1964. Father Michael’s first sermon, forgiveness and justice. Sometimes, he told his congregation, justice comes from unexpected places. From people we might judge, from methods we might question.

 But when a church burns and rises again stronger, when evil is driven out and good remains, who are we to question the hand of God? In 1985, Father Michael retired, 80 years old, 47 years of service. A reporter asked about the church burning. Father, in 1963, your church was destroyed by the KKK, but they were all gone within a week. Some say your cousin was responsible.

Any truth to that? Michael smiled. I’ll say this. When my church burned, I was devastated. But my family, all my family rallied around me. Within a week, those responsible were gone. Within a year, I had a new church. Better than before. Whether that was divine intervention or family intervention, I choose to call it a blessing.

 Do you condone what happened to those men? I condone justice. I condone protection of the innocent. I condone family. However that manifests, I trust God sorted it out. Tony Aardo never spoke about August 1963. Never confirmed involvement. Never needed to. But every year on August 12th, flowers appeared at St. John’s. Anonymous, no card, just flowers.

Remembering the day a church burned and the five days that followed. When one man decided enough was enough. When the FBI begged him to stop. when he didn’t and when 19 KKK members learned some churches are protected by more than faith.