File #724: "JA-woodstock-037.pdf"

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THE

WOODSTOCK LETTERS
A RECORD
OF CURRENT EVENTS AND HISTORICAL NOTES CONNECTED
WITH THE COLLEGES AND l\IISSIONS OF THE
SOCIETY OF JESUS.

VOL. XXXVII.

WOpDSTOCK COLLEGE
I

908.

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INDEX TO VOLUME XXXVII. 1908.

Pe.g.

AUSTRALIA, The Society of Jesus in

..

303

ACCOUNT of a Retreat.by Rev. Fr. Ryder

344

BENGAL, Our Fathers in-Fr. R. H. Fleuren

3SI

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS
BUFFALO MISSION, Division of the

39

CARLISLE, Indian Students in Retreat-Fr. W. J. Ennis

3I9

CATHOLIC AWAKENING in Spain-Fr. R. Carmona

77

CEYLON, Our Fathers in-Fr. R. H. Fleuien

84

DUNGEONS OF SAN JULIAN, Our Fathers in

2I7

ERECTION OF THE CANADIAN PROVINCE-\V. H. Hingston

I2

ERECTION OF THE NE\V ORLEANS PROVINCE-Fr. James DePotter

22

FREQUENT CoMMUNION, Two Letters of St. Ignatius on
JESUIT MISSIONARIES in the Congo-Fr. R. H. Fleuren

I

MAKERS OF 'VOODSTOCK, The-Fr. J. A. Doonan
MISSIONARY LABORS-Fr. W. H. Coyle

I6S
45. I88

MISSIONARY EXCURSIONS in the Philippines-Fr. D. Lynch
MISSION IN SYRIA, Our-Fr. W. :M. Drum

75
230, 324

MISSION ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND, Our-Fr. M. A. Noel

2I2

MISSION LABORS among the Chippewas of \Visconsin and
Minnesota-Fr. Specht' . . .

376

NAME FEAST AND GOLDEN JUBILEE OF V. R. FR. GENERAL
239

NEGRO MISSIONS in Maryland-Fr. L. J. Kelly
NEw MISSION of California and the Rocky Mountains.
H. L. McCulloch

30

ORIGIN OF THE SOCIETY and St. Joseph

247

ORDINATION among the Iroquois, An-Fr.]. Gras

I68

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS-Fr. D. Lynch

223

QUESTION AS TO IDEALS-By a Father of the English Province

36o

REESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF MEXICO-Fr. J. W. Riordan
SUGGESTION to Our Teachers
SODALITY NOTES
TERTIANSHIP at Linz
SUPPLEl\mNT-DOCUl\IENTA

4
244

93. 386

66

OBITUARY
Fr. Henry Baselmans, IDS

Fr. Neil N. McKinnon, 272

Fr. Angelo Coltelli, I09

Fr. Gregory O'Bryan,

Fr. Thomas Freeman, 264

Fr. Francis I. Prelato, 255

Br. Dominic Leischner, 398

Fr. Joseph Roduit, 1o6

Fr. John Alister MacDonald, 397

Fr. Henry Van Rensselaer, 259

102

VARIA
St. Andrew-on Hudson, rr2

Ireland, 136, 295, 422

Alaska, 266

Italy, I36

Australia, 400

Jamaica, 137, 286, 425

Austria, I 18, 266

Japan, 426

Belgium, 269

Jersey City, I38, 327 427

Baltimore, 401

List of our Dead, 452

Boston, I2I, 402

Missouri Province, I 39, 287, 427

Brooklyn, 403

New Haven, 432

California, I24, 275, 403

New 1\Iexico, 433

Canada, 276, 4o6

New Orleans, I48

Ceylon, 278, 4o6

New York, 29I, 433

China, I 26, 407

Novitiates, 450

England, I26, 279, 409

Philadelphia, 148, 294, 433

Fordham, I27

Philippine Islands, I5o, 295, 433

France, I28, 4I7

Polish Missions, 444

Georgetown, I29, 283, 4I5

Rome, 157, 298, 4-+4

Germany, I3o, 284

Scholasticates, 446

Havana, 4I5

South Africa, 298

Holland, 4I6
Home News, I62, 300, 451
India, 131, 284, 418

Students in our Colleges, 453
Summer Retreats, 447
Washington, 299, 450
'V orcester. 299,

\

THE

WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XXXVII. No. r

VERY REV. FATHER GENERAL'S
NAME FEAST
AND GOLDEN JUBILEE
DEAR FATHER,

P. C.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, we celebrated the name feast of
Father General. The evening previous just before Litanies, which come before supper at this time of the
year, the Curia gathered in the Consultation room of
Father General. When he had come from his working
room, Father Freddi, the Italian Assistant, made him
an address expressive of the whole Society's love and
devotion to Father General, and of its prayers and good
wishes. Fr. Freddi dwelt especially on the fa&, that
this year in particular the entire Society wished to show
its affeCtion for its head on the occasion of his golden
jubilee, which occurred two days later. Father Freddi's
words were simple and heartfelt. Father General
answered in Italian with the simple and unaffeCted
heartiness which always charaCterises him. He said
tha,t this year's experience had brought strongly home
to him, that unless the Lord proteCt: the city he laboreth
· in vain who proteeteth it. It was for this reason that
he was peculiarly happy over the very generous lists of
prayers and offerings of spiritual help, which are coming
to him from the whole Society. He was, indeed, about
to see, in the mercy of God, his fiftieth year finished in
the Society. He felt how much he had neglected the
opportunities these years had brought him, but yet how
very, very many things he had to thank God for in
them. He must now, in the few years that are left,

GOLDEN JUBILEE

OF

strive to redeem the time-" tempus instanter redimere"
-and so, as the prayer of St. Stanislas so beautifully
puts it, hasten to enter into rest eternal-" in reternam
ingredi requiem." At the conclusion of his words, Father General gave us all his blessing. I have several
times been present when Father General gave his blesting to the Curia. It is an affecting sight, as one cannot
help realising that, in the Curia, as in so many representatives of the Provinces, he is blessing the entire
body of the Society. This time, Father General, in
promising his blessing, called it his "fatherly'' blessing,
which expresses better than any word I know his attitude towards us all.
On Tuesday, the feast of St. Francis Xavier, Father
General said Mass for the scholastics at the Gesu, where
the arm of St. Francis Xavier is in a reliquary over the
altar in the right transept. During the morning, there
were a number of visitors to pay their respects to Father
General. At dinner, the Fathers and Brothers of the
German College joined the Curia. Since the beginning
of this scholastic year, this has happened only once or
twice, the Curia now being quite a distinct community,
with full enclosure of its own, it being impossible to
get in from outside except by means of a key. The
only exception is the refeEl:ory, the position of which
makes this second enclosure impossible. I say second,
because the Curia apartments cannot be approached
from the street except by the college door, which forms
the first enclosure. -·
The reading at di""iiiier was from the life of St. Fran-·
cis Xavier. This is the custom here always, to have,
on a feast day, reading appropriate to the day.
On Dec. 5, we celebrated Father General's golden jubilee. There was no means of providing in
our house for as many guests as were invited.
Hence, the Curia went in a body to the Gregorian University. There were gathered at noon something like
150 of Ours of Rome and the immediate vicinity. The
oval shaped dining room was quite full. After the feast,
which was about the usual first class feast in this
Province, all went for an Academy to the Ethics Hall
of the University, the most available place for so hirge
a gathering. The hall had been decorated in a becoming way. The first address was by the ReEl:or of the
University, presenting a spiritual bouquet to Father
General. Then the programs were distributed. These
were double and consisted of an illuminated page and

1l

J

V. R. FATHER

GENERAL

3

the program proper, both executed in perfect taste.
The program made cl.ear the special character of the
event, a literary feast m honor of our Father's golden
jubilee. The participants were the Rector, the Professors and the scholastics. Several of the pieces which
were read were particularly praised. Two of the musical compos»ions-the music was nearly all the work of
Ours-struck me as excellent. Five languages were
'epresented in the poems and addresses. Two of the
Fathers relieved the affair with a vein of humor in their
addresses. This was especially marked in dear Father
Rossi's comical verses, which very much amused our
Father.
The Academy was broken in the middle by a brief
"interrumpendum,, during which a small glass of liqueur was served.
.
The speeches, poems and music finished, the most
solemn and most affecting part came. It was not printed on the program. The Holy Father had written to
Father Freddi a letter for the occasion. It was all in
the Holy ,Father's own handwriting, he writing even
the address on the envelope and the word "urgente,''
which they put on letters here to secure speedy delivery.
The letter was read in public assembly by Father
Fn!ddi. Here is the translation of the letter.
"Dear Reverend Father, I too wish to take part in
the feast which the venerable (veneranda) Society of
J e~us is celebrating in honor of her Father General on
the happy occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his entrance into religion. For this purpose I bespeak your
Reverence's kind offices to present my affectionate regards to Father General with my best wishes for every
best gift, and with the prayer that Our Lord, in reward
of so many good works done in so holy a manner in his
religious life, will repay him with the sweetest consolations in the government of the .Society.
· Express to him in a particular way my gratitude for
t!te &"reat good done the Church universal by the pubhcatton of his books, by his wise counsel in the Roman
Co~gregations, and by his learned teaching in the Gregon~n University, which makes him remembered and
esteemed by grateful pupils everywhere in the world.
And for this favor which I promise myself at vour
hands, I impart to your Reverence to Father General
to all the Curia and to all of the S~ciety the Apostoli~
Benediction.
·
4 December, 1907.
PIUs PP. X.,,

l?EESTABLISHllfENT OF THE

At the end, our Father spoke as follows:
"Reverend Fathers and dear Brothers, I am too much
moved to be able to speak many words to you. I thank
you, each and every one, with all my heart for your
good wishes and for the sentiments you have expressed
in my regard, but much more I thank you for the
the prayers which have been offered up for me on this
occasion.
What consoles me ~bove all to-day is to see the union
which exists among the sons of the Society, a union of
charity, which is the Society's most beautiful ornament.
And I am most happy to note the spirit of obedience,
which manifests itself in filial respect towards Superiors, in whom not the person, but the office he holds, is
regarded.
I am exceedingly moved by the graciousness with
which the Holy Father has deigned to share in our
home joys. Among the words spoken those have been
especially pleasing to me in which allusion has been
made to my entering the Society young. This means
that all that I have learned and all the good I may been
able to do, I owe to the Society, to which I feel bound,
to-day more than ever, to express my gratitude in public.
I end with this one recommendation to all:
' Let us love our dear Mother the Society !' "
At recreation after supper, where the Curia met the
next time after the Academy, all seemed particularly
happy over the whole event and encouraged to do their
best in the service of· God in the Society of Jesus under
such a leader.

THE REESTABLISHMENT OF THE
PROVINCE OF MEXICO
INSTITUTO SCIENTIFICO DE
SAN FRANCISCO DE BORJA, MEXICO

Aug. I5tlz I907.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER:

P. C.
To-day has been a day of general reJOlcmg for Ours
throughout Mexico, for our Province, hitherto a Province in name only, has been restored to its merited place
among its sister Provinces. The formal announcement
wa:; no news to us, for with the characteristic kindness

PROVINCE OF MEXICO

of Superiors here, the glad tidings were spread a~n~mg
us as soon as received, so that the pleasure of antlclpation enhanced the pleasure of realization. To the entire satisfaction of everbody, Rev. Fr. Thomas Ipifia was
appointed Provincial, a well-deserved tribute to successful labors in the past and an earnest of even greater
successes in the future.
At dinner the following documents were read in the
presence of the Apostolic Delegate, Mons. Joseph Ridolfi,
who had come to share in the joys of the occasion.
"Mexico, July Jist, I907.
REV. FR. MIGUEL CUENCA:

P. C.
I send your Reverence the decree of the reestablishment of our Mexican Province, also that of the appointment of a Provincial for the same, with the Letters
Patent; also the letter which Our Very Rev. Father
General writes to the Fathers and Brothers of the new
Province.
Your Reverence will kindly see that the documents,
in the order indicated, are read in the College on the
15th of August.
I hope that all will celebrate with a holy enthusiasm,
and with fervent thanksgivings to the Divine Goodness,
so happy an event.
Your Reverence's Servant in Christ,
T. IPINA, s. J."
" DECREE OF THE ERECTION OF THE
MEXICAN PROVINCE

Francis Xavier vVernz,
General of the Society of Jesus,
To all whom it may concern, eternal welfare
in the Lord.
Whereas ; in order to satisfy the wishes of the Provinces, and to bind together in a bond of firmer charity
the chief divisions of Our Society widely separated
from one another, our late General Congregation clearly
signified by its suffrages that our transatlantic Missions,
which had acquired the due membership of a Province,
not only might be erected into Provinces but should
also, owing to the changed condition of times and circumstances, be more and more assimilated to the European Provinces: We, moved with the same desire and
impelled by the same example, have caused earnest inqmry tope made whether any reason existed whv the
.Mexican Province, which hitherto has been governed

6

REESTABLISHJIIE.NT OF THE

rather as a transatlantic Mission than as a Province,
should not, at length, be constituted a true Province ;
seeing that, besides a Novitiate properly constituted, it
possesses four Colleges, twelve Residences, six Missionary Stations among the Tarahumaras, as also a goodly
number of young men, who received proper formation
in other Provinces. Neither does it lack the other requirements of our religious life, nor the means of temporal support, all of which give the brightest promise
for the future. Having, therefore, on this weighty
matter, taken due counsel with our Father Assistants,
and asked the opinion of the Superior of the Mexican
Province and his Consultors, as none of them considered
that any hindrance existed, why such a desired elevation
should not be effected as speedily and opportunely as
possible, we, strengthened by the unanimity of their
judgment and upheld by the authority of our office,
after many prayers to God, by the tenor of these presents, elevate and constitute within the confines of Mexico, the Mexican Province, which hithetto has been a
Province in name only, a true Province of our Society;
and we declare the same lawfully elevated and constituted by us in the Lord with all the rights, powers and
privileges which, according to our Constitutions, are
conferred upon the transatlantic Provinces; preserving,
however, inviolate the 8th decree of the XXVth Congregation. lVforeover, we declare this our decree to be
in full force, after it shall have been read at table, as is
customary, in at least the chief houses of the Province
on August rsth ne:d,-a day sacred to our Lady assumed
into heaven.
For the rest, we earnestly beseech the Lord, our God,
that all that has been decreed and sanCtioned by us in
these letters, may graciously be confirmed and ratified
by heaven; and that with His divine help and proteCtion,
He will so cherish and foster the restored Mexican Province, that it may ever bear the true image of the Ancient Mexican Province most celebrated for the number
of its members and the praCt:ice of every virtue.
Given at Rome on the Feast of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 7th, 1907.
FRANCIS XAVIER WERNZ,

General o.f the Society o.f Jesus."

Next followed the decree of the appointment of Rev.
Fr. I pifi.a as Provincial.

PROViNCE

7

OF JIIEXJCO

" Rome, June 7th, I907.
Rev. Father

i1t

Christ.

P. C.
Having held a consultation with our Father Assistants
and weighed the opinions of Your Reverence and Consultors I decree in the name of the Lord : that Father
Thom~s Ipiiia is to be the Provincial of the new Mex~­
can Province. I commend myself to your Holy Sacnces,
Your Reverence's Servant in Christ,
FRANCIS XAV. WERNZ,

General o.f tlte Society

o/ Jesus.,

Then came the letter of appointment in the usual
form, and, lastly, his Paternity's beautiful letter to the
Fathers and Brothers of the newly-erected Province.

"Rome, Ju?te 7th, r907.
Rev. Fathers a11d Dear Brothers:
The lawful erection of the Mexican Province, which,
even from the time of the restoration of our Society,
has been one of the most ardent desires of my predecessors, although prepared and promoted by many sons of
the Society during the long period of nearly a century,
has only now, by the special providence of God, been
able to be realized in accordance with the laws of our
Institute.
For all the children of the Society is this event most
consoling; but for you, Dearest Fathers and Brothers,
who in any manner whatsoever belong to the Province
of Mexico, for you, I say, should this memorable day be
glorious.
Wherefore, with a fatherly outpouring of soul, I congratulate you, and exhort you that first and foremost
you join with me in giving humble thanks to God, our
Lord, the Author of all good. For, truly, there are
many motives for joy and thanksgiving, if we reflect,
even in a passing, manner, on the achievements and
vicissitudes of our Society in Mexico, from the time of
its reestablishment.
We see it, in fact, from the year 1816 plunged in a sea
of difficulties and dangers and cruelly harassed by
ceaseless persecutions; so that, robbed of its possessions,
expelled from its houses, scattered amono- various nations ~nd r~duced to an insignificant nu~ber of members, tt extsted with .n_
• great difficulty I and I at times I
seemed a Imost extml.:[. It sustained itself: notwith.

8

REESTABLISHJIENT OF

THE

standing, by the prudence, the labors, oftentimes unknown, and the generous hopes of the few Fathers who
remained; in which hopes the Generals of the Society
themselves shared, since they did not wish that the
name of the Mexican Province should be blotted from
our Catalogues.
It was sustained, moreover, by the most tender and
fatherly Providence of God, which strengthened by its
grace the souls of our tried and affiiB:ed Fathers, and
stirred up, at the same time, the inborn piety and generosity of the Mexicans, so that they should bestow upon
Ours their favor, assistance, abundant helps and every
kind of benefits. Finally, when the moment appointed
by God, arrived, the Holy Spirit blessed the Province's
bosom with a goodly number of children, so that thus
strengthened, the Society in Mexico has been able to
establish four Colleges for the education of secular
youth, to found many Residences for the exercise of the
sacred ministry, and to send apostles to catechize the
savages.
Truly, in considering the aCtual prosperity of the
Mexican Province, it is as pleasant as it is useful to cast
a glance backward, as well to acknowledge and publish,
before all things, the benefits of God, and to show our
gratitude to our Mexican benefactors, as to bestow the
merited homage of praise upon those Fathers who, beset by the greatest difficulties, labored untiringly for the
glorv of God and the advancement of the Society in
Mexico. The majori~y of them have already exchanged
the sorrows of this.- life for the joys of eternal rest; but
they, it was, that sowed, and you to-day gather the harvest; they prepared and tilled the field, and you have
entered into their labors.
At sight of these successes, we congratulate you on
your prosperity, and give thanks to God through whose
goodness it has been possible to gather the long-desired
fruit of their labors in the erection of the Mexican
Province according to the form of our Institute; so that
it no longer has merely the name of Province, but enjoys all the rights that our Constitutions grant transatlantic Provinces.
All the other Provinces into whose company it is invited, will salute and cry out with joy to the newly established, or rather reestablished Province, and say:
Thou art our Sister, prosper daily more and more.
For my part, I pray God our Lord, that he will deign

•

PROVINCE OF 1lfEXICO

9

to confirm what he has done in you, and that the Divine
Goodness will continue its favors to your Province, .so
that it may be enabled to imitate ever more and more,
the flourishing condition and the illustrio.us deed~ of the
primitive Province founded by St. Franc1s Borg1a. Its
prosperity, in the olden days, reached such a degr~e t~at
it could count more than forty Colleges or Semmanes
and more than one hundred residences; it raised to a
christian, civilized life, at the cost of the ceaseless labor,
and the shedding of the blood of many of its sons, numerous native tribes; neither was it lacking in subjeCts
illustrious for their virtue and science. This it clearly
showed on many occasions, but especially when the
fearful tempest of the XVIIIth Century cast many of
the Mexican Fathers on Italian shores, the memory of
whom is even yet cherished with honor.
I am not blind to the faa, that, in actual circumstances, it is almost impossible to attain a similar prosperity.
But neither does God demand of you a Province flourishing in its edifices, wealth, and extraordinary number of
members, nor does the tranquillity of the future, nor the
happy course of events depend solely on our industry
and will. But be these as they may, no one can hinder
you in corresponding with the designs, which God has
had in reestablishing the Province of Mexico, imitating
thus the example of your ancient Fathers. Now the
purpose and will of God is, without the shadow of
doubt, that the new Province should not enjoy in vain
this honor, but that its sons should, by their virtues,
science, labors and glorious deeds, render themselves
worthy of the greatness of the name. All this will infallibly come to pass, if among you the observance of
our Institute continues and daily grows greater, seeing
that in it is the life, the strength, the honor of our
Society; if each and every one of its members strives
with all his forces to conform himself to the rule which
St. Ignatius proposed to himself in establishing the Society, and which the Holy See has approved: "If every
~me exerts himself in keeping before his eyes (accordmg to the words of our Holy Father) first God, and next
the rule of our Institute, which is the road that leads to
Him, and to obtain with all diligence the end which
God has marked out for it; each one, nevertheless according to the :grace of the Holy Spirit received 'and
hi~ ~egree. in the Society:" if" All, as our Constit~tions
enJom, stnve to lose no point of perfection which by

10

REESTABLISH11IEJVT OF THE

the divine grace we can attain in the observance of all
the Constitutions and our manner of life."
But although each and all the members of the new
Province should cooperate in embracing its splendor
and power, its Superiors, in virtue of their office, are
obliged thereto in a special manner, as are also all those
who in any manner help in the formation and government of Ours, e. g. Ministers, Consultors and Spiritual
Fathers, and, above all, Masters of Novices; but even
more so, those to whom the duty of instructing our
young men in the sciences and in literature is entrusted.
And, truly, if all these in the discharge of their duty,
conform themselves perfeetly to the rules of their office,
we shall see flourish in all the houses of our Province, as
a thing the most natural, love of prayer, and zeal for
perfection and for religious discipline, poverty will
be loved as a mother, and in it will be recognized
the wall of religion; what our rules prescribt for the
acquirement of an angelical chastity will be observed;
and all will strive to distinguish and signalize themselves in holy obedience.
From this interior formation of our brethren in the spiritual life and the exercise of solid virtues which unite the
instrument to God, will flow, as from a fountain, assiduity and constancy in our studies; tireless diligence in
our schools ; and, in our sacred ministry, a zeal apostolic, sincere and strong, which knows how to undertake
gigantic enterprises for the glory of God, and meet,
with unflinching breast, the direst adversities.
Oh ! how acceptable to God and glorious among men
will our Province of Mexico be, if its sons strive ever
to shape their life and actions according to these sacred
principles of our Institute ! What will not be its power
to overcome the difficulties that oppose it, and to come
forth unscathed from all the dangers and machinations
of its enemies! For, howsoever great the calamities
of the times may be, you have ever at your side the
leader and author of our Society, Jesus, who never
abandons his brave soldiers, who, faithful to their oaths,
fight the good fight; he gives strength and courage to
his athletes, wards off their dangers, foils the plans of
their enemy, and if he sometimes permits them to be
shaken by tribulation, he offers them a safe refuge in
his loving heart. Well has the Province of Mexico,
which has grown and ripened in the midst of difficulties, experienced his most faithful assistance. I trust
in God that this help will never fail you in order that

PROVINCE

OF MEXICO

11

"you may increase in all things in Him who is our head,
Christ.''
Under his protection I most humbly place you, Reverend Fathers and Dear Brothers, that he may shower
upon all of you the riches which his most Sacred Heart
treasures, to the end, that, strengthened by his graces,
you may ever press forward towards enterprises more
and more sublime. I pray also his most holy Mother
on her glorious Assumption into heaven, that as on the
" Hill of Martyrs " she took under her protection the
Society of Jesus at its birth, she will deign to cherish,
with all the tenderness of her maternal love, the Province of Mexico which, on her same feast day, is born
once more. Lastly, I place you in the hands of the
Guardian of the Holy Family, St. Joseph, to whom, but
lately, our whole Society consecrated itself, in order that
the Province of Mexico may increase and preserve itself
safe and sound under his powerful protection.
Of all the Servant in Christ,
FRANCIS X. WERNZ,
Ge1teral of the Society of Jesus."
The happiness of the day has been further enhanced
by the profession of Father Camillus Crivelli and Father
Gabriel Morfin, Superior of our Residence of Chihuahua, and at the end of dinner Mons. Ridolfi made a
beautiful address to the community, complimenting us
on the new honor bestowed ; exhorting us to be worthy
members of the Society which had merited so well of
the Church ; and congratulating the newly Professed on
the happiness of making their final consecration to God
on such a day.
Your Reverence's brother in Christ.
Jos. W. RIORDAN, S. J.

ERECTION OF THE CANADIAN PROVINCE

That some day or other the Canadian Mission, increasing in members correspondingly with the growth of the
population, would become a Province of fhe Society,
had been for many years a foreg~ne conclusi~n.
It had also been felt pretty generally for the past ten
years at least that the Mission of Alaska, geographically, though not politically, a part of Canada, should be
supplied with missionaries from the Dominion, better
fitted than those of sunny Italy to endure the rigors of
the arctic winter. The visits of the Superiors of that
Mission and the vocations of Canadians to Alaska, had
encouraged that belief.
When the XXVth General Congregation was about
to meet, it was known that one of the subjects to be
brought up for discussion was a new arrangement of
Provinces in North America, or at least the taking of
of some measures which would give to the independent
missions of Canada and of New Orleans representation
in General Congregation, and in the Congregation of
Procurators. This subject had already been touched
upon in the XXIVth General Congregation, but the matter had been referred entirely to the Father General,
V. R. Fr. Martin, and subsequently no action had been
taken.
In the last Congregation which opened in September
1906, the matter was brought up again by some of the
American EleCl:ors, ·and met with the warm approval of
all the Fathers assembled. A few mouths later, when
the decrees of the Congregation were published, the
wishes of the Fathers in regard to the independent !\fissions were found embodied in the Vlllth decree. However, as everything was finally left to the decision of V.
R. Father General, the future status of Canada was yet
unsettled.
On January 22nd, 1907, his Paternity placed before
the Superior of the Mission and his Consultors the question of opportuneness. After a few days of prayer and
reflection, they met and unanimously judged that the
time seemed ripe for the erection of the Mission of Canada into a Province.
On August rsth, feast of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin, anniversary of the founding of the So-

(x2)

ERECTiON OF THE CANADIAN PROVINCE

13

ciety, while at Wauba~shene the blessing and inaugura.
tion of the chapel bmlt to the memory of the Martyrs
de Brebeuf and Lallemant were being celebrated, the decree of erection of our Province, dated June 7th, feast
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was promulgated in all
our houses ; and the Mission of Canada, after so many
changes during two and a half centuries, had become
at last a Province of the Society.
The decree of ereCtion read as follows :
DECRETUM ERECTIONIS PROVINCI.£ CANADENSIS
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

Prmpositus Generalis Societatis Jesu
UNIVERSIS, QUORUM INTEREST, SALUTEM IN DOMINO

Quum postrema! Congregationes nostrre Generales, ut
Provinciarum votis facerent satis, ac prrecipua Societatis membra longe inter se dissita arCl:iori charitatis vinculo conjungerent, suis suffragiis aperte significaverint
Missiones nostras transmarinas, qure justos Provincire
numeros fuissent adsecutre, non solum in Provincias
erigi posse, sed etiam, mntata rerum temporumque conditione, ad ceteras Europa! Provincias magis magisque
conformari oportere ; eodem Nos studio induCl:i, eodemqne incitati exemplo, sedulo investigandum curavimus,
numquid obstaret, quominus Missio Canadensis in Provinciam erigeretur; quippe qure prreter duas magnas
Domos rite constitutas pro religiosa atque scholastica
nostrorum Juvenum institutione, Collegia habet tria,
Residentias sex cum apta Exercitiorum Domo, Stationes
decem, Missiones apud Indos quatuor, quibus dehinc
accedet Missio Alaskensis Borealis extra Anglicam ditionem sita; neque caret reliquis vitre nostr:e religiosre
reique familiaris pr:esidiis, quibus optimam faciat sui
exspeEtationem. Habita igitur de gravi hoc negotio debita cum PP. Assistentibus deliberatione, rogatisque
Superioris Missionis Canadensis ejusque Consultorum
s:ntentiis, quum e?rum nemo .q~idquam obstare putavent., ne optata ereCl:10, quanto c1t1us atque opportunius fien posset, perageretur; Nos unanimi hac judiciorum
consentione firmati, nostrique Officii auEtoritate muniti
post multas ad Deum preces, Missionem Canadensem'
~isdem. st;is .fi~ibus hodiernis circumscriptam, cum ad:
Jecta .s1b.1 M1ss1one Alaskensi Boreali, quam deinceps a
Provmc1a Taurinensi disjunCl:am Provincire Canadensi,

ERECTION OF THE

14

id volenti atque optanti, Nos etiam lubentes attributam
volumus, pra::sentium tenore in veram Societatis nostrre
Provinciam erigimus et constituimus, eamque per Nos
legitime ereCl:am et constitutam decernimus ac ·declaramus in Domino, cum omnibus juribus, facultatibus et
privilegiis, qu<e Provinciis transmarinis ex Instituti
nostri pnescripto conceduntur: servata tamen norma a
Congregatione Generali XXV, decreta octavo, proposita.
Insuper Decreta hrec nostra, postquam die 15 proximi
mensis Augusti, Beatissimre Virgini Mari<e in Ccelos
Assumptre sacro, in pr<ecipuis saltern Provincia! Domibus more consueto publice ad mensam lecta fuerint, plenum vigorem habitura pronuntiamus.
Quod reliquum est, Deum ac Dominum nostrum enixe
precamur, ut omnia qua:: a Nobis per hasce litteras decreta et sancita sunt, firma prorsus et rata de Ccelo habere dignetur, novamque Provinciam Canadensem divina sua ope ac tutela adeo foveat et provehat, ut qua:: olim
tam multo N ostrorum sud ore exculta et sanguine fecundata, Missio Sanc1ornm et Missio Martyrum appe!lari
meruit, jam nunc in Provinciam erecta ampliori in dies
omnium virtutum laude floreat, veramque Majorum suorum imaginem referat.
Datum Romre, die festo SSmi Cordis J esu, 7 J unii an ..
1907.
FRANCISCUS XAV. WERNZ,

L.~s.

- -·

Pra:p. Gen. Soc. Jesu.

The decree appointing the Superior of the Mission,
Rev. Fr. Edward Lecompte, Provincial of the new
Province was next read, then the following beautiful letter of his Paternity to the Society in Canada:
R. P. EDUARDO LECOMPTE
PR..EP. PROV. CANADENSIS
ET OliiNIBUS EJUSDEM PROVINCI..E SOCIIS

Romre, 7 Junii 1907

Reverendi Patres et Fratres in Christo carissimi
P. C.
Illuxit optatus dies quo cansstma Missio Canadensis
in Provinciam Societatis ereCla est. Gratulor vobis om-

CANADIAN PROVINCE

15

nibus ex corde novceque Provincia: vestra: faustissima
qureque exopto.
.
. . .
Habetis, Patres Reverend1 et canss1m1 Fratres, quos
imitemini in ipsa regione vestra prredecessores, Patres
illos Fratresque dico qui patria relicta, idque sa:pe sine
spe reditus, ipsoque civilis vi tee cultu neglecto, inter eos
ad majorem Dei gloriam laborarunt qui sive tanti sa~ri­
ficii pretium animo comprehendere non possent, s1ve
morte tandem afficerent quos amicissimos habere debuissent. Hos igitur tantos viros hodierno die pra: oculis
habete: horum exemplo fortes et orationibus freti, non
minora certamina, quamvis in diverso ordine, aggredimini. Nunc quidem deesse potest sanguinis ilia effusio
qua fides probetur, quum et hanc forsitan adhuc ab aliquo Provincice Canadensis socio expectet Dominus Deus
noster; nunc cruciatus illi deerunt qui bus animus per
corpora tel!tari solebat, sed nunquam Reverendi Patres
Fratresque in Christo carissisimi, nunquam deficit in SocietateJ esu neque deficiet unquam sive totius corporissive
uniuscujusque membri persecutio. Hanc petivit a Capite
nostro Sanctus Pater Ignatius, bane Caput illud et Societati universce et Ignatio et aliis omnibus donavit. Quid
enim aliud est, ut ad vos de vestra re loquar, labor iste
improbus quem ponere omnes debetis ut difficultatibus
qua: occurrunt superatis constantiam in via Dei teneatis? Quid aliud est ilia multorum hominum erga vestra,
eaque optima, opera incuria? Quid aliud est repugnannantia ista quce alios erga alios, diversce prresertim nationis homines, affiigit? Persecutiones istce sunt quas
magno animo patiendas habetis.
In Provincia vestra, Reverendi Patres Fratresque in
Christo, occasionem habetis multa, immo prope infinita,
pro Ecclesia et pro Deo efficiendi. Duabus enim partibus quum constet Provincia Canadensis, altera multos
jam annos habitata, altera vix aut ne vix quidem
adhuc occupata, duas Dominici agri partes colendas hab~tis. Quarum in altera partim viget adhuc antiqua
p1etas atque floret, partim novce lingure novisque usibus
exposita periclitatur jam aut ipsa fides aut solida et Catholica devotio. In altera tandem regione nova fere omn_ia ortum au~ sumunt aut brevi sument. Qure cum ita
smt, d~o vob~s ~ccur~te pra:standa sunt. Uniuscujusque e111m reg10111s us1bus, quantum par est, servatis laborandum est ut omnibus omnia facti omnes Christ~ luc:ifaciatis. Alterum est ut memineritis semper Provincia: _nome~, quod integritatis cujusdam signum est, frustra 1mpo111 s1 non curetur et maxime foveatur mutua

Hi

ERECTION OF THE

omnium sociorum Provincice unio. Hanc igitur, Reverendi Patres Fratresque carissimi, imprimis satagite
conservare. In hac curanda martyrium, si necesse fuerit, magno animo patimini, martyrium dico illud quod
sine sanguine perficitur. Caritate enim egebitis magna,
continua, sui obliviosa, ut maxima illa quce instant pro
Deo Domino nostro efficiatis. Prce oculis habere pergite
antecessores vestros, Provincice istius fundatores, et veros Societatis J esu filios, magna Dei gloria non contentos, ad majorem semper laborasse. Id et vos facite in
prregrandi ista regione quce Provincia Canadensis hodie
facta est, ut fructuum multitudo atque magnitudo quos
producetis ne sit minus ampla quam terrre quas occupatis. Videte quid sperem.
Reliquum est ut benedictionem meam imo ex corde
vobis impertiar, Superioribus et subditis, omnibus ac
singulis. Benedicat Deus Dominus noster Provincire
novce isti et mihi carissimre Canadensi ad multos annos,
ut crescat et floreat et bonum sanctitatis et scientire adorem ubique terrarum spargat, Deo acceptabilis et hominibus.
Commendo me omnium vestrum SS. Sacrificiis et
precibus.
Omnium in Christo servns,
FRANCISCUS XA Y. WERNZ,

Pra:p. Gen. Soc.Jesu.

A letter from ·Fr~ Provincial was then read, ordering
three days of prayer "to obtain from the Holy Spirit
abundant graces and blessings for the new Province of
Canada and its mission of Alaska."
The ereCtion of the new Province was celebrated on
August r8th. On that day, at 3.30 P. l\L, all the Jesuits
in Montreal and neighborhood and some from Quebec
met at dinner in the Boys' refectory at St. Mary's College, Montreal. There were about r8o present. The
oldest was Fr. Baud in, on his first visit to Montreal since
his going on the Indian missions thirty-one years ago.
Rev. Fr. Hanselman, Provincial, represented the Maryland-New York Province, which a common birth in the
restored Society and thirty-three years of union have
endeared to Canada by many ties. During the dinner,
songs, choruses, pieces in prose and verse were sung or
recited, and at the end, Rev. Father Lecompte read a
summary of notable dates of the Mission of Canada.
Copies of the " Memorabilia" in English and in French

i

17

CANADIAN PROP.INCE

were afterwards distributed to all. For the convenience
of Ours for future reference this summary may be inserted here.
MEMORABILIA
OR
NOTABLE DATES OF THE MISSION OF CANADA
TO·DAY THE PROVINCE OF CANADA

ISth 1907
16u.-Fathers Biard and Masse enter the roadstead
of Port Royal, Acadia.
1625.-The Fathers return to Canada; they go to
Quebec this time.
1635.-0pening of the College of Quebec.
166o.-Close of the heroic era of the Canadian Mission.
It is to the men of this era, and especially to
onr martyrs that His Paternity refers in the
words: "Habetis quos imiteminz:,
1763.-Treaty of Paris. Canada becomes a British
possession.
1773.-By the brief" Dominus ac Redemptor, the
Society of Jesus is suppressed throughout
the world. · There are at the time in Canada
only 21 members of the Society, 12 priests
and 9 coadjutor brothers.
18oo.-Death of Father John Joseph Casot, last survivor in Canada of the old Society.
1842.-The Society, reestablished throughout the
world in 18r4, returns to Canada at the request of the saintly Bishop Bourget, our
great benefactor.
1843.-The old Society had no novitiate in Canada;
the first was opened in the home of another
great benefactor, Mr. C. S. Rodier.-Ten
years later (1853), the novitiate is definitely
established at Sault-au-Recollet, thanks to
the munificence of Monsignor J. Vinet and
of Mr. 0. Berthelet.-At this time St. Mary's,
Kentucky, and Canada, formed but one Mission, belonging to the Province of France. ·
1846.-Rev. Father Boulanger, Visitor, closes St.
~ary's, Kentucky, and opens Fordham;
buth of the New York-Canada Mission, still
under the proteB:ion of the Province of
France.
AUGUST THE

2

ls

ERECTION OF THE

1848, 1885, 1896.-Foundation of our three colleges,
St. Mary's, St. Boniface and Loyola, respectively. The year 1885 also saw the opening
of the Scholasticate of the Immaculate Conception.
1863.-Separation of the Province of Champagne
from that of France. The New York-Canada Mission is joined to the former Province.
r869.-Separation of the New York-Canada Mission
from the Province of Champagne. New
York-Canada becomes an ''independent"
Mission.
1879--Separation of the Mission of Canada from
New York, which becomes a Province. The
Canadian Mission is joined to the English
Province.
r888.-The Mission of Canada is separated from the
English Province and becomes 11 independent."
1907.-The 11 Mission of Canada" becomes the 11 Province of Canada;" minima provincia among
her fair-famed elder sisters.
The programme of the feast is intended to be kept as
a souvenir. Besides the letter of his Paternity, printed
above, a list of the Superiors of the Canadian Mission
from 1611 to the present day, it contains a map of the
Canadian Province and its dependent Mission. A table
of distances shows, that while Quebec the most easterly
of our houses, is--r;3 miles eastward of Montreal, St.
Boniface is 1422 miles to the West, and St. Michael,
Alaska Territory, 4907 miles.
After dinner photographs were taken ofthe assembled
Fathers and Brothers.
Letters of congratulation were received from Provincials, Rectors and Fathers of other Provinces. These,
as well as the pieces heard at the banquet, breath a
spirit of the warmest charity and reecho the hopes expressed by our Father General, that the members of the
new Canadian Province may for God's greater glory
ever prove themselves the worthy successors of those
heroic men, whose labors and whose blood have shed
lustre on the Society.
,
It is impossible to cite the letters here. There is one
however, that of the Provincial of Turin, which may
not be omitted. The charity and generosity shown in
this letter need no commentary.

CANADiAN PROVINCE

t'9

Torino, 27 IugHo I907.
Reverj::nde in Christo P. Provincialis,
- P. C.
.
Ex litteris Admodum Reverendi Patris Nostri ad in~
recenter datis accepi, a die 15" proximi mensis Augusti,
.A:.laskae Borealis Missionem a Provincia Taurinensi fore
separatam, et ad novam Provinciam Canadensem, cui
prreerit Reverentia Vestra, attributam. Etsi dolemus,
quod Provincia Taurinensis, inspecl:is adjuncHs, impar
fuerit illi Missioni conservandae, ac promovendae, quae
omnibus Patribus et Fratribus tam cara semper extitit,
nihilominus magnopere laetamur quod illius Missionis
cura concredita sit Patribus Canadensibus, qui multo
melius illarum gentium saluti providere' poterunt.
Quod quidem gaudium eo magis augescit, quod experientia compertum habeamus quanta charitate, quo zelo
Patres et Fratres Canadenses Alaskae Borealis Indos
amplectantur et quam uberrimis fructibus pro iis }aborare noverunt. Gaudemus igitur ex corde, et Patribus
et Fratribus gratulamur quod ipsorum Missio in Provinciam constitui meruerit. Reverentiae vero Vestrae,
quae novae Provinciae praerit, ex animo a Christo Domino, protegente Beatissima Virgine Maria, fausta quaeque adprecamur.
Me enixe SS. SS. Reverentiae Vestrae commendo.
Infimus in Christo servus
P. JOSEPHUS CHIAUDANO, s. J.
Prcep. Prov. Taurz"nensis.
Which letter was thus acknowledged by our Father
Provincial :
Marianopoli, 12 Aug. 1907.
Reverende in Christo Pater Provincialis,
P. C .
. Pulc~errim~s Reverentiae Ve~tra.e accepi litteras, quae
Ita demtsse qutdem de sua Provmc1a loquuntur, ita vero
benigne N ostros nostraque extollunt.
Enimvero scimus opera vestra et quid maxime oro
M~ssione ilia Alaskensi peregistis. Felices nos si vos,
etla~ a. longe! sequamur! Quod ut agamus precor ut
orat~ombu.s sms nos R •. v•. adjuvet.
Ltceat mcludere exemplar epistolae quam misi ad
N ostros in Alaska Boreali degentes.
Commendo me SS. SS.
R••. v••. Servus in X. infimus,
ED. LECOMPTE, s. J.
Prcep. Prov. Can.

~0

ERECTION 01< THE

Letter of Fr. Provincial to the Fathers and Brothers
of Northern Alaska :
Montreal, July 3rst 1907.
Reverend Father,
P. C.
I have great pleasure in communicating to your Reverence and to all our Fathers and Brothers in Alaska
the decree erecting the Mission of Canada into a Province, and Very Reverend Father General's beautiful letter of congratulation and exhortation.
It is with the sincerest joy that the new Canadian
Province,'' id volens atque optans," receives from the
hands of His Paternity the Mission of Northern Alaska.
We know ivhat labors you have undergone, Reverend
Fathers and dear Brothers, we know what sufferings you
have borne, and the heroic self-sacrifice you have ever
displayed in those vast and inhospitable regions. Henceforth we shall walk hand in hand. Your life shall be
our life. We will uphold your work, and with God's
help, we will develop it. That is, we will endeavor to
walk in the footsteps of the Province of Turin, the
nursing-mother of your beloved Mission, and do our utmost to equal her sollicitude and charity towards you.
As soon as circumstances permit, he whom His Paternity has vouchsafed to set over the Canadian Province
will gladly visit with the utmost care all the residences
and stations of Alaska, and talk long and cordially with
our well-beloved Fathers and Brothers.
I desire that upop the receipt of this letter, the hymn
"Veni Creator" be added to the litanies on three successive days, to obtain from the Holy Spirit for the new
Province and its Mission the most abundant graces and
blessings. And on the same three days let the Priests
at the Holy Sacrifice, and the Brothers in their Communions and beads recommend the same intention to
God.
The decree of ereEl:ion was signed on June 7th, the
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May that divine
Heart and the Most Pure Heart of Mary be ever our
strength and our solace.
·
Commendo me SS. SS.
R ••. v••. Servus in X to.
En. LECOMPTE, s. J.
Prcep. Prov. Canad.
At the time of its ereEl:ion into a Province the Canadian Mission numbered 142 priests, 88 scholastics and
79 coadjutor brothers. There were besides in the houses

CANADIAN PROVINCE

21

of the Mission, 9 priests and I scholastic belonging to
other Provinces. In the Mission of Northern Alaska
there were IS priests and 9 coadjutor brothers, of whom
2 priests and r coadjutor belonged already" to the Canadian Mission. Thus the new Province numbered at its
erection, 309 members; and including those of other
Provinces at work within its jurisdiCtion, 339·
It is in peace and prosperity and with the brightest
outlook that the old Mission of Canada takes its place
among the Provinces of the Society, many of which are
dispersed, or suffer the exaaions of a hostile government at home. While looking undismayed at the prospea of possible persecution in the more or less remote
future, relying for strength on the Divine Goodness, it
is felt, that for the moment our sentiments should be
those of joy and gratitude. No better expression of this
gratitude can be found or more fitting close to this
record than the following words printed, with the
'' Memorabilia" above the signature of Fr. Provincial
and read by him at the end of the banquet amidst frequent bursts of heartfelt applause:
"To Almighty God, in the first place, the Author of
every good gift, we tender our thanks, and to the Blessed
Virgin, our Queen and Mother.
··
Next to France, who gave us birth, lavished her life's
blood upon us, and has not ceased to contribute to our
growth by sending us from her various Provinces, men
as remarkable for their intellectual abilities as for their
self-sacrificing zeal.
The New York-Maryland Province also claims our
gratitude. For many years linked heart and hand, New
York and Canada separated only that they might the
better press onwards and upwards.
Of our conneCtion with the English Province we
cherish the fondest recolleaion, and for her noble generosity towards our Mission we offer her our heart-felt
thanks.
Our thanks also are due to the late Verv Rev. Father
Louis Martin, and to the English Assistant, Rev. Father
Rudolf J. Meyer, who laid the foundation of this great
work.
And lastly, thanks to the Fathers of the XXVth
~eneral Congregation, who put the finishing touches to
tt, an~ above all, to His Paternity, who, by his decree
and h1s letter, now consecrates and offers it to God and
to the Society.
Our gratitude began with God, and with Him it shall
also end. In a few moments, after singing the hymn to

22

ERECTION OF THE

the Society, we will go before the altars of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and of the most Pure Heart of Mary,
and sing a Te Deum of thanksgiving.''
w. H. HINGSTON, s. J.

ERECTION OF THE PROVINCE OF
NEW ORLEANS

On Aug. 14, the "Miserere '' was chanted after the
Litanies in all the houses of the Mission, in order to implore God's pardon for the past. On Aug. 15, the decree ereCting the Mission into a Province was read at
dinner, also the exhortatory letter of Very Rev. Father
General, together with the decree appointing Father J.
F. O'Connor, Provincial of the new Province. At
night there was solemn Benediction at which the "Te
Deum" was sung for the great favor received.
DECRETUM ERECTIONIS
PROVINCIAE NEQ-A URELIANENSIS
FRANCISCUS XA VERIUS WERNZ

Prcepositus Generalis Societatis Jesu
UNIVERSIS, QUORUM INTEREST SALUTEM IN DOMINO
SEl\IPITERN Al\I

Quum postremac;:· Congregationes nostrae Generales ut
Provinciarum votiS facerent satis, ac praecipua Societatis membra longa inter se dissita arCtiori charitatis vinculo conjungerent, suis suffragiis aperte significaverint
Missiones nostras transmarinas, quae justos Provinciae
numeros fuissent adsecutae, non solum in Provincias erigi posse, sed etiam, mutata rerum temporumque conditione, ad ceteras Europae Provincias magis magisque
conformari oportere; eodem Nos studio inducti, eademque incitati exemplo, sedulo investigandum curavimus,
numquid obstaret quominus Missio Neo-Aurelianensis
in Provinciam erigeretur: quippe quae praeter Domum
Probationis cumJunioratu rite constitutam, Collegia habet septem, quorum duo inchoata, Residentias sex, bonamque copiam Juvenum, qui aliis in Provinciis probe
informantur; neque caret reliquis vitae nostrae religiosae reique familiaris praesidiis, quibus optimam faciat
sui expectationem.
Habita igitur de gravi hoc negotio debita cum PP.
Assistentibus deliberatione, rogatisque Superioris Mis.

1

PROVINCE OF NEW ORLEANS

23

sionis ejusque Consultorum s<:ntentiis, quum e~rum nemo quidquam obstare putavent, ne optata erectto, quanto citius atque opportunius fieri posset, perageretur: Nos
unanimi hac judiciorum consensione firmati nostrique
Officii auctoritate muniti post multas ad Deum preces,
Missionem N eo-Aurelianensem iisdem suis finibus hodiernis circumscriptam, praesentium tenore in veram Societatis nostrae Provinciam erigimus et constituimus,
eamque per Nos legitime erectam et constitutam decernimus ac declaramus in Domino, cum omnibus juribus
facultatibus et privilegiis, quae Provinciis transmarinis
ex Instituti nostri praescripto conceduntur: servata tam en norma a Congregatione Generali XXV, decreto octavo proposita. Insuper Decreta haec nostra, postquam
die rs proximi mensis Augusti, Beatissimae Virgini Mariae in Ccelos Assumptae sacra, in praecipuis saltern
Provinciae Domibus more consueto publice ad mensam
lecta fuerint, plenum vigorem habitura pronuntiamus.
Quod reliquum est, Deum ac Dominum nostrum
enixe precamur ut omnia quae a Nobis per hasce litteras
decreta et sancita sunt, firma prorsus et rata de Ccelo
habere dignetur, novamque Provinciam Neo-Aurelianensem divina sua ope ac tutela adeo foveat et provehat,
ut Missio qure primos conditores habuit oCto illos e
N ostt.·is, qui in Flori dam vix adveCti animas pro Christo
posuerunt, postmodum vero tam multos naCta est strenuos atque impigros vineae Domini Cooperatores jam
nunc in Provinciam ereCl:a, ampliori in dies omnium virtutum laude floreat veramque Majorum suorum imaginem referat.
Datum Romae, die festo SSmi. Cordis Jesu, 7 Junii
an. 1907.
FRANCISCUS XAv. WERNZ

Prcep. Gen. Soc. Jesu.
Romae, die 7 Junii 1907.
Reverende in Christo Pater
P. C.
. Consultatione habita cum PP. Assistentibus et expenst~ R••. V .... ejusque consultorum judiciis decerno in Domtno P. Joannem F. O'Connor Provinciae Neo-Aurelia.
nensis Praepositum esse constituendum.
Commendo me SS. SS.
R ••. v••. Servus in Christo,
FRANcrscus XAv. WERNz

Prcep. Ge1z. Soc. Jesu
P. JOANNI F. O'CONNOR
Sup. Missionzs Neo-Aurelicmenszs.

ERECTION OF THE
FRANCISCUS XA VERIUS WERNZ

Prapositus Generalis Societatis Jesu
DILECTO IN CHRISTO FRATRI JOANN! F. o'CONNOR
SACERDOTI EJUSDEM SOCIETATIS
SALUTEM IN DOMINO SEliiPITERNAl\I

Cum doctrinae, prudentiae et integritati tuae, quae experimento nobis comperta est, plurimum in Domino
confidamus, Te Prc.epositum Provincialem Societatis
nostrae in Provincia Neo-Aurelianensi eligimus, constituimus et declaramus atque ad rerum spiritualium et
temporalium administrationem ejusdem Provinciae omnero auctoritatem quae Praepositis Provincialibus secundum litteras Apostolicas et Constitutiones nostras ordinarie tribui solet Tibi conferimus in Nomine Patris et
Filii et Spiritus Sancti: rogamus Deum omnipotentem
ut Te in hoc munere gerendo sua gratia dirigere et roborare dignetur ad Nominis sui laudem et gloriam sempiternam.
Datum Romae die 7 Junii 1907
FRANCISCUS XAV. WERNZ

Prcep. Gen. Soc. Jesu.
PROMULGA TIO DECRETI
CONSTI'l'UENTIS PROVINCIAM NEO-AURELIANENSEM

Die decimo quinto mensis Augusti Sanctissimae Virgini in Ccelos Assumptae sacro, anno reparatae salutis
millesimo nongentesimo septimo, juxta ordinationem et
mandatum Admodum Reverendi Patris N ostri Generalis,
Francisci Xaverif Wernz, facl:a est in omnibus Collegiis
et residentiis Missionis Neo-Aurelianensis promulgatio decreti Paternitatis suae, editi die festo Sacratissimi
Cordis Jesu ejusdem anni, erigentis et constituentis Missionem N eo-Aurelianensem in veram Societatis J esu
Provinciam.
Pridie illius fausti felicisque diei, jubente Reverendo
Patre Superiore Missionis recitatus est Psalmus Miserere ad divinam misericordiam in praeteritos annos implorandam. Die ipso cantatum est canticmn Te Deum in
gratiarum actionem, maxima omnium sociorum devotione et laetitia. Peculiari splendore et apparatu maxime festivo celebrata est nativitas novae Provinciae in
Collegia Spring Hill, ubi septem Patres e Nostris congregati erant ultima sua vota emittendi gratia, coram
novo Provinciali Praeposito, Rev. Patre Joanne F. O'Connor, assistentibus novo socio Provinciae, Patre J acoho De Potter et ingenti corona Patrum, Scholastico·
rum et Fratrum. Nillaetitiae defuit, nil mutuis gratu·

PROVINCE OF NEW ORLEANS

25

lationibus, die illo vere benediao, oblivioni nunquam
tradendo.
'' Quod perpetuo felix, faustum, fortunatumque sit!"
Romae, 7 Junii 1907.
Reverendi Patres et Fratres in Xto. Carissimi
P. C.
Gratulor vobis ex corde et gratias Deo Domino nostro
maximas ago quod Missio nostra carissima Neo-Aurelianensis in Provinciam hodierno die erecta est.
Non possum enim vos celare quantam ego spem conceperim hoc factum ad majorem Dei gloriam valde multum collaturum. In tanta enim regione existentes, ubi
tot tantaeque sive urbes sive urbium partes quasi una, ut
dicitur, nocte surgere solent, spes est Societatem quoque
nostram id incrementi capturam quod ad rem Dei promovendam permultum faciat. Opportunitates igitur
vestras, quotquot novae istius Provinciae socii estis magno animo atque alacri occupate. Quae retro sunt obliti
vosque ad anteriora protendentes, patrum vestrorum
praeclara facta superate praeclare, eorumque auxilio,
quod e crelo dabitur, freti, et exemplum eorum secuti,
verbum Dei ubique spargite et fructus vitae aeternae in
multis animabus uberes et duraturos colligite.
Haec, Reverendi Patres, et Fratres carissimi, non poteritis agere nisi unusquisque vestrum, communi gloria
non contentus, in se efficere conabitur quod ad tantum
finem reqniritur. Mirum enim sane illud est sed verum,
Deum Dominum nostrum spiritualia per homines facere
. non solere nisi ipsa sua instrumenta spiritualia sint.
Spirituales igitur vos estote, idque eo praecise modo qui
Societatis nostrae proprius est. Per abnegationem enim
sui praeparabit se unusquisque ad usum manus divinae,
per earn nempe abnegationem quae obedientia simplici
et magna caritate se prodit. Principium apud vos notissimum est in unione esse robur. In Societate autem
nostra unio nulla esse potest nisi obedientia et caritate
~onsistat. Obedientia vos cum Superioribus conjunget,
mtc:r v.os, caritas. Duplex hujusmodi roboris fons, ex
capite m membra et inter membra fluens, Provinciam
vestram hodierno die natam crescere faciet usque ad
perfeaam aetatem plenitudinis Christi.
Utinam intelligatis omnes Provinciae N eo-Aurelia!lensis ~ocii, quantum intersit vos ejusmodi viros esse cuJUSmodt exopto. Videor enim mihi vos ad maturum
jam segetem invitare colligendum, eum dico qui robus-

26

ERECTION OF

THE

tos messores postulat. Hujusmodi igitur estote. Supra
omnem humanam difficultatem elevati, omnique humane affeB:u penitus ex corde eradicate, ad altissimum
quem proponere vobis potestis scopum intendite.
Non ignoro carissimi Provinciae N eo-Aurelianensis
socii, obstacula servitii divini apud vos non deesse.
Provincia vestra ex variis nationibus composita homines
habet et nostros et alios qui natura inter se opponuntur.
Quam rem in laboribus vestris non potestis negEgere,
neque debetis, caritas enim Dei urgerevos debet ut uniuscujusque studentes, omnia omnibus facti omnes Christo
lucrifacere possitis. Inter vos quoque aliarum nationuni
viros ita tractate ut omnes sentiant magnam ubi que apud
vos vigere caritatem, immo, quod majus est et Nostrae
Societatis ex regula proprium, ut qui alterius nationis
sunt eos specialiter in Domino diligatis. Sic autem fiet
ut in unaquaque domo facile sibi quisque videatur, dulcissimum illud, apud Patrem nostrum esse.
Haque obedientia vos et caritate colligatos atque roboratos invito ad amplum istum agrum Domini novis
viribus novoque animo colendum. Non enim sufficit
jam languidus quidam vivendi et laborandi modus.
Strenuos viros poscit opportunitas vestra eosque qui
magna, immo maxima, magno animo et alacritate capessant quique paucorum quorundam dierum annorumve
lahore non contenti ad ampHora semper contendant sive
patienda sive agenda id unum cupientes ut major inde
gloria Dei derivetur. En quantum ex Provincia vestra
sperem!
~:.
Ad quem finem,"Reverendi Patres Fratresque in Christo carissimi, omnibus et singulis quotquot novae istius
Provinciae carissimae mihi socii estis, benedictionem
meam paternam multo cum affectu impertior. Btmedicat vos Omnipotens Deus, domumque unamquamque et
Collegium, Superiores et subditos ad multos annos conservet et prosperet.
Commendo me omnium vestrum SS. Sacrificiis et
precibus,
Omnium in Christo Servus
FRANCISCUS XA v. WERNZ

Prmp. Gen. Soc. Jesu

PROVINCE OF NEW ORLEANS

27

PROGRAMME
A.M. D. G.

Provincia
N eo-Aurelianensis
e Societate J esu
Erecta Aug. rs 1907
''Nos . . . . Nostri officii auCl:oritate muniti ..
Missionem Neo-Aurelianensem . . . . in veram Societatis N ostrae Provinciam erigimus et constituimus earnque per Nos legitime erectam et constitutam decernimus
et declaramus in Domino." ·
Ex Decreto EreCl:ionis.
JESUS
MISSIONEM • NEQ-AURELIANENSEM
LXX · ET · AMPLIVS • ABHINC • ANNOS
TOT · TANTISQVE • PATRVl\1 · NOSTRORVM · LABORIBVS
FVNDATAM
HOC · FESTIVO • DIE
DEIPARJE • VIRGIN! · IN • C<ELOS • ASSVMPTJE · SACRO
IN
MINIMA! • SOCIETATIS • IESV
VERAM • PROVINCIAM
CEV • GRANVM · SINAPIS
IN · ARBOREM · PERFECTAM • EDVCTVM · EXCVLTVMQVE
EREXIT
ADMODVM · REVERENDVS · PATER · NOSTER
FRANCISCVS • XAVERIVS · WERNZ
PRJEPOSITVS · GENERALIS • XXV
XVIII • KALEND • SEPTEMBR
ANNO • REPARATJE • SALVTIS · MCMVII
SOCIETATIS • CONDITJE · CCCLXVII
0 • GENVS · ELECTVM
SATAGITE · VT · PER • BONA • OPERA
CERTAM • VESTRAM • VOCATIONEM • ET · ELECTIONEM
FACIATIS
NEVE • A · PRJECELSIS
FILIORVM • DEI
COGITATIONIBVS • DEGENERETIS
LAVS DEO ET MARIA!

Overture . .

. Living PiCl:ures.
. Dalbey
Band
Reading of the Decree and the Letter of
Very Rev. Father General
Dixi"e Land . .
. . . A non
Band
Quo Sanguine Creti
. Fr. Reville

ERECTION OF THE

28

Barytone Solo
Address . . .
Tenth Regiment .

. Fr. Baehr
Mr. Wallace
. . R. B. Hall
Band

The Vows .

Fr. McLaughlin
Toasts
St. Ignatius .Niarclz . . Arranged by Prof. Staub
Band
"Ours is the harvest: but the seed was sown
By hands far sturdier than our own :
Our Good Ship sails into the haven fair,
But stouter Pilots guided it there:
Victory's lustre o'er our banner is shed,
But the battle was won by our noble dead."
J. C. R.
"Primus Pater Societatis qui primo in hanc Fa:deratorum Statuum region em appulit est Pater Petrus Martinez oriundus in Celda in dia:cesi Caesaraugustana in Hispania, hue missus a Sancto Francisco Borgia ad instantiam Philippi II et occisus ab Indianis Floridae in Insula Tacatacuru (nunc vero Cumberland) ad ostium fluminis Sancti Joannis non procul Jacksonville,-die 28
Sept. rs66 paulo postquam appulisset. Primus ltfissionarius et Martyr Societatis in his statibus et decimus
septimus Martyr a condita Societate."
FLORIDA£ l\IARTYRES

Sept. 28 rs66
Febr. 4 1 5]-! ..

" " "
" " "
" 8 "
" " "
" " ,,
"
" " ,,

"

"

F. P. Martinez
F. L. de Quiros
F. Gab. de Solis
B. J. B. Mendez
F. J. B. de Segura
B. Gab. Gomez
B. P. de Linares
B. Sanchez de Zarallos
B. Christ. Redondo
MISSISSIPPI

Nov. 28 r729
Dec. rr 1729
TAMPA
GEOGRAPHICAL

F. Paul du Poisson
F. Joan. Souel
P. Luis Cancer o. s.

D.

EXTENT OF THE PROVINCE

In the ''Atlas Geographicus Soc. J esu, by L. Carrez,
s. ]., edited in r9oo, the New Orleans Mission (now Province) comprises within its limits the following States:

PROVINCE OF NEW ORLEANS

29

Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tenessee, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. We have no
houses in the States of Oklahoma, Indian Territory, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.
In Tennessee, property has been bought at Nashville,
where a house will be opened in the near future. In
Texas we have a College at Galveston. In Louisiana
we have 4 colleges, two at New Orleans, I at Grand
Coteau, and I at Shreveport. In Alabama we have one
College at Spring Hill and 2 Residences, one at Mobile
and one at Selma. In Georgia, a Novitiate at Macon, a
College at Augusta, and a Residence at Macon. In
Florida, we have a Residence at Tampa, West Palm
Beach, Miami, and Key West.
The area em!;>raced within the limits of the New Orleans Province is 766,373 sq. miles. With regard to distances, let us suppose that the Provincial starts on his
Visitation from Galveston. From Galveston to New
Orleans by R. R. 420 miles. From New Orleans to
Mobile and Spring Hill I50 miles. From Mobile to
Selma about I20 miles. From Selma to Macon about
250 miles. From Macon to Augusta about roo miles.
From Augusta to Tampa about 500 miles. From Tampa to Key West, by steamer, 225 miles. Total r865 miles.
This trip does not include Nashville, which is 625
miles distant from New Orleans, nor a visit to West,
Palm Beach and Miami on the east coast of Fla. Hence
to visit each house of the Province the Provincial has
to travel more than 2000 miles.
JAMES DE POTTER, S. J.

THE NEW MISSION OF CALIFORNIA
AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

For a long time the late General, Fr. Louis Martin,
had given his attention to a better disposition of the
subjeCts and property belonging to Ours in the western
distriCts of the United States. His ardent desire was so
to arrange the men and means in that wide seCtion that
greater fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of
souls might more. certainly be obtained through the cooperation of scattered forces; and thus also gradually
to make way for a new province. Ther~ were two extensive missions in the far West, both belonging to the
same province of Turin: that of the Rocky Mountains,
embracing Washington, Idaho, lHontana, Wyoming and
Oregon ; and that of California, lying within three
counties of the Golden State.
The Rocky Mountain Mission was founded in the
early forties by the great Fr. De Smet and his worthy
companions. Little by little it spread from one station
to another under the guidance of his intrepid successors amidst appalling difficulties and against apparently
. insurmountable obstacles. Indeed, it may be safely
stated that had not the work of the devoted missionaries
been thwart~5i and often paralyzed by the agents of hostile missionary" societies and others, their success would
have rivaled that of the great missionaries of the old
Society, and the story of the Reduetions of Paraguay
would have been repeated among the Indians of the
Rocky Mountains. Even in spite of opposition and
countless difficulties and hardships, the works of these
missionaries prospered, as is attested to·day by thriving
mission schools and bv numerous stations for Christian
as well as pagan Indi~ns. In addition to these successful works in behalf of the Indians, the Jesuits of the
Rocky Mountains have had under their charge several
primary and grammar schools and two colleges, one in
Spokane and another of great promise in Seattle. Altogether there are ro,ooo Christian and 2o,ooo pagan Indians under the immediate care of the Fathers, with 700
students in their two colleges and fifteen hundred children in the elementary schools.
(30)

THE NEW MISSION OF CALIFORNIA

! '
~-

i:
I

'

\
I.

31

The California Mission has had no Indians under its
jurisdittion; it embraces a small are.a in Sa~ta Clara,
San Francisco and Santa Cruz count1es; but tt has two
large colleges, Santa Clara, in Santa Clara, founded ~n
r8sr, and St. Ignatius', in San Francisco, founded m
r8SS· Moreover, it has charge of two large parishes
and three parochial schools in Santa Clara County, and
the novitiate of the Sacred Heart at Los Gatos. The
Mission of California has under its direCtion at least
r 200 students in the state. The following account of
the new Mission was sent to the LETTERS by the direction of the Rev. Father Superior.
Gonzaga College,
Spokane, Wash.,
Au~;ust I6, I907.
Rev. and dear Father,
P.C
· In obedience to the request of Rev. Fr. Superior I
send you the enclosed papers relating to the union of
the California and Rocky Mountain Missions. They
consist of two documents, a copy of the decree · issued
bv Rev. Fr. General to the Rev. Provincial of the Province of Turin, and commanded to be read in each of the
Houses of the Missions concerned on August rsth, together with Rev. Father General's letter to the Fathers
and Scholastics of the New Mission. This last is a
most precious evidence of his loving and paternal spirit
and will serve to stir up renewed fervor and loyalty
amongst his children in the far West. A copy of this
letter has been furnished to each of the Fathers and
Scholastics of the newly organized territory.
On the Feast of the Assumption, August rsth, these
documents were read, as decreed, in all our Houses both
here and in California as well as in Southern Alaska
and Dakota, and the union dates its origin from that
·moment.
You will see from the enclosed decree that the new
Mission covers an enormous extent of territory compr.ising as it does Southern Alaska, the Rocky Mountams, North and South Dakota, some new Missions in
Oregon and the existing Houses in California. Northern Alaska goes to the New Canadian Province.
The Rev. Fr. George de la .Motte has been appointed
by ~ev. ~r. General as Supenor of the United Missions
whtch wtll be known as the Mission of California and
the Rocky Mountains.

32

THE NEW MISSION OF' CALIFORNIA
DECREE OF THE UNION OF THE
CALIFORNIA AND ROCKY 1\IOUNTAlN ::\1:ISSIONS
R. P. JOSEPHO CHIAUDANO

Prcep. Prov. Taurznensi's'
Reverende in Christo Pater,
P.C.
Jamdudum erat in omnium votis, ut per novam aptioremque Provinciarum ac J\Iissionum distributionem in
America Septentrionali quibusdam incommodis afferetur
remedium simulque provideretur ut Nostrorum labores
minori virium dispendiofruCtuosiores existerent; jamque
ad negotium tanti momenti ipse praedecessor meus A.
R. P. Lud. Martin serio animum appulerat, cum morte
interceptus rem ad exitum perducere non potuit. Nunc
itaque, post multas interrogationes et responsiones ultro
citroque missas, adhibitis consuetis Consultationibus, id
tandem constitutum est, quod omnium judicio opportunius videbatur, quemadmodum etiam faCtis brevi manifestum fiet.
Inter haec pari quoque sollicitudine agendum fuit de
:Missionibus, quae in America Septentrionali ad istam
Provinciam Taurinensem speCtant, uti Rae Vae notum
est : circa quas juxta postremas concordesque Rae Vae
suornmque Consultonun sententias, ex judicio quoque
Superiorum Missionum eornmque Consultonun, re cum
PP. Assistentibus communicata et probata, post multas
preces, haec i_n Domino decernenda censui, prouti praesentibus littetis decerno:
I.
Ut Missiones Californiae et Montium Saxosorum
una cum parte australi Missionis Alaskanae et duobus
Statibus Dakota septentrionali et meridionali, ad Missionem Buffalensem Provinciae Germaniae hucusque addicl:is, coalescant in posterum in unam Missionem, cui
nomen esto Missio Calijorniae et Monti'um Saxosorum,
quaeque sub regimine unius Superioris ad Provinciam
Taurinensem pertineat ;
2. Ut pars borealis Missionis Alaskanae a Missione
Montium Saxosorum sejungatur et ad novam Provinciam Canadensem applicata existat una cum omnibus suis
domiciliis, personis, bonis temporalibus, ac debitorum
obligationibus;
3· Ut bini Dakotae Status septentrionalis ac meridionalis qui hucusque ad Missionem Buffalem.em speCtabant, ab ea Missione et Provincia Germanica sejungatur
et applicentur ad novam Missionem Californiae et Montium Saxosorum, atque adeo ad Provinciam Taurinen-

A.NlJ t"HE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

sem una cum domiciliis, personis, bonis temporalibus
et d~bitorum obligationibus;
.
4· Ut hae dis~os~tio_nes le~antu.r et pro~ulgentur tn
singulis novae M1s~1om~ dom1bus,_ 1ta ut pnma et .secunda die IS Augustl hujusce aum effec1um sortlantur,
tertia vero die I Septembris anni ejusdem.
:;. Denique Rae Vae committo ut has dispositiones
cum singulis trium Missionum Superioribus communicet, curetque sive per se sive pt>r novum Superiorem
unitarum Missionum ut collatis consiliis cum novo Provinciali Canadensi necnon cum Superiore aetualis Missionis Buffalensis, omnia opportuno modo et tempore
executioni mandentur.
Interim enixis precibus Deum rogo ut novis his dispositionibus benedicere dignetur, quo ad majorem ipsius
gloriae evadant itemque ad majorem utilitatem et fmctum illarum Missionum, omnique N ostrorum, qui iisdem
incumbunt, uti sperare licet, in nomine Patris et Filii et
Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Datum Romae, die festo SSmi. Cordis J esu, 7 J unii
1907.
FRANCISCUS XAV. WERNZ

Prmp. Gen. Soc.Jesu.
LETTER OF VERY REV. FATHER GENERAL TO THE
FATHERS AND BROTHERS OF THE CALIFORNIA
AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION.
PATRIBUS AC FRATRIBUS
IN NOVA CALIFORNIAE AC MONT. SAX. MISSIONE
DEGENTIBUS, SALUTEM IN DOMINO

Paterna caritas ac sollicitudo qua vos omnes et singulos in Domino complector, quaeque jam ab exordia suscepti mei muneris me efficaciter impulit ad consilium
antea incoeptum perficiendum de istis Missionibus in
unam colligendis ; eadem mihi est auctrix, Reverendi
Patres ac Fratres in Christo carissimi, ut propitiam hanc
solemnemque vobis occasionem vos alloquendi penitus
non praetermittam.
Ac re quidem vera, haec eadem trium Missionum,
Californiensis scilicet et Montium Saxosorum et Alaskae
Australis in unam amplioremque Missionem colleetio
q?am hac ipsa die tam secundis omnibus cernimus aus~
p1catam q~emadmodum vobis omnibus justi gaudii novaeque spe1 a~gumen~um mer~ to pr~ebet, ita mihi quoque
verba supped1tat, qmbus vob1s potlssimum adhortatione
3

THE NEW JI.IISSION OF CALIFORNIA

simul et consolatione prosequar. Etenim perspicuum
vobis esse reor, Patres Fratresque optatissimi, in tam
gravi uniendarum istarum Missionum negotio me eo
praecipue speCtasse ut unica per id exorta Missio, optimis quibusque singularum Missionum commodis opportunissime aneta, unitate regiminis donata sociorumque
mutua virium conspiratione validior effeeta, alacriori
quoque cursu contendere posset ad nobilissimam illam
assequendam metam, quae hominibus Societatis nostrae
in tam amplis arduisque regionibus non sine magna omnium expectatione proposita est; sicque, ut ad praestantiorem stabilioremque tormam transmitti possit sese pedetentim compararet. . At quo id certius faciliusque
consequamini, maxime opus est ut omnes pro sua quisque parte sedulam conferatis opem, ex qua speCtabilis
haec atque exterior in unum Missionis corpus coagmentatio magis solidetur et ultimo perficiatur per ipsorum
animorum intimam consensionem; atque adeo quemadmodum, ut verbis utar Apostoli, unum corpus estis effecl:i, ita vigeat in vobis omnibus unus atque idem spiritus, cum eadem sit quoque spes vocationis vestrae, nimirum peculiaris finis toti Missioni communiter propositus,
ad quem collatis viribus prosequendum paterna Superiorum providentia praesentibus hisce dispositionibus vos
advocat et instruit. Itaque, Patres ac Fratres mei dilectissimi, tametsi explorata vestra virtus novis aculeis exstimulari non egeat, mihi tamen deesse nolo quin lllud
praecipua cura intentisque animis per bane praesertim
occasionem _prosequendum commemorem, quod, ceteroquin semper ef ab omnibus observandum Sanctus Parens
Ignatius gravissimis constitutionibus inculcavit: ut
scilicet "Idem sentiamus, idem, quoad ejus fieri potest, dicamus otnnes, juxta Apostolum." Quae quidem
praescriptio, uti probe nostis atque ex ipsius Sancti
Fundatoris constitutis perspicue patet, non modo ad
sententiarnm diversitatem in dochinis speculativis propulsandam speClat, verum etiam ad judiciorum de rebus
a<Yendis discrepantiam avertendam extenditur, utpote
q~ae mater esse solet discordiae et inimica unionis voluntatum. Neque enim admodnm difficile est ut inter
ipsius Societatis nostrae sodales, quamquam ad unum
01nnes (quod Dei beneficium est) uno eodemque impellantur majoris divinae gloriae promovendae desiderio, nihilominus sive ob ingeniorum variam naturam, sive ob
contraCtas vi peculiaris institutionis consuetudines, sive
ob alias quasvis rationes, non satis conveniat quoad

AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

35

aestimationem aliquorum mediorum eorumq~e usu~,
itemque quoad peculiar~s quasdam _proce_dendl agendlque rationes ceteraque s1t genus van~, qm~us ~d finem
ipsum sit pertingend~~~ atque_adeo m vana ~cmdantu_r
studia dum scilicet aln exemph causa plus tnbuunt allcui ministeriorum generi, alii vero alteri; quidam plus
huic svstemati fidunt, quidam vero illi. Usuvenit enim
quand~que ut qui ad perditorum hominull?- ac praesertim
infidelium animas lucrandas multum afficmntur eo quod
etiam praeclaros inde fru8:us referre soleant, non aeque
deferant diuturnis improbisque laboribus erudiendae in
Collegiis juventuti insumptis tantasque N ostrorum operas vix non deperditas conquerantur; aliis e contra opinantibus atque in tantum id genus ministeriorum extollentibus, ut pauperum rudiumque Indorum curam minoris fa cere videantur quam par est. Jam quis non
videat quam foret hujusmodi sentiendi diversitas ac studiorum varietas non modo a genuino Societatis spiritu
longe remota, sed ipsis quoque ministeriis nostris multum
infesta atque perniciosa! Quicumque enim vel leviter
Instituti nostri rationem perspectam habet, probe novit
quanta animorum magnitudoaeque ac promptitudo requiratur aN ostris ad quodlibet ministeriorum genus amplecendum, quanta quoque voluntatis indifferentia ad eorum
unumquodque adeundum, vel seponendum, item que ad ea
aut illis modis provehenda, prouti ex Superiorum praescri pto injungitqr. U nde nil mirum quod Sanctus Societatis Fundator gravissimis verbis mandaverit ut ea quam
dixi animorum conjun8:io ac mutuajudiciorum conformitaset diligentissime curaretur a singulis, et pari diligentia
ea quae ei adversantur per Superiores non permitterentur; noverat enim providentissimus Parens quanta esse
soleat hac in re humana fragilitas, aliunde vero sive ob
naturam et multiplicitatem operum prosequen.dorum
sive ob ingeniorum varietatem praesentiebat nee rara~
nee leves nostris quoque occasiones ejl)smodi non defuturas: idcirco non qualibet cura contentos nos esse voluit,
sed ad magnam nos excitavit diligentiam et sollicitudinem, apostolicae memor sententiae : "Solliciti servate
unitatem spiritus in vinculo pacis."
Quo ~acto, uti ani_m_advertit idem S. Parens Ignatius,
duplex 1dqne non mm1mum assequemur commodum · ut
scilicet "jun8:i invicem fraternae charitatis vinculo ~e­
lius et efficac_i~s possi~us et di.~ino obsequio nos mancipare ~t a_uxt~to. proxtm<?rum tmpendere." Melius et
efficacms m dlVmo profic1emus obsequio, tum quia plu-

. I

:I

I,

I

I

I

36

THE NEW MISSiON OF CALIFORNIA

rimum ad conservationem spiritus atque ad ipsius augmentum prodest perspecta Sociorum virtus, quae nunquam elucet magis et comprobatur certius, quam ex
sincerae charitatis operibus; tum maxime quia Deus
auctor pacis ac dilectionis praeclarioribus suae gratiae donis eos cumulare gestit, quos viderit toto corde pacem et
charitatem sectare. :\1elius etiam et efficacius in proximorum auxilium incumbemus, quippe solida inter nos
pace et charitate fundati promptiores erimus ad magnos
adeundos labores pro gloria Dei, quibus praeterea et levius sustiuendis, et strenius provehendis, ac demum ad
felicem exitum certius perducendis multum accedet virtutis ac roboris ex mutua virum collatione animorumque consentione, juxta illud divinum testimonium :
" Frater qui adjuvatur a fratre quasi civitas firma.''
N eque id tantummodo, verum etiam laetitia accedet, qua
mirum in modum in ipsis laboribus et levantur animi et
ad perseverandum redduntur aptiores, quemadmodum
de MachaLaeis eorumque sociis eadem testatur Scriptura,
quod sese invicem adjuvabant et" praeliabantur praelium
Israel cum laetitia.
Atque haec habebam, fratres mei dilectissimi, non tam
commendanda aut inculcanda animis vestris, quam in
memoriam revocanda, ut dum hac ipsa die in unius Missionis corpus convenitis, unus etiam vos omnes et suscipiat fraternitatis amor, et ubique contineat et in finem
usque augeat et conservet. Quod quidem ut pro voto
succedat, amplissimam paterni animi mei benedictionem
vobis omnibus iri1pertior, in primis novo totius Missionis Supcriori, ut in gravissimo onere suo sentiat se vestra benevolentia et docilitate levatum ; singulis deinde
localibus Superioribus, ut in partem sollicitudinis vocati pari consolation is munere laetentur; omnibus denique
ac singulis Patribus ac Fratribus sive Scholasticis sive
Coadjutoribus, ut in suis quisque laboribus magnos experiantur animos et consequantur fructus. Vos omnes
in Domino complector, et me SS. SS. et orationibus
vestris commendo.
Datum Romae, die SSmo Cordi J esu sacra, 7 J unii
1907.
Servus in Xo.,
FRANCISCUS XAV. WERNZ

Prmp. Gm. Soc. Jesu.
The new Mission includes, in the U. S. proper, the
three coast states of ·washington, Oregon and California; to these must be added Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
and North and South Dakota.

AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

'"

In Alaska our limits are less determined. In that
region there is a range of mountains that reaches the
sea near the southwest corner; here it is submerged
and runs under water towards the Asiatic coast, its
general direC!ion being indica.ted on the map by the
curving cham of the Aleutian Islands. These are
formed by its higher peaks rising above the surface.
This Mountain chain bends inland to the northeast
across Alaska, forming the northern boundary of our
mainland territory. To this must be added the Aleutian Islands themselves. \Ve have here a large area
whose exact dimensions are difficult to ascertian.
The area of the above mentioned states amounts
to 795,640 square miles. This added to our Alaskan
mission field would probably bring the total to close on
a million square miles. We have thus every opportunity, without leaving our own limits, to fulfil that part
of our rule which calls on us "to travel to various
places." Our territory is at least equal in area to Great
Britian and Ireland, Holland and Belgium, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal combined. It is
nearly five times as large as France or Germany, and
almost nine times as extensive as Italy.
Scattered throughout this vast domain we have 31
houses, most of them being small mission residences, to
which are attached outlying stations, visited from time
to time from the residences. We have however large
colleges in California at Santa Clara and San Francisco.
This latter is now rising anew from its ashes and bids
fair soon to takes its place once more amongst the finest
in the land. Santa Clara is too famous to need much
reference. A new and more magnificent Santa Clara
will soon be built on a new site, where it will be the
most prominent structure amongst the many palatial
buildings that adorn the Santa Clara Valley.
Besides these older establishments we have our fine,
up-to-date College here in Spokane, where 450 boys at~end, and a community of 70 sit down to meals. Here
1s our House of Studies. Seattle has its College recently enlarged, with an attendance of 150 boys.
'
The seat of Government of the new Mission is to be
at Portland, Oregon, where a residence is now being
erected. We may con~lude our remarks by pointing
out some of the httle tnps Rev. Fr. Superior will have
to make during his visitations and from these we may
j~dg~ that he will not be able 'to spend a great deal of
h1s tlme at the seat of Government.

38

AND THE ROCKr JIOUNTAINS

Setting out from Portland he must travel 700 miles to
San Francisco. Having transacted his Californian
business, he may return northward to Seattle a distance
of 841 miles. If he be so inclined he may continue onward to Alaska where the distance is of no account.
Here there are some half a dozen widely separated stations to visit. Returning to Seattle he may take the
train for Spokane, a distance of 400 miles, continuing
his journey in the same direction he can reach the eastern limits of the Mission in Dakota by adding another
1218 miles to his record. On his way back he may take
in some of our houses in Montana, Idaho and 'Vyoming,
thus making his wanderings hard to calculate. It will
certainly not be accomplished in a Pullman, as he will
be forced to resort now and then to more primitive
methods of transport. From Spokane, on his return,
he can visit neighboring missions, and take in others on
his return journey to Portland, which is about 450 miles
from Spokane.
You may guess how long all this journeying will take
to accomplish, and how arduous it will be on account
of the amount of staging involved. Such then is our
mission field.
There is much work to be done, and it is only com-.
mencing. If our brothers help us with their prayers
and Sacrifices that task will be lightened. This is to
say a good deal.
. I remain
-· .· Your Rev's Servant in Christ,
H. L. nicCuLLocH, s. 1.

THE DIVISION OF THE
BUFFALO MISSION
DECRETUM
DE MISSIONIS BUFFALENSIS SEPARATIONE A PROVINCIA
GERMANIAE EJUSQUE UNIONE CUM PROVINCIIS
AMERICAE F<EDERATAE.

Attente in Domino consideratis, quae de separatione
Missionis Buffalensis a Provincia Germaniae diu et mature ab omnibus in hoc negotio partem habentibus fuernnt disceptata, post sedulam rei cum PP. Assistentibus
deliberationem et assiduas ad Deum preces multasque
in honorem Sacratissimi Cordis Jesu atque coelestium
nostrorum Patronorum oblatas Missas hoc decretum
condendum atque promulgandum esse censeo:
I. Missio Buffalensis a die I Septembris anni I907 a
Provincia Germaniae penitus separata sit et habeatur,
sublata qualibet jurisdictione Praepositi Provinciae Germaniae in eandem Mission em et finita pariter omni bono·rum temporalium communione inter Provinciam Germaniae et Missionem 'Buffalensem.
II. Unaquaeque domus Missionis Buffalensis cum
omnibus bonis et debitis inde a die I Septembris anni
I907, illi Provinciae vel Missioni Americae Septentrionalis unita sit et habeatur, in cujus Provinciae vel Missionis territorio sita est :
Qua ratione uniantur:
I) Collegium et Convictus B. Petri Canisii et Residentia S. Annae in civitate Buffalensi cum Provincia Marylandiae N eo-Eboracensi.
. 2) CollegiumS. Ignatii Clevelandiae, Domus probatioms S. Stanis. prope Clevelandiam, Collegium inchoatum
S,.Joannis Berchmans Toletanum, Residentia Mankatensts, Collegium SS. Cordis in Prairie du Chien, cum Provincia Missouriana.
3) Residentia S. Francisci et Residentia SS. Rosarii
in Statu South-Dakota cum Missione Californiae et
Montium Saxosornm a Provincia Taurinensi dependente.
III. In diyisione So~io~um~ qui hucusque in Missione Buffalenst ad Provmctam Germanine pertinebant
hisct; normis standum est:
'
(39)

40

THE DIVISION OF THE

r) Omnes sacerdotes post finitum tertium annum probationis (Patres domus) et Fratres Coadjutores sive in
America Septentrionali nati vel naturalizati sive non a
prima die Septembris anni I907, pertineant ad illam
Provinciam vel Missionem, ad quam ex numero II. hujus decreti spe8:at domus, cui die I Septembris anni
I907, legitime fuerint adscripti, exceptis duobus Patribus a Provinciali Germaniae ante diem I Septembris anni 1906 approbante P. Generali in Europam vel Brasiliam vocatis.
: 2) Omnes Magistri et PraefeCl:i Scholastici et Patres
juniores, qui studiis absolutis, tamen tertiae Probationis
anna nondum peraCl:o die I Septembris anni I907 legitime adscripti aau degunt in Collegiis et Residentiis
Missionis Buffalensis eidem normae sint subjeeti, quae n.
III. I. hujus decreti de Patribus domus statuta est exceptis quatuor Scholasticis a P. Provinciali Germaniae
ante diem I. Septembris anni I907 approbante P. Generali in Indiam vel Brasiliam vocatis.
3) Omnes Missionis Buffalensis Philosophi, Theologi,
Patres, qui an no Scholastico I906-I907 tertiam proba- ·
tionem egerunt, a die I Septembris anno I907 pertineant
ad illam Provinciam vel l\Iissionem Americanam, ad
quam ratione loci nativitatis vel naturalizationis in
America Septentrionali pertinent sal vis exceptionibus,
quas Superior Missionis Buffalensis pro tempore existens tanquam in hoc a P. Generali specialiter delegatus
pr<esertim in favorem Provinciae Missourianae, utpote
majoribus onerif:ms gravatae ex caritate et aequitate statuerit.
4) Demum omnes Novitii Scholastici etJuniores Missionis Buffalensis in Domo Probationis die I Septembris
anni I907 degentes ad Provinciam :Missourianam perti~
neant sine respeCl:u ad locum nativitatis vel naturalizationis salvis iterum exceptionibus, quas Superior Missionis Buffalensis pro tempore existens tanquam in hoc a
P. Generali specialiter deleg-atus forte in favorem Provinciae Marvlandiae Neo-Eboracensis ex caritate vel
aequitate statuendos esse existimaverit.
IV. Quoad divisionem et communionem bonorum
temporalium praeter ea, quae supra n. II. hujus decreti
statuta sunt, haec in specie sunt servanda.
I) Area Seminarii Missionis Buffalensis die I Septembris anni I907 transit in Arcam Seminarii Provinciae
Missourianae cum onere Ioo,ooo Marcarum intra quinque subsequentes annos a die I Septembris anni I907
computandos ita Arca.e Seminarii Provinciae Germauiae

BUFFALO .MISSION

41

restituendi, ut singulis annis 2o,ooo Marcarum absque
frenore solvantur.
2) Scholastici qui nunc in Collegio. Valken~u;gensi
student et post separationem factam, mter Mtsswne~
Buffalensem et Provinciam Germaniae a die I Septembns
I907, pertinent sive ratione nath:itatis sive natnralizationis ad Provinciam Marylandtae Neo-Eboracensem
vel Missourianam vel ad Missionem Californiae et Montium Saxosorum, aut in suam novam Provinciam redeant, aut pro ipsis inde a die prima Sep!embris solv~nt.ur
consuetae pensiones Scholasticorum altarum Provmctarum.
V. Provincia Germaniae in gratam memoriam et signum caritatis etiam post separationem faB:am omnibus
sociis, qui in Missione Buffalensi ante diem I Septembris anni I907 ad Provinciam Germaniae pertinebant,
solita concedet snffragia praeter ea, quae ab ilia Provincia vel Missione Americae Septentrionalis accipiunt, ad
quam inde a die I Septembris I907 pertinent.
VI. Si quae in posterum superveniat difficultas in
casibus particularibus quoad hujus decreti executionem,
ad P. Generalem erit recurrendum.
Datum Romae, die 7 Julii I907.
In Festo Pretiosissimi Sanguinis D. N. ]. Ch.
FRANCISCUS XA v. WERNZ

Pra:p. Gen. Soc.Jesu.
EPISTOLA AD PATRES ET FRATRES MISSIONIS
BUFFALENSIS PROVINCIAE GERMANIAE

Paterno meo officio me defuisse putarem, Patres Fratresque in Christo dilectissimi, si una cum decreta Missionis Buffalensis a Provincia Germaniae divisione, nihil
ego ad vos mitterem Iitterarum, unde aliqua vobis accederet consolatio. Atque imprimis illud vobis omnibus
persuasum sit me neutiquam latere, nee justas agnoscere
pra~cipuas doloris vestri causas. Disjungitur nimirum
canssima vestra Missio a carissima vestra Provincia enjus curae ac sollicitudini vos ipsos in Societatem vodatos
vestraque ~mnia_ penitus debetis. Nee disjungitur solu~,. sed dtssolvttur quodammodo pulcherrima vestra
Mtssto Buff~ler;sis, quae v?bi~ tanto extitit carior, quan!o earn studtosm.s ac l~bonosms e;cc?luistis, majoremque
t? mo?um amphficastts ac perfectshs. Pusilla sane initto, tnbus tan tum constabat domicilii.s quae unum . et
viginti S<?c!os excipiebant. Nunc vero 'post annos fere
sex et tngmta. _ad eo florentem ~onspicitis, ut magnis
quatuor Collegns, ampla Probattonis · Domo, Residenti-

THE DIVISION OF THE

is quatuor valde magnis instructa sit. Sociosque numeret propemodum trecentos. Nihil igitur mirum, Patres
Fratresque dilectissimi, si a vestra Provincia vestraque
Missione, quibus tam arCl:o veri amoris vinculo eratis
conjunCl:i, non sine intimo pii doloris sensu dissocianimi, vosque praesertim, venerandi Patres Fratresque antiquiores, qui in Missione longiori tempore versati estis;
nihil enim acerbius amittitur, quam quod diutius sanCl:ius:.tue diligitur. Atqui haec praecipua vestra laus esto,
quod B. Parentis N. Ignatii monitis edocti atque imbuti,
etiam piissima vestra vota ac desideria, quibus nihil vobis potius cordi erat, volenti ac jubenti Deo per Societatis Superiores, prompto admodum animo offerre atque
immolare non dubitastis. Quin etiam, quod perfeCl:ae
nostrae obedientiae proprium est, Superiorumjussa apud
vosmetipsos probare ac defendere diligenter curastis.
Et jure quidem merito, nisi enim causae valde graves
adfuissent, cur ita decerneretur, nullo unquam pacto de
Missione separanda aut eliminanda cogitatum fuisset.
Jam dudum enim vero exoptabatur, ut in tota, qua late
patet America Foederata Missiones ac Provinciae nostrae, magnis paulatim incrementis auaae, aptiori atque
stabiliori modo ordinarentur, quo singulae, intra certos
justosque suos fines constitutae, vires ac facultates suas
omnes multo utilius ac fruCl:uosius per se ipsas evolvere
atque exercere valerent.
Accedit quod Provincia Germaniae gravissimo sui ipsius onere jam oppressa, sustinendis in posterum tribus
magnis Missiotiibus imparem se prorsus agnoscebat, nee
nisi dolenter postulabat, ut saltern a procuranda dilecta
sua Missione Buffalensi quantocius liberaretur.
Aliunde vero Missio Buffalensis, suis tantummodo viribus reliB:a, vix sibi adeo sufficere poterat, ut de ea sui
juris facienda, nedum in Provinciam erigenda, spes ulla
conciperetur. Quare consultius visum est Missionem
Buffalensem non uni tantum Provinciae vel Missioni
annectere, sed viciniores inter Provincias vel Missiones
pro locorum opportunitate dispertire, eisdemque ita conjnngere, ut e regia Missionis opera non modo nullum
caperent detrimentum, sed aliarum Provincianun vel
Missionum subsidio commodius curarentur ac provehe·
rentur; quo vicissime fieret, ut finitimae Provinciae vel
Missiones, tam validas naCl:ae suppetias, magnopere juvarentur. In primis vero Provincia Missouriana, quae
Japonicae Missionis aS. Sede nobis commissae praecipuam fortasse curam susceptura est,

BUFFALO llf!SSJON

13

Quum igitur his aliisque ~on levis momet;ti c.ausis
tandem factum sit, quod pmdm commune Societatis bonum omnino postulare videbatur, reliquum est, Patres
Fratresque dilectissimi, ut mutata Missionis Buffalensis,
non vero vocationis vestrae conditione, in salutem sanctificationemque vestram non minus quam in alien am omni
qua fieri potest ope ac diligentia incumbere pergatis. Summum etiam studium cujusque sit, quocumque fuerit a
Superiore vocatus, cuicumque muneri addict:us, ut in
omnibus se exhibeat verum Societatis filium, cujus est
vitam agere in quavis mundi plaga, in quavis Societatis
Provincia, in quavis Provinciae Domo, in quovis Domus
ministerio, ubi majus Dei obsequium speratur. Et quoniam ex vobis alii adscripti estis Provincire Missourianae, alii Provinciae Marylandiae Neo-Eboracensi, alii
Missioni Californiae cum Missione Montium Saxosorum
recens conjunct:ae, sic in sua quisque nova Provincia vel
Missione convivere studeat, non tamquam adoptivus in
alienam domum assumptus, sed uti filius in domo sua
natus, quem ubique terrarum amantissime complectitur
Mater nostra Societas, quae una eademque omnium nostrorum familia est. Optimos Provinciae et Missionis
Praesides, Fratresque suavissimos amisistis, optimos alios invenietis Praesides, paternae in vos benevolentiae
plenos, aliosque Fratres concordissimos, quibuscum tanta intercedet fraternae charitatis conjunct:io, tanta superni amoris necessitudo, ut omnium cor unum, unaque
anima esse videatur. Atque haec firmissima mea spes
est, haec mea maxima vota atque optata, quibus neminem vestrum defuturum confido.
Neque aliud restat, Patres Fratresque in Christo dileetissimi, nisi ut vobis omnibus et singulis, quod de
Societate nostra tam bene merita est Missio Buffaleusis,
non meo solum nomine sed etiam Provinciae Germanire
cui vos perinde atque ego ipse tot tantaque beneficia ac~
cepta referiml!s, ex animo gratulatus gratias et agam et
habeam max1mas, paternamque meam benediCl:ionem
peramanter impertiar.
Commendo me vestris ss. ss. et oo.
Romae, 7 Julii 1907.
Omnium Servus in Christo
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

Prmp. Gen. Soc. Jesu
In the Decree issued by V. Rev. Father General on
the 7th of July, 1907, ?eparating the Buffalo Mission
from the German Provmce, occur the following para-

THE DIVISION OF THE

graphs which define the portion of the Mission to be
united with the Missouri Province :
"II. Unaquaeque domus Missionis Buffalensis cum
omnibus suis bonis et debitis inde a die I Septembris
anni I907 illi Provinciae vel Missioni Americae Septentrionalis unita sit et habeatur, in cujus Provinciae vel
Missionis territorio sita est."
"Qua ratione uniantur:
"2. Collegium S. Ignatii Clevelandiae, Domus probationis S. Stanislai prope Clevelandiam, Collegium inchoatum S. Joannis Berchmans Toletanum, Residentia
Mankatensis, Collegium SS. Cordis in Prairie du Chien,
cum Provincia Missourian a."
Accordingly, on the rst of September, I907, the Colleges and Houses named in the Decree, and situated respectively in northern Ohio, southern Minnesota and
western Wisconsin, came under the jurisdiction of the
Missouri Province; so that now the territory comprised
within this Province of the Societv covers the whole of
the States of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and
Minnesota, aggregating in area 657,8Io square miles.
By the terms of the same Decree regulating the transfer of members of the Mission from the German Province, one hundred and ninety-five were incorporated in
the Missouri Province, whose total consequently in conjunB:ion with the ordinary increase, rose from 546 on
theIst of Noy., I906, to 746 on theIst of Nov. I907.
Point IV. of-the Decree, which treats of the disposition of the temporal goods of the Mission not falling
under the regulations of Point II., transfers the "Area
Seminarii" to the "Area Seminarii" of the Missouri
Province in these terms:
" r. Area Seminarii Missionis Buffalensis die I Septembris anni I907 transit in Arcam Seminarii Provinciae
Missourianae cum onere IOO,ooo Marcarum intra quinque subsequentes annos a die I Septembris anni I907
computandos ita Arcae Seminarii Provinciae Germaniae
restituendi, ut singulis annis 2o,ooo Marcarum absque
foenore solvantur."
On Sept. I, I907, simultaneously with the reading of
the above-mentioned Decree, proclamation of the appointment of Rev. Father Rudolph J. Meyer to the office of Provincial of the Missouri Province was made
in all our Houses. As is well known our new Provincial was the English Assistant during the generalship of V. Rev. Father Louis Martin, and the Superior
of the Buffalo Mission Jan. I to Aug. 3I, I907.

!

'.

I,

I

l
\.

,

I
l
r

45

BUFFALO MISSION

UNION OF PART OF THE MISSION TO THE
MARYLAND-N. Y. PROVINCE.
The decree of Very Reverend Father General uniting
Buffalo with its college and residence in that city, and
Trinity Church in Boston to the Maryland-New York
Province was read on Sept. I, I907. This was the only
formality observed. Rev. Father Provincial was present.
When the mission was divided 86 members of the
German Province were transferred to the MarylandNew York Province. There were 40 priests, 28 scholastics and I8 brothers. Thirty of the Fathers were at the
two houses in Buffalo, 3 were in Boston, 3 in the fourth
year of theology in Valkenburg, 2 in St. Joseph's Hospital, New York, I at Holy Cross College and I at St.
Francis Xavier's, New York. Of the scholastics 9 were
in Buffalo, 4 at Valkenburg, I I at Woodstock and 4 at
St. Andrew-on-Hudson. The I8 brothers were in the
two houses at Buffalo.

MISSIONARY LABORS
Sept. to Christmas, 1907

SUMMARY
The following data will help the many readers of the
WooDSTOCK LETTERs to form an estimate of the splendid work done by the ten Fathers who are attached to
the Mission Band in the Maryland-New York Province
of the Society, from September IS to December 22
I907. The items are all taken from official records.
'
Time

Number of Fathers

Number of Missions

Missions for one month
Three
Two
Missions for three weeks
Three
One
Missions for two weeks
Four
Two
Missions for two weeks
Three
Three
Missions for two weeks
Two
Nine
Missions for one week
Two
Four
Missions for one week
One
Four
Total number of Missions
Twenty-five
Total number of Triduums
Two
Average number of weeks for each Father was eleven.

1lfiSSJONAR Y

LABORS

I
l

FruElus Spirituales
Confessions
.
.
53·962 l
Adults prepared for Confirmation
sss'
Conversions to the Faith
122
Adults prepared for First Communion
291.
6r ·
Marriages Revalidated
In addition to the above work, it is well to note that·
at each week of a mission, there is an average
r) of eight sermons.
1
2) Six Instructions at five o'clock Mass; the same at ,
9 A. 31.
3) Six Instructions in the evening at 7.30 P. 1\I.
4) Six Catecheses, for the Class of Instruction.
5) Five Instructions for children.
.
And in a number of places, the Stations of the Cross, .
every afternoon, except Saturday and Sunday. At ·1
least, twenty thousand confessions could be added to
the number already given, were the Fathers to count
th?s~ who come a second time to confession, during the 1

l

I

miSSIOn.

THE DETAILS.

St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. Ist, 1908
DEAR, FATHER,

P. C.
For several years past Fr. Himmel has directed the
movements.-of the missioners with headquarters at Keyser Island ; a"nd we have been accustomed to go there
occasionally to see the Chief. We always felt it was
good for us to be there. Those flying visits to our beloved Island were not only recreating for the mind and
for the body, they were something vastly more than all
that. The head and front of the :Mission Band was
there, and we were glad to profit by his long experience
in a wide field. There was always a warm welcome,
ever the patient advice, counsel and encouragement.
In April, Fr. Himmel was appointed Rector of Gouzaga College, Washington. He continued to direct tl1e
missions till St. Ignatius' Day, when we found that the
mantle of our honored Chief had fallen on the shoulders
of Fr. O'Donovan.
Let me say in passing, and I know I voice the sentiments of the Mission Fathers-emphatically of our
present Superior in particular-that though we have
lost Fr. Himmel, his spirit still lingers with us, his

MISSIONARY LABORS

47

work still lives; nor can we soon for~et the great ~ood
he has done us individually and collechvely. He gUided
prudently, he planned wisely, he executed efficiently,
-he governed lovingly-and won the hearts of all.
NORTH ADAMS, MASS., St. Francis' Church, Sept.
15-29.-N orth Adams is situated in the heart of t?e
Berkshire Hills. At present there are about 27,000 Inhabitants, but the population has been decreasing of
late years, various causes being assigned for the exodus.
Its prosperous neighbor Pittsfield, on the contrary, is
going ahead with giant strides. Three years ago I gave
a mission in the latter place,-and again last June-and
on coming to North Adams I could not fail to be impressed with the contrast between the two cities. Pittsfield is situated in an open country, North Adams is
almost entirely surrounded by towering hills, and the
denizens of each place seem to take on the characteristics
of their particular location. The Pittsfielders are a
lively, go-ahead set, while the North Adamites seem to
be more serious. This contrast is noticed particularly
in the children.
St. Francis' parish, called the Irish parish, numbers
Sao families. There is another Catholic Church, called
the French parish, somewhat larger, making the Catholic population of the town about one-third of the whole.
This was the first mission of the year. The Fathers
condu&ing it were: Fr. O'Donovan assisted by Frs.
Coughlin, Casey and the present scribe.
We were anticipating the delightful weather of early
fall among the Berkshires; but our hopes were shattered.
For the heat of the first week of that mission was terrific. One of those warm waves, sometimes met with in
mountain regions, had struck the place. Imaoine
preaching a thundering mission sermon with the thermometer at go, in a church packed to the limit with
perspiring humanity. It was not mission weather but
missi_?n work must be done in spite of the weather.
And tt was done gloriously. The people entered heartily into the spirit of the time of grace and the work went
along with a swing that was edifying and inspiring.
The three curates of the church were of areat assist~nce to us, and did noble work during the ~ntire mission. They know the pa.rish thoroughly, and were always on hand at the servtces to note the absent ones .
and these were certain to receive a visit of inquiry next
day. In this way many were induced to make the mis-

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MISSIONARY LAbORS

sion who otherwise would have remained away. The
delinquent was reclaimed, the sluggard roused and the
indifferent made to realize his duty. Nothing could
daunt the zeal and heroism of those apostolic men ; the
zeal was ever burning, and there were many cases where
heroism was demanded.
.
Here, as in other places, the evils of mixed marriages
were in evidence. Many sad cases came to our notice,
where whole families were lost to the faith, because of
the thoughtless folly and rashness of giddy young persons. Of course the greatest harm comes where the
woman is a non-Catholic, and has some belief; for then
she generally manages to educate the children according to her own religious tenets.
In the diocese of Springfield public penance is demanded, as a rule, before reconciliation can be effected
with the Church, though that could be dispensed with
at discretion on account of the mission. It is a rule
also that all cases be submitted to the pastor of the
Church.
We had several cases of public penance, some of them
quite pathetic, and one in particular remarkable. A
young woman had been married before a Protestant
minister. Afterwards repenting of her sin she came for
reconciliation. She was told to kneel before t11e Altar
at one of the Masses on Sunday. which she did. But
what was the astonishment of the priest, as he announced
the public penance, to see kneeling beside the girl her
aged mother-7-and in tears. The good woman evidently
thought thaf si1e was bound to repair the scandal given
by her daughter, and that it was a case of the sins
of the children visited upon the parents.
On arriving in North Adams we found that the pastor
was afflicted with the terrible disease of cancer. It had
already advanced very far, and several specialists in
New York had said that death might come at any moment. This cast a gloom over the house. But we prayed
that the end might not come before the close of the
mission, as it would interfere seriously with the work
we had come to accomplish. Our prayers were answered.
But the good man must be prepared for death at once,
as it would have been a shameful thing to run the risk
of his passing away suddenly without the sacraments,
while several priests were living in the same house with
him. The senior curate asked me, as I was an old friend
of the pastor, to break the news to him, which I did.

49

MISSIONARY LABORS

At first the poor man was startled, and would !lot hear
of receiving the last Sacraments; but after a htt~e persuading he consented. Fr. O'D~m<:'van heard hts confession and afterwards gave Vtatlcum and E~tr~me
Unction while the priests of the house and the mtssloners knelt about his bedside.
I mention this incident in passing, because Fr. O'Donovan felt inclined to have the" De Profundis ''bell
rung for some recalcitrant members of the parish, who
refused to make the mission. The plan was abandoned,
however, as rumor of the pastor's illness had spread
through the parish, and had the people heard that bell
tolling they would have supposed it announced death
in the rectory.
The Sodality, Rosary Confraternity and the League
were existing in the parish, but not flourishing and
needed rousing. Accordingly cards were distributed
during the women's week, with the request that on Friday night they should be retunied signed, with the
name of the Societv marked to which each one wished
to belong. A good number of cards was handed in,
but of course many were forgotten, some mislaid, and
the children had chewed up others. All this was to be
expected, and generally happens. But the end was not
yet. At all the Masses on Sunday exhortation, appeal,
entreaty went forth from the pulpit to augment the
numbers of church societies. At the closing on Sunday
afternoon a large number became members of the Sodality and Rosary Society, and practically all joined the
League of the Sacred Heart.
Thus closed the first week, and the women went home
happy, declaring this to be the most successful and best
mission they had ever made. We dont pay much attention to a bit of exaggerated praise like that, nor place
credence on it; for the last mission is always the best.
But we are glad that the women become so enthusiastic
over the matter, as they are thereby transformed into
energetic advance agents and zealous apostles to stir up
the laggard men folk, and induce them to make use of
the means of grace that brought so much joy to their
own souls.
And now for the men. There is always a certain
amount of uncertainty about the second week of the
mission, esl?ecially in a place where we have not been
for a Ion~ ~1me, a~ was the case here; we do not know
the condttlons facmg us. The priests of the house as4

50

MISSIONARY LABORS

sured ·us that the men would do their duty; but we
wanted evidence, and we got it shortly. What was our
surprise and delight that evening to see the church
crowded to overflowing. It was a splendid manifestation of faith, a glorious outpouring of Catholic manhood,
a foreshadowing of the abundance of fruit to be garnered
into barns during the coming week.
As the days advanced it became evident that this was
not a spasmodic effort,· nor an uncrowned endeavor.
The attendance .continued at top notch every night; and
at the 5 o'clock Mass the church was filled. The spirit
of the mission was abroad, and was breathing the breath
of life into the sluggard and the lukewarm. The bigoted
Protestant element of the town stood up and watched,
gazed on in wonder and amazement. They could not
understand such an awakening; it was beyond their horizon. Even the priests of the parish were surprised.
Men were seen at the Mission who had not entered a
church for years; others were observed who had been
looked on as Protestants or of no religion whatever.
All this was, of course, very encouraging and consoling
to us; we felt that our labor was not in vain, and that
God was blessing the endeavor.
The question has often presented itself to my mind:
Why is it that Catholic men fall so often and so low?
They go through a mission with evident fervor, renew
their Baptismal vows, make resolutions, tell you they
are light-heart~d and at peace. Time passes, and after
a few months..sqme, yes many, go back to the same old
sins in the same old way; and when the next mission
comes around the same work must be done over again.
Why? Of course there is human weakness and the
thousand temptations, that daily meet them. But why
succumb so easily and so soon? An experience I had
last spring caused me to think of some thoughts. We
were giving a mission in Providence, and I had charge
of the InstruCtion Class. A young man, a Protestant,
came to listen with the idea of possible conversion.
Towards the middle of the second week he said to me:
" Father, I am convinced now, may I become a Catholic?" He was Superintendant in a large faCl:ory, a very
intelligent fellow, and as I found that he had read a
great deal and was well instruB:ed, I decided to receive
him into the Church. He was baptized Saturday night.
After the ceremony he came to me, and with tears in
his eyes, said : "Father, this is the happiest day of my

MISSIONARY LAJJORS

51

life. I never believed in confession before, but your
explanations have made it clear to me.. There are men
working under me, and I know they thmk all they need
do is to make their confession, and then they go out and
commit the same sins again. So I said a church which
allows that sort of a thing cannot be the true Church.
I would have become a Catholic long ago but for that.
I see that I was judging the Church by the bad lives of
some of its members.
This was sufficiently startling, so I began to ask questions here and there. A short time after this a man who
was leading a bad life called on me. I said to him :
" Did you promise in your last confession to stop all
this?" "No Father," he replied, "the priest did not
ask me to promise.'' "Wait a bit," I said: "Did you
say the aa of contrition?" " Of course.!' "Repeat
it." He did so, and when he came to the words 'I resolve etc.' I said to him: "Is not that a promise made
to Almighty God to sin no more and of course avoid the
occasions of sin?" "Oh," he said. "I never thought
of that before." And there you are. I give these examples-they show how the wind blows-and they
might be multiplied. Many men, and of course women
too, have not grasped the seriousness of the aa of contrition, the part of it especially which deals with the
purpose of amendment and the breaking away from occasions. Consequently during this Mission, and others
also, there was some heavy pounding on this theme.
A little incident occurred here, which proves that
though we forget, we are not forgotten. I was called to
the parlor one day and there found a venerable old man.
He grasped my hand warmly, and with a twinkle in his
eyes said: "Are you Fr. Coyle?" "I am." "Did you
give a mission in Pittsfield three years ago?" "I did."
"Do you remember me?" "No." ''Well then I remember you. I am from Pittsfield and I came here to
see you. Try if you can't recall a friendly conversation
you and I had on a bright OCl:ober morning." Then I
remembered. Here it is: This man came to confession.
It happened at. the time: there. were no other penitents,
so I took my tlme, as ~1s q?amt talk was delightful to
hear. We became qmte fnendlv. I found him a very
holy man, extraordinarily so. ·u May I say the aCt of
contrition in Irish, Father?" "Of course· God understands Irish, though I dont.'' He began but memory
failed him .." "N e:ver mind, say it in English.'' Here
memary fatled agam. So I helped him with it. Before

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MJSS/ONARY LABORS

leaving he said: ''Excuse me for forgetting, Father, I
haven't much learning, have had lots of sickness and
trouble, besides I am an old man." "How old are you?"
"Seventy-six." "Oh, you are not so old, my father is
eighty-nine." "And is he alive?" ''Of course." "Is
he Irish?" "He is.'' "Say, Father, are you Irish?"
"Partly, I was not so fortunate as to be born on the
other side, but my parents were." "So you are not a
full-fledged Irishman." "No." ''Well, young man,
you won't be 8g." "But I may reach 76." ''Well, if
ybu do, I bet you'll get stuck in the act of contrition.
Good by, Father, God bless you."
During the mission at North Adams, it was discovered
that certain influences were brought to bear on some of
the Catholic pupils who attend the large State Normal
School, which were very detrimental to their faith. An
investigation made by Father O'Donovan brought to
light these facts; that a purely materialistic work was
in constant use in the ~lass of psychology, viz., John
Fiske's,' The Desttny of Man,' and that the text-book
in the History of Education was the stupid and dishonest
work of F. V. N. Painter, of Roanoke, Virginia. Thereupon, he decided to call a meeting of the Catholic pupils
of the institution; hence, at all the Masses, an announcement was made that a talk would be given to the Catholic boys and girls who attend the Normal School. They
assembled in the Parochial School Hall, and listened with interest and attention to a criticism of the
works of FisK.e and Painter. Father O'Donovan read
to them the views of Professor Elmer Brown, of the
University of California, on Painter's work, in his criticism of Father Sckwickerath's work, in "The Educational Review." He also distributed copies of the article
of Rev. Dr. Shanahan, of the Catholic University, on
'John Fiske and the Idea of God.' A list of Catholic
works on the questions of Evolution and Education was
criven, and one of the teachers of the N annal School,
~ho happened to be present, said that the works would
be purchased, and put in the library. The works named
were mostly written by Ours. The energetic and zealous
senior curate of the parish, Father] ames Donnelly, who
is a Holy Cross graduate, will keep a vigilant eye on
the Catholic pupils hereafter. Very few men in the
town of North Adams command the respect and esteem
of the people, as Father Donnelly does, and if genuine
devotion to duty, clear and forcible preaching of the

MISSIONARY LABORS

53

Word of God, au'd a priestly character which does ho~or
to his holy state, deserve such a recompense, he, certamly, is entitled.to it. Father O'Donovan collected som~
pamphlets, among th_em _several copies of ~he Catholzc
Mind, and the pubhca~tons of_the Supenn~e_?dent of
Parochial Schools at Phtladelphta, Father Phthp McDevitt and O'ave them to the Catholic pupils.
Some hof the ancient mariners of the parish,
members of the total abstinence society, asked us
to give some special sermons on the evils of
drink and the beauties of never touching a drop-and
incidentally boom their society, which was in a rather
moribund condition. They were told of course that exhortations would be given to practice temperance, and,
if necessary, total abstinence; that would encourage
their course; but that we could not interrupt the
Exercises to give special talks on particular subjects, nor demand, as of vital importance, that all indiscriminately should take the pledge. They argued that
other missioners had done so, why not the Jesuits? We
tried to make it clear to their minds that the Exercises
are a logical system; principles are given, which, if carried out would secure all those things which they so
much desired.
At nearly all the evening services of this mission reporters from the North Adams papers were present.
The accounts published were, on the whole, fairly good,
but of course at times they made us say things never
uttered. Perhaps they wanted a controversy started for
the entertainment of the natives. If so they were disappointed.
The Holy Name Society is flourishing here-sao
strong-under the able direction of Fr. Donnellv. But
it should be stronger; and so cards of invitation were
~iven to the men on Thursday night to be returned
stgned. The increase came with a rush, delighting the
heart of the director and consoling the spirit of the
~issioner. ''All right, all right" was heard on every
stde. Those men had experienced an awakening and
were ready for anything. " Lead on we follow 1 " was
their battle cry. God bless the me~ of that h i11 encircled town !
Po;rsnAM, N.Y. St. Mary's Church, Ofl. 6-20.-The
question has been asked of me many times: "Where is
Potsdam, anyw3:y ?:• Potsdam, a lovely town of Northern New York, ts sttuated on one of the most pictures-

MISSIONARY LABORS

que portions of the Racket River, on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad. Indeed I have seldom
seen a more beautiful town. The streets are wide, with
double rows of stately elms and maples along the sidewalks. The inhabitants are very proud of their trees,
and woe to the rash one who dares to cut a single
bough. The present pastor almost had a lawsuit on his
hands, because he cut down a few trees to make room
for his new church. There is an air of prosperity aiid
peace about the place; of prosperity because nearly all
the houses are substantial looking and well cared for; of
peace because practically no manufacturing goes on here.
It was a novelty to be delivered from the banging of
the frequent trolley, this modern mode of travel not
having invaded the sacred precincts of the town,
Potsdam is said to have been named thus by the founders, because of the discovery of a bed of reddish sandstone, resembling the Potsdam sandstone in the town of
that name in Germany. And here is the first element
of fame possessed by Potsdam. Geologists from all
parts of the world have come here to examine the strata.
The Potsdam sandstone is an even grained standstone
of reddish color, hard and compaCt. Owing to the
cementation of the component grains by secondary deposition of quartz, it combines great strength with low
absorptive powers, making it one of the most durable
building stones known. The comparative isolation of
the quarries from the large cities and the slightly increased cost of -dr.essing the stone, due to the excessive
hardness, have operated, however, to restrict the market
for Potsdam sandstone notwithstanding its excellent
qualities.
But not on mere material things does the town lay
claim to distinction, but on mental achievement. The
boast is, that Potsdam is an intellectual center, a home
of education, a nurse of culture, for here is situated the
State Normal and Training School. Everyone goes to
the Normal School, every one hopes to graduate from
it; and after graduation they fold their tents and migrate to various parts of the country, chiefly our large
cities, to be employed as teachers.
But let me say in passing that this same Normal
School is a bigoted place. It numbers not one Catholic
teacher on its staff. The authorities, being asked why
this is so, replied that it is a non-sectarian institution,
and they could not hear of allowing religion to be q

MISSIONARY LABORS

55

plea for obtaining employment on its staff. There have
been some petty attempts at persecution ?f Cathol!c
pupils. But the bigots have always met theu match m
the person of Fr. Bernard Marron, the pastor of Potsdam.
The famous Morgan, who manifested so much big?try
when he took charge of the Indian Schools, was Pnnclpal of the Potsdam N onnal School for four years. puring those four years he did not seem to be unfa1r to
Catholics; on the contrary he showed them favor, when
an opportunity offered. His wife was a graduate of a
Convent in Canada and a relative of Eliza Allen
Starr. The latter was invited by Morgan to lecture before the pupils of the Normal School. The
subject was: "The Mother of God." He himself in
his first address at the commencement exercises of the
school took for his theme : " St. Bernard and the Crusades,'' telling his audience that the idea was suggested
to him on seeing a beautiful piCture of the Saint in an
old monastery in Europe. During all his time in Potsdam he was on very friendly terms with the pastor, often
visiting him at the reCtory. Fr. Marron told us that the
subsequent course taken by Morgan was unintelligible
to him, but that he strongly suspected the man was
simply a eat's paw in the whole matter, and that the real
instigators of the wholesale robbery and persecution
were the Baptists.
The second claim Potsdam has to distinction as a
nurse of culture is the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial
School of Technology. This institution was founded
in 1895· It was chartered March, 1896, by the Regents
of th_e State of New York, and opened its doors to students m Sept. of the same year.
For the mission work in Potsdam Fr. O'Donovan and
myself were assigned. We left New York, OB:. 5,
on the Empire State Express at 8.30 A. M. and after the
usual fine run of that remarkable train arrived in Utica
at 1.30 P. M., where we were obliged to change cars for
the north and commence one of the worst journeys it
has been my lot to be compelled to hold in memory.
After ~ slow and dismal ride of seven and a half hours
we arnved at Potsdam.
At the depot w: wer~ met by the pastor, Fr. Marron,
and one look at h1s gemal face was enough to dispel the
gloom of that tiresome journey. Fr. Marron is a remarkable man and deserves special mention. A life-

56

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MISSIONARY LABORS

long friend of his speaking to me lately said: '' Ah !
Father Marron, he has the spirit of chivalry in his
heart." He received his classical education at our college in Montreal, was ordained at the Grand Seminary
in 1879, and one year later was appointed pastor of Potsdam. Since then he has directed the spiritual life of
the parish, and has done his work well. He has a personal knowledge of all under his care, and is at once
father and friend of each individual. We came to know
him well in those two weeks of mission work, and we
can bear testimony that nothing is wanting to him of
the qualities that go to the making of a good, zealous
pastor of souls.
With the clergy of the diocese he is a great favorite,
and is held in the highest esteem. We had an opportunity of knowing this, for many priests came to visit him
and seek his advice during the mission. His influence
is not limited to the Catholics only. The Protestant
part of the town respects him, and he is a power for
good, when the rights of his flock are in peril.
Several fine examples of his influence and zeal were
brought to our notice. Here is one. A professor of the
Normal School had made some sneering remarks about
the Church, and said it was not to be wondered at that
Catholic pupils did not succeed better in their studies,
since they paid too much attention to their religion,
going to Mass on Holy Days, for instance. Fr. Marron,
of course, heard this, and straightway there was war.
He called on the professor for an explanation, but the
gentleman tried ta.-hedge, said there must be some mistake, he had no recollection of such an utterance. But
the pastor was merciless, said he could bring witnesses,
and demanded an apology. Then Mr. Professor said :
"Father, I'll write a note of retractation and you can
read it to your congregation on Sunday.'' "No sir,"
said Fr. Marron, "that insult was offered to my Church
and my pupils of the Normal School, and before the
assembled pupils the retraB:ation must be made." The
retraB:ation was made next day. I asked Fr. Marron
what he would have done had the professor refused. "I
would have gone at once to the Regents, and he knew
it.''
Here is another case. The Principal in the Interme·
diate department, a woman, kept the Catholic children
after school hours and punished them because they had
attended Mass on All Souls Day, and consequently came

MISSIONARY LABORS

57

late The children reported to the pastor, and he told
the~ to refuse to perform the punishment. T~e lady
called on the pastor and spen~ ·two ho.urs. argumg her
point; said it was a case of msubo~dmatwn and that
the children must perform the pumshment. Fr. Ma~­
ron replied: " They have my sanction and that of theu
parents for their aCl:ion-and they shall not perform the
punishment.', "We shall see,, said the lady, and she
left in high dudgeon. Th.en the. past~r went to ~he
head Principal and employmg a btt of dtplomacy, satd:
. "I am o-lad to ~ee that yon do not tolerate anything like
religion'; persecution in your school., The Principal
fell into the trap, accepted the praise and assured ~he
priest that his Catholic children would be. tre~ted wtth
all fairness. I asked Fr. Marron how he Jnshfied such
deception. "I had the right to suppose that the Prindid his duty., He gained his point, anyway.
Although there is no parochial school in Potsdam,
the interests of the Catholic children are well
guarded. This is an example. \Valshe 1s "Tex tbook of
Literature,, had been used in the Normal School for
many . years. It was very unfair to the Church. Fr.
Marron left no stone unturned until the obnoxious work
was banished. His zeal was untiring, his energy bound- .
less; no least detail escapes his watchful eye. He is
built in heroic mould, he has courage which nothing
can daunt, he is merciless in lashing those who try to
rob his little ones of their birthright. The consequence
is that the bigoted element of the town respect and fear
him, while his own people have the deepest reverence
and love for him. With such a man to cooperate with
us we felt that our labors would not be without fruit.
There were some peculiar features about this mission.
It was to. be a centennial celebration and a golden jubilee; for m _1807 Potsdam -yas founded, and in 1857 it
became an mdependent pansh. Hence more than ordinary interest was manifested. Another peculiar feature
":as, that no collections were taken up at any of the servtces-an extraordinary thing, I assure you. Still
another. It is a universal custom with us to o-ive the
first week of the mission for the women, the se~ond for
the men. But for once there was an exception ; for
both weeks were for men and women alike. And the
reason was that. o;te fot;rth o_f the parish is composed of
!armers, ~orne hvmg nme mtles distant, and it would be
u~convement for women to drive that distance alone at
mght. It was the pastor1s arrangement.

58

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MISSIONARY LABORS

The last mission, five years ago, was very successful, J
and the people were glad to welcome the Jesuits back. r
They responded to our efforts, and followed the Ex- [
ercises with earnestness and zeal.
t
Two Jesuits came out from the South to conduCt: this ;
mission, ready to do their utmost. But we found that
God had provided another Evangelist, a silent one whose
deeds are written in the Book of Life-and that other
was a woman. She conduCts a dress-making establishment in the town, but on the day the mission began '
suspended business absolutely and devoted her entire
time to reclaiming the lost sheep of Potsdam.
This lady has been a penitent of the pastor's since
childhood. .She would long since have entered a convent, but Fr. Marron would not permit it, seeing, he
says, that she can do more good by remaining in the
world. She has the look of a medireval saint, and indeed is known in the parish as "the saint.'' Fr. Marron'
told us, if permitted, she would practice the austerities of
St. Catherine of Sienna.
The work done by this simple woman was marvellous.
The people of the town know her well and respect her.
They look on her as a being apart, a mortal to be reverenced, and every one considers it an honor to receive a
visit from her. Every day brought some fruit of her
zeal. Here are a few examples :-A man 45 years away
from the Sacraments; another, 84 years of age, who had
never received any of the Sacraments, except Baptism.
He had been a soldier for many years and a wanderer
in many lands. ·An old fellow of 75, who had been married to a Protestant, was induced by her to be reconciled
to the Church; and his wife consented to receive in·
structions for Baptism. This lady has to her record r6
remarkable conversions, and in no instance was the individual away for less than 23 years.
There is a long-standing tradition in Potsdam among
the Catholics that all church functions there are blessed
with fine weather, and they attribute this to Fr. Marron's influence with Heaven. Imagine then the conster·
nation of the pious people, when the first day of the
mission dawned cold and cheerless, with a heavy rain.
Some one twitted a good old dame on the broken tradition, and the loyal soul replied : '' Never mind, wait.
Fr. Marron has not begun to pray yet" Well, he must
have begun to pray shortly, for next day the sky cleared,
and for the rest of the mission we had an unbroken sue-

MJSSIONAR Y

LABORS

59

cession of bright, sunshiny days and beautiful moonlight
nights.
The mission spirit was astir. The people entered
heartily and with eager correspondence mto the season
of grace. The work went along br.avely and we felt
gratifying assurance of abundant frmt to be reaped.
On Wednesday night of the first week, as I was abo~t
to go to the church a telegram came from my brother m
New Haven announcing the death of my father. Of
course this was a shock. I had seen him in early September, and although 91 years were pressing upon him,
he seemed in good health. Tt happened to be my t~rn
to give the instruCtion and say the beads. On returnmg
to the sacristy Fr. O'Donovan said to me : "Did you
ask the congregation to pray fer your father?" ''No, I
did not feel able for that." Then I went to the confessional and Fr. O'Donovan came out to deliver the sermon. There was a pause. Then I heard these words
uttered in impressive tones: "My Brethren, I have a
sad announcement to make." A hush came over the
church. "This evening Fr. Coyle received news of his
father's death. Let us say a prayer for the repose of the
soul of the departed.'' vVhile the missioner was saying
these words his voice trembled-he was visibly affeCl:ed,
and though the tears were in my eyes, I could not help
saying: '' I could have done as well as that myself."
Had I been in charge of the mission I would not have
gone to the funeral, but such was not the case. I was
subject: to authority and my Superior ordered me to go.
I arrived in Bridgeport, Conn., at 9.30 that night. The
funeral took place next morning from St. Augustine's.
It was well that I was at the funeral, and my going was
wisely ordered ; for my absence would have been noted
and commented upon, and no cl.oubt some hard things
would have been said about the coldness of Jesuits and
their want of affeCl:ion for relatives. After two days I
was back again in Potsdam.
In the meantime Fr. O'Donovan was alone with two
men'~ work on his hands. I was sorry for this and it
warned me all the time; but it could not be helped as
we were too far from home to obtain assistance.
'
The v_ery day of my return I had a curious experience.
On comu~g out of the church an old Irish woman met
me. I w1sh I: cou~~ produce her beautiful brogue-it
was real mus1c.
Come here Father" she said "I
want to talk with you. They tell me y~ur Father is no

60

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MISSIONARY LABORS

l!
i

~

more. God rest his soul. Don't mind, darlin', he's gone:'
to a good God, and you'll be with him by and by. Say,:
Father, I have an old husband, and he's no good at alL ·•
We have a little farm four miles away, and to·day I asked
him to drive me to the mission, but he said: ' I can't,:
for I must get in the apples and potatoes.' See here,;
old man, I said, if you compel me to walk four miles to.
c.hurch you need expeCt none of my labor for 12 ,
months. Old man, there are two roads, one leads to;
Heaven, the other to Hell. If you want to take the:one that leads to Hell, you can, I wont go with you. I;
am going now to see the mission Fathers, who have •
come so far to do us good, and I'll make my peace with :
God. What do you say, will you come?" ''No, go
yourself, if you want to, I am too busy." "Then Father,
I got mad. Look here, old man, I'll tell you what to
do, dig a hole in the ground, put your farm and your
your apples and your potatoes in it. Cover them up, .
watch them, and wh~n you come to die, dig them up ; ·
and take them with you ; and when you stand before
the judgment seat of the Almighty God, say to Him:
' I'll give you all these if you 'lllet me in.' It's thinking
I am, old man, that you'll get left out in the cold-no
in the heat, and then what good will your apples and
potatoes do you? 0 Father," she continued, "pray for :
that man of mine; he's a had case entirely." Why, i
here was eloquence indeed. What with the flashing\
eye, the impressive gesture, and the fine scorn of voice, l·
she was positively dramatic. I have made use of this 1
many times since on missions, telling the incident just;
as it happene-d.·· It makes a fine topic and strikes home. r;
This reminds me of another ancient dame-but more !
ancient. She is 103 years of age. Of course she is l
Irish and proud of it, but prouder still of the faet that I.·
when a young girl she knit woolen stockings for the!
great Liberator Daniel O'Connell. It was delight· f
ful to see her bright smile, and how her eyes 1.
danced with glee when I questioned her about it. "Ah, I
Father," she said, " that was a man !" She made the ~
mission by attending the 9 o'clock Mass, and came en· i
tirely unassisted-she would scorn the imputation of!
feebleness. "Father'' she said, "this may be my last i
mission, but who knows, I have said that several times t_
before-and I am not dead yet. May the Almighty God !'
be praised for all His mercies. He has been very good i\
to me. But I suppose I'll be going home soon.

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MISSIONARY LABORS

61

I'll pray for you Father dear, when I get up stairs near
the Blessed Mother--and Daniel O'Connell!"
The evils of mixed marriage were rife here, of course.
Oh! this scourge of our land and time. I shall be glad
when Easter arrives and the new Decree becomes a law.
It will simplify matters.
A young man came to s:-e me. . He ha~ married an
unbaptized woman, no ~1spensa~ton ~avmg been obtained. Of course the umon was mvahd. But that was
not what troubled him. The hand of God had touched
him in his offspring. " Father, three of my children
have died, the last is sick at present, and now I am
frightened and want to be reconciled to my church. Of
course, the first thing was to reB:ify the marriage. I
'phoned to the Bishop at Ogdensburg, obtained the
necessary dispensation, and next day he came with the
woman to be married lawfully. I found that his wife
was a sensible kind of person, and after a short talk
consented to become a Catholic. In faa she had long
since expressed the desire of entering the Church, and
would have done so had the husband shown himself a
decent man. It was she that compelled him to seek
reconciliation with his Church. The child was baptized, and the wife placed under instruCtions.
Another and a sadder case-that of a weak-kneed
man, a crawler, and a strong-minded woman. "Father,
I heard the sermon on Judgment last night and I am
scared. I have stolen away unknown to my wife and
want to know if it is possible to get back into the
Church." "It depends on yourself, my boy, tell me
your story." "Ten years ago I married a bigoted Protestant. We have three children, and they have been
?aptized in the Presb~teri~n Church." 11 Do you promIse to have them baptised m your own Church and bring
them up Catholics?'' " I'll see what she says" he replied. '·'Look here, who is master in your hou~e ?" "I
am supposed to be, but oh, you don't know that woman
she's a ''corker." If I insist on having mv childre~
brought up in the Catholic Church, it means a separation, and I don't want that. She has kept the young
ones at her mother's home, five miles away, during this
week, so that they can't make the children's mission. I
am supposed to be at work now, but if she knew that I
cam~ he~~ to see yon, there would be war in the house
to-mght.
"\Yhat ~ould be done _with a fellow like that?
I reasoned wtth htm, showed htm his plain duty, told

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MISSIONARY LABORS

him he was damning his own soul and would have to
answer to a just God for the souls of those children, but
all without avail. He was afraid of his wife. After exhausting myself I was compelled to admit this was a
record not of triumph but of struggle.
(
The Episcopal Church in Potsdam is supported by f
the Clarkson family, very wealthy people, descendants ~
of the early inhabitants of the town. The new minis- 1
,
ter of the church has advanced ideas, leanings towards ~;
,:
ritualism. Shortly after coming he paid a social call ,
on Fr. Marron, and to talk over the spiritual condition fof their common vineyard, as he called it. Not long
· afterwards he met Fr. Marron and expressed surprise {
that the call had not been returned. He began prosely- ~­
tizing quite extensively. Some weak Catholics were f
persuaded to attend oue or two services in his church,
and when they ceased going received a call from the [
minister, who asked -for an explanation. Here Fr. Mar· f
ron enters upon the scene-and does things. The ~
proselytizing ceased.
~
Ft. O'Donovan had a peculiar case. A father and t
mother both had been neglecting their duty shamefully. f
Their daughter, 12 years of age, got the notion that it I.
was rather vulgar to be a Catholic and that the proper !;_
thing socially was to join the Episcopal Church-which f'
she proceeded to do. The father did'nt like that, \'
thought it not exactly right, and offered the child money ~-­
if she would go to the Catholic Church. Fr. O'Dono· ~­
van encounter.ed the mother and asked for an explana·
tion. "0 well,'' said the woman, " I thought that since ,
she did not want to be a Catholic, she ought to go to
some church." Well! well ! The fighting blood of the ~
missioner was ttp and asserted itself. I leave you to t
. imagine what happened. Suffice it to say that the feet t,
of our little girl trod no more the highways of heretical t_
worship.
J
·
It has been my custom to take a brisk walk every day 1
dur~ng a mission, if possible. This was yr. Himmel's 1
··
advtce to us, and I have learned the wtsdom of the ~­
counsel. The weather was now fine, clear October days,
and the country roads were in good condition. The '
confessions for the morning were generally over at II '
o'clock, and I was off for a spin. Fr. O'Donovan could L
not join me, as he was too busy writing letters, the f
penalty of him who guides the destinies of the Mission { ·
Band. I used to remonstrate with him, said he needed

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exercise, etc., but all in vain-the clerical work must be
done. On a certain morning I went for a short walk.
The farming folk, who came to the 9 o'clock Mass us~d
to stop at the hotel fo~ breakfast, so that they were dnving home about the tune of my ~alk. The first. ma~
to overtake me said : " Father, w1ll you take -a nde?
"No thanks, I prefer to walk." Several more gave the
same kindly invitation; they could not understand how
a man would care to walk, when there was a chance to
ride. Finally one genial farmer ov~rtook me,. st~pped
his team and began to remonstrate wtth me; satd 1t was
not right to allow a priest to walk along the dusty road,
and begged me to allow him the privilege and the honor
of assisting me on my way. "Friend,'' I said, "Spare
me. An thou didst offer me half thy kingdom I would
not ascend thy chariot." The man laughed heartily
and said: "Well, Father, if you put it that way, I suppose I'll have to let you walk." Then he shouted to a
neighbor coming along: "Say Jim, don't ask Father to
ride-he'll quote poetry at you." I tell this as an evidence of the kindly nature of the people we were dealing with.
One evening on returning to the house after the services three men met me at the door. They wanted to
see one of the missioners, so I invited them into the
parlor. One of the men was partly sober, the other two
slightly intoxicated. They had been to the mission
that night and thought the proper thing to do was to
take the pledge. ,"Very well, kneel down, raise the
right hand," and·they promised to be good. One of
them said : '' Father, I am not a Catholic, was never
baptized; but I am going to be. That sermon was all
right, made a new man of me. Everybodv ouo-ht to be
a <;atholic and I _am ~oins- to be one. I tell y~u I am
gomg to be baptized 111 thts church to-morrow morning
at 5 o'clock." "Very well, my boy; go home now and
get a good sleep. Afterwards we shall think about it.
But 5 o'clock is rather early, come a bit later in the day ''
"All right, Father, what you say. I'll be a good b~y
now. That sermon hit me hard."
. It is not our custom ~o go o? sick calls during a misston. Generally there ts not hme for that kind of work
and there .are oth~r reasons against it. But here ther~
were spectal motlVes, and the pastor was most anxious
that we see certain members of his flock. Fr. O'Donovan and he sp~nt a very profitable morning calling on
not only the stck, but several notorious recalcitrants.

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MiSSIONARY LABORS

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On another morning I accompanied the pastor. The f'·
first case was that of a poor creature in the last stages
of consumption. ,She had been married to a Protestant 1
at 17 years of age. He had negleCted h(_!r, broken her i
heart, and now she was dying. The house was a squalid t
affair. The husband was not in sight, and had it not [
been for the good Catholic neighbors she would have !
been left without the necessaries of life. The look of i
gratitude she gave us when we entered was pathetic in /
the extreme. I heard her confession, blessed a crucifix 1
with the indulgence of a happy death, and promised \.
that she should receive Holy Communion next morning. I
The next call was a family on the outskirts of the i
town. ~n old rna~ and woman, _both crippled with f:
rheumatism and then son a paralytic. The latter had ~·
evidently been a strong man, but was stricken 12 years I·
ago. "Father, I try to bear it, but oh! it is hard. May r
be you could cure me." They think we can work mir· t
acles. I gave him and his parents all the blessings in
my power to give, and told them how they could gain f
the indulgence of the mission.
It was now nearing the end of the mission and we be· t
gan to reckon up results. Most of the congregation had }.
made their confession and Communion. The majority 1
f
had received Communion several times, and many, fol· l'
lowing our urgent advice, had received every' day. The i
retrospeCt was consoling. But there were a few who f
had not yet responded, and they must be secured. Of i
course there were. some old sinners, carele.ss creatures,
who could not·be lllduced to profit by the hme·of grace, f·.·
did'nt believ(tin revivals, and were as good as the next
one, anyway. These people were known, and the reason "
why they did not make their confession was known too. t
It was a disorderly way of living, or a dishonest method t
of business that kept them away.
l
I was told that one half of the police force went to I
confession in a body. The inference here is that the I·
Potsdamites are a law-abiding people, for the police force 1
numbers two able bodied men-one by night and one f'
by day.
·
One man in particular established a record. He' was r
n?t visible dt~ring the whole missi~t;-· I inquired ab?nt (
htm several tunes, but the sexton satd: '' Oh don't 1mnd f
that fellow, Father, he's no good anyway. I knoW f ·
what's the matter with him ; he owes a lot of moneY 1''.
and is afraid the missioners will oblige him to 'square ·.•
up.' He's like a mole, hiding himself.''
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MISSIONARY LABORS

About this time I felt obliged to use some severe language to a woman, who considered herself a model
christian. Her son of 17 had shown tendenc1es towards
the priesthood and wished to enter a Catholic College.
But the mother would not hear of it, and sent him to a
Protestant boarding school. Among other things I told
her of a sad case right in her own town. Years ago a
young girl wished to enter a convent. But her mother
said: "No, I'd rather see you dead." The girl afterwards at the mother's sollicitation, married a man who
proved to be a drunkard and a bit of a scamp, and today she is a broken hearted woman.
·
The League is flourishing here, numbering 1300 active
members. Fr. Marron, of course, is very sollicitous
· about this devotion; but the practical head and front of
the League is the energetic secretary. She manages all
the business, looks after the promoters, and is continually augmenting the membership. This secretary is the
silent worker whom I spoke of above.
The Sodality too is doing weJI. With the conditions,
all that was necessary was a word or two of encouragement. A fine Catholic spirit animates this parish, and
this is due to the long years of devoted zeal and untiring
energy of their good pastor.
While in· Potsdam we received the sad news of the
death of Fr. McKinnon. Fr. Marron seemed to feel the
blow as much as ourselves, for he had grateful memories
of that good man.
When contemplating the building of his church 10
years ago, he called at 84th Street for advice and directi~m. Fr. Mc~innon re~eived him very kindly and gave
h1m letters of mtroducbon to trustworthy business men
and contractors in New York, thus enabling him to secure the best service to be had.
T~e chun;h is of s~n~stone, is built in 12th century
goth.1c, and 1s of exqms1te neatness and taste in every
deta1l. Fr.. O'Donovan and myself think it is one of
~he most beautiful churches we have seen. Fr. Marron
1s very proud· of it, justly so; and in speaking of it alwas mentions Fr. McKinnon's name.

W. H.

COYLE,

s. J.

(To be continued).

5

THE TERTIANSHlP AT LINZ

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The Tertianship of the Austrian Province is situated
on Freinberg, one of the bills, which surround the city i
of Linz. Linz, the Lentia of the ancient Romans, lies !
on the right bank of the Danube, 226 miles west of
Vienna, and 881 feet above the level of the sea; its popu·
lation numbers ss,ooo inhabitants. Politically, it is a
city of some importance, being the Capital of Up~er
Austria, and as such it has an Imperial Governor, and
is the seat of the '' Landtag," or House of Representa·
tives for the Upper Austrian territory. Geographically,
its position is most splendid, and viewed from Frein berg,
or any of the other surrounding hills, it presents a mag·
nificent panorama. With the Danube that bounds it 1
north, east, and south ; with its many government edifi- i
ces, with its fine steepled churches, with the gigantic I
tower of the cathedral, which soars aloft to a height of
491 feet, with the hills which hem it in almost entirely, l
with the ex.ception o~ the southern side in tJ.Ie direction
of the Stynan Alps, 1t presents a truly gorgeous scene, !:
a most picturesque landscape.
1
Before the suppression of the Society the Austrian I
Province possessed a college and a church in the centre t
of the city. The college buildings, still known under ~
the name of " Collegio Gebaude," are now the seat of !
th.e General Post Office Depart~1ent for Upper Aus· f
tna. The Church soon became, m 1783, the Cathedral [
of the Dioce~e, and continued as such until recently, ~
when the new Cathedral was built; but the old Jesuit
Church retains the name of "Domkirche," perhaps be·
cause a few of the Cathedral functions are still performed
there, the new Cathedral being not yet finished. This f:
Jesuit Church, dedicated to St. Ignatius, was built in J
the 17th century in late renaissance style, and is 174 feet ,
long, and 74 feet high.
The Jesuits of the Austrian Province owe their actual
residence at Frein berg to the munificence of Maxim'ilian
von Este, an Austrian Archduke, Grand Master of ;,
the Teutonic Order, who lived during the first half of
the last century. It was from him that they received a 1
large piece of ground with several buildings, chief 1
among them being a church and two residences. These
three buildings are the first that meet the visitor on his ~. '
arrival at Freinberg, and they are also the most notice· f.

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THE TERTIANS.HIP AT LINZ

able both on account of their architecturall;>e:=t~ty and
of their location. First comes the church adJOining one
of the residences which is built in the form of a huge
tower then com~s the second residence, a rectangular
building connected with the tower by means of a two
story gang 103 feet long. These buildings in a straight
line, measure 532 feet.
.
.
.
The oldest as well as the most promment of them IS
the tower. The lower part of it was built originally to
serve as a fortress, but as it was found to be too near the
city, it was sold, and the said Archduke bought it. with
the intention of using it as a summer resort for himself
and his friends. With this end in view he added two
more stories and built a church to serve at the same time
as his chapel and as a public place of worship. Thirty
one more towers were built round Linz for the sake of
fortifying the city, many of which are still standing, but
none of them is so imposing as the tower on Freinberg.
This is a massive structure, built in gothic style, with
four stories, and it measures 70 feet in height, and So ft.
in diameter, or 255ft., in circumference. The Jesuits entered into possession of church and tower in 1837, and
they used the tower as a "Philosophers Scholasticate,"
and as a residence for the Fathers, who had charge of
the adjoining church, until 1848. It is worth mentioning that among the priests, who at that time taught and
exercised the sacred ministry there, was Fr. Francis
Xavier Weninger, who later labored for forty years in
the United States, where he also died on June 29, r888.
In the year 1848 the Fathers were compelled by the
revolution to leave Freinberg. After two years they
were able to return. This time, however, the tower was
not used as a Scholasticate, but it received the Seminarians of the Diocese of Linz, who were entrusted to the
care of Ours. Shortly the tower proved too small for
the always increasing number of students, and it was
found necessary ~o build a new edifice. For this, in
185.2, th.e generosity of the same Archduke provided.
!his .ed:fice, 23? feet lou~, 53. feet wide, and 42 fe.et high,
IS bmlt 1n gothic-byzantme m order to harmomze with
the style of the tower.
The Seminary re~ained in. cha~ge of Ours until 1897,
whe~ the present Bishop ~mlt his own .Seminary and
put It charge of secu_lar pnests. The bmlding remainIn~ v~cant, the Tertianship was transferred there from
Lmz m 1900. Fr. Elder Mullan was among the Ter-

r;:::.AN~:: A
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I

::ans of the : : :
are two com.
mp un~ties; one: compos~d. of t?e oldedr Fath-'"ershof thhe il
rov1nce, wnters, m1ss10nanes, an so 1ort ; t e I'
other composed of the Tertians. The former communi- rl
ty resides in the tower, the latter in the rectangular build- (l
ing. But the Tertians meet with the other community k'l
for some common aas, that is, for meals and the ordi- (l
nary fortnightly conference in the tower, and for litanies
and visits in the Church. Rev. Fr. Instructor, Francis i
Xavier Widmann, is also Reaor of both communities.
The Church is small, but elegant and well decorated. 1:
The altar on the gospel side is especially worthy of il
notice, because of the magnificent statue of the Immaculate Conception which is rightly considered of quite ex- jl
traordinary artistic merit. This statue was intended for r
Rome in connection with the definition of the dogma 1
of the Immaculate Conception, but not having been L
accepted because of a slight flaw which was discovered i
in the marble in the upper part of the figure, it was ~.
bought for about 2400 dollars, by Maximilian of I
Este, and presented to Ours. Although this Church I
is quite a distance from the city and one has a to mount
a steep incline before reaching it, it is well frequented,
especially on Sunday and all feast days. Very noticeable is the great devotion which the poorer classes have r·'.
to Holy Mass. It can be nothing but this devotion .
which keeps them warm, when on winter mornings, long ·
before it is light, they tramp through snow to church ..
and remain kneeling there, although the tempera- ,
ture even in: the church is often below freezing
point. This cu"§tom of not heating the churches in the
severest winter, when even the holy water is frozen
hard in the stoop, is general throughout Austria and
Tyrol, the only remedy against the cold being that for
some months the stone floor of the church is boarded
over.
The Tertianship began on September rs, as is the ·
custom in the Austrian Province. During the year 1·
19o6-r907 the Tertians numbered 17, of whom one
German, three Austrians, one Swiss, three Hungarians,
one Bohemian-belonged to the Austrian Province,besides these there were four Belgians, one Frenchman,
one Spaniard, one Englishman, and one Italian, respec·
tively of the Provinces of Belgium, France, Castile,
England and Maryland-New York.
It was a pity that the Irish element was absent, as it

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69

would surely have added to the spirit of cheerfulne~s ;
there being no danger of a clash wtth the representative
of John Bull, who always protested _gre_a~ reverence for
the Irish race; or, at least for the mdtvtduals of that
race.
.
.
The re<Yular order soon began and this ts, I suppose,
substanti~lly the same as in the other Tertianships;
Conference on the Institute and Collatio or Casus on the
same each three times a week ; Casus Theologi::e Moralis e~ery fortnight. Then Manualia, Chapters, etc. At
the Casus on the Institute the Instrutlor himself presides · and as a rule no one is appointed beforehand to
. solve 'the Cases, but Fr. Instrutlor having proposed it,
asks three or four Fathers for their solution. The Pr<eses of the Casus Theologi::e Moralis is the Spiritual Father. Sometimes the Casus Instituti was replaced by a
historical essay on the Institute, prepared and read by
one of the Tertians. The particular subjeCt of these
essays was one or other of the congregations which
have been of greater importance in the history of the
Society. Every one of these papers was most interesting, as the writer was not satisfied with an account of
· faCts ; but taking into consideration the condition and
the doings of the Society at that particular period, when
the Congregation of which he treated was held, he
showed how they gave rise to the enaCtments of the same
Congregation.
The Long Retreat began on the evening of OClober
12, and ended on the morning of Nov. 13, with the three
usual break days after the first, second and third week
respetlively.
Although Austria is a Catholic country, the pilgrimage experiment is not carried out there. Fr. Instructor
gave us two reasons. One is that there would be danger
o~ the Fathers being arrested and obliged to pass some
~tght in the police station, if on their tramping excurston~ they were found penniless and with no definite
lodgmg place. Another reason quite different is that
the. secular clergy of the Linz Diocese have so much veneration and love _for the Jesuits (many of them have been
educated at Fremberg). that the would-be pilgrims might
be treated too well, and often they would find far better
board and lodging than at home. Whether the Fathers
would find better fare than they enjoy at home, I doubt
very much, but as to the devotedness of the clergy both
secular and regular, to the Society there can be n~ pos-

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sible doubt, and the Tertians themselves on several occasions were witnesses thereof. One of these occasions was
the feast of Rev. Fr. Instructor. At the community feast
several of the prominent clergymen of the Diocese were
present, and the manner in which in their speeches they
referred to Fr. Instructor and the Jesuits of Freinberg
showed how kindly they were affected towards the Society.
Soon after the feast-day of Fr. Instructor, Dec. 3, the
hospital experiment began. The hospital selected for
this experiment is the one served by the Sisters of Mercy
in Linz. The ordinary term of the experiment for each
Father is three weeks. There were always two Fathers
on duty at the same time. They remained in the hospital day and night for the whole term, during which,
outside the time spent in their necessary spiritual duties,
they were employed in no other work than that of serving
the sick, just as an ordinary domestic or nurse, in every
way which humility and charity could suggest. Gener·
ally speaking they did not hear confessions or attend to
the spiritual needs of the patients, a secular priest
being appointed for this.
Owing to the continual absence of two Fathers thus
employed in the hospital, the Tertians seldom numbered
more than fifteen. But the community was reduced to
a minimum during the Lenten season. Of course as soon
as Lent began, almost all the Fathers of the Austrian
Province departed to 'give missions or retreats; also two
of the foreign .Fathers were employed in outside work,
and so durin~.-t]le latter part of Lent only five Fathers
were left. Then the generosity and good heart of Fr.
Instructor prompted him to plan a means whereby these
five (two of whom were somewhat indisposed) not only
enjoyed a change of air and scene, and a comparative
rest from the strain of the Tertianship, but were enabled
to extend their practical knowledge of the Society in
Austria. They were sent to the great College of Kalksburg and to the Residence of Linz, both only a short
distance from Vienna.
As I have mentioned the missions of the Austrian
Province, it will not be out of place to say a word about
them, especially as they differ in some points from those
of other countries. The field of the missionary labors
of the Fathers of the Austrian Province extends over
almost the whole Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which
covers an area of 25o,ooo square miles, with about

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5 ooo ooo Catholics. The difficulty in forming suitable
3
missio~ary bands arises not only from the vas~ness of
the territory and the great numbers of Cathohcs, b~t
also from the faCt that there are so many languages m
use which the missionaries must thoroughly master. In
the' Austrian Province there are eight standing missionary bands· of which two are for the German element, and
one for ea~h of the following nationalities, Hungarians,
B.ohemians, Slovinians, Croatians, Slovacs and Moravtans.
There are two kinds of missions; there is the Mission
properly so called, and there is the mission, whi~h is
called Renovatio. The more prevalent custom ts to
have a Mission in each parish every ten years; and one
or two years after the Mission has been given, the Renovatio takes place. A Mission lasts between 8 and 10 full
days, a Renovatio ordinarily lasts 6 days, from Sunday to
Friday. A Mission is always opened by the Parishpriest. Just before the first sermon, in presence of the
clergy of the parish and as many other priests as can
manage to assist, the parish priest makes a short speech,
in which he introduces the Missionaries to the people.
The Veni Creator is sung, and each of the Missionaries
solemnly receives the stole from the parish priest. After
this, one of the missionaries ascends the pulpit, explains
the purpose of the Mission, etc., and delivers the first
sermon. Each day three sermons are given including
the instruCtions; two in the morning and one in the
afternoon or evening, as is found to be more convenient
for the people. Missions are never given separately to
men, women, young men, etc., but the special wants of
the ~arious classes of thr people or states of life are
provtded _fo~ as follows. After the second or third day
of the Mtsswn one of the sermons delivered daily is devoted exclusively to a definite class of the faithful children, married women, married men, unmarried w~men
u.nmarried men. Each of these classes goes to confes~
~1o~ on the same day on which the special sermon for it
ts g1ven, and o~ the next mornin~ the same class goes to
· ~oly Commumon. Hence there 1s no general Commun10n at the end of the Mission or Renovatio. The sermon
on the Blessed Eucharist (which is never omitted) is always delivered with the Blessed Sacrament exposed
After the ~er~on, i~ presence of all the clergy, the acl
o~ r~parahon ts rectted, and the services end with Benedu~hon, followed by a hymn sung by the people. In a

72

THE TERTIANSHIP AT LINZ

similar manner, when the sermon on the Blessed Virgin
is given (which sermon also is never left out) the statue
or picture of the Blessed Virgin is beautifully decorated,
and at the end of the sermon the preacher consecrates
the congregation to the Mother of God. On a certain
day of the Mission or Renovatio, which day is previously announced to the people, the missionaries visit the
sick people of the parish. The last sermon of a mission
is always on the Holy Cross, that of a Renovatio on the
Church. Of course the mission is closed with the Papal
Blessing. after which, wherever it can conveniently be
done, the people with one of the missionaries at its head
pro ceded to the mission cross which is erected outside the
church, and before departing they sing a hymn in honor
of the Holy Cross. So much about the Austrian Missions.
The Tertians, who had been employed in missionary
work, were back in the Tertianship for Holy Week, as
is the custom there. During Holy Week the regular
services of the season were held in our church, and the
Tertians administered at the altar or sang in the choir.
Among- the services of Holy Week there is one, the
ceremony of the Repository or Holy Sepulchre, which
is worth mentioning because of its peculiarity. The
Holy Sepulchre does not take place from Holy Thursday
to Good Friday, but from Good Friday to Holy Saturday.
The altar of the Repository is decorated with flowers and
lights, and underneath there is a large statue or picture of
our Lord in the tomb. In the afternoon of' Holy Saturday the devo~ion of the Resurreflimz takes place. The
Blessed Sacrament is taken from the altar where it was
kept, and is carried in solemn procession to the high
altar, while hymns are sung by the people and the choir.
Fr. Instructor has heard people condemning this devotion, because not in keeping with Roman custom, accusing the Jesuits of having introduced it in Austria.
Needless to say that no evidence can be produced in
support of this assertion. Fr. Instructor once had an
opportunity of speaking with a Bishop of the Coptic
rite, who expressed his joy in finding this custom in
vogue, "because," he said, "in our rite we have the
same, a tempore immemorabili, only it is much more
elaborated." I wonder whether it was the] esuits who
introduced it in the Coptic Church!
The method of giving Benediction with the Ble.ssed Sacrament in Linz and other Dioceses in Austria
has something peculiar about it. Benediction is always

,i

THE TERTIANSHIP AT LINZ

73

given twice once .at the beginning of the services or devotions bef~re placing the Blessed Sacrament on the
throne, and once at the end, and is given thus. The
celebrant having incensed the Blessed Sacrament, ascends the altar takes the Monstrance and holding it before his face t~rns towards the people and intones the
Tantum Ergo. He continues t~us holding the Ble~sed
Sacrament until the first part 1s sung, when he gtves
Benediction, after which he incenses the Blessed Sacrament again, and puts it on the throne. . The second
Benediction is given in a similar manner, wtth the exception that the Celebrant, holding the Blessed Sacrament,
intones the second part of the Tantum Ergo, and when
the choir has sung this, he gives the second Benediction.
Ordinarily no liturgical prayer is said before either of
these two Benedictions. Sometimes no Tantum Ergo
is sung, and in its place hymns are sung by the people
in the vernacular. Between the two Benedictions, services or devotions proceed according to the feast or the
occasion; once, I remember, it was a whole Missa cantata. This custom of giving Benediction twice holds
also in Hungary and in several parts of Germany, and it
is very devotional.
·
In some dioceses of the same countries, when Holy
Communion is distributed extra Missam, the priest, instead of giving Benediaion with his hand, gives it with
the Blessed Sacrament. Not many years ago in a city
in Tyrol the Visitor of one of the religious orders forbade this practice. The Fathers of course obeyed, but
the faithful were much scandalized, some going so far
as to accuse the Fathers of having turned Lutherans.
So much were the people agitated that the affair was
brought to Rome, and Rome considerin£' the circumstances decided in favor of the ancient custom being
preserved. In conneaion with local customs allow me
to tell what happened to one of the Tertian Fathers who
had never seen a cushion used as a missal-stand as is the
custom in some parts of Austria. When he fi;st served
Mass ~n the -r:ertianship, and found as he thought the
~n<:ehng. cush10n.on"~he altar, he removed it with great
mdtgnahon, puthng 1t where he considered it belonged
and was only _ind~ced to replace it by tl1e celebrant
gently. remarkmg, 1t wo~ld be well to have something
on whtch to place the M1ssal.
T? return to ou: Tertians. After Easter the regular
routme began agam, and nothing disturbed the peace of

THE TERTIANSHIPAT LINZ

the solitary Fathers until about the end of April, when
they were called upon to clear Freinberg from an
army of inseB:s that invaded Linz and vicinity.
These inseB:s are cock chafers or maybugs. They visit
that country every year, but every three years they come
in such numbers as to become a veritable plague to
plants and trees, especially the oak, the chestnut and
the beech. Now the Tertians set to work in order to
prevent these disturbers of the peace from completing
their work of destruction. For this purpose they
gathered every morning on the grounds in two bands,
each working for two hours, from 6 to 8, and from 8 to
10.
In the early morning these cock chafers were not
·yet fully awake, and it was ~nough to shake the trees
well to cause them to fall to the ground. But as a matter of fact they did not fall on the ground, but on large
sheets spread beneath the tree. When a sheet was pretty well full, the captives were transferred from the sheet
ipto a large caldron of boiling water, and from this.
they were conveyed to their grave, a large pit of earth
lime, dug out for this purpose. This kind of manual
work was followed, as was truly meet and right, by
liquid refreshments of the German type in the refectory. The work lasted several days, hundreds of thousands being killed and disposed of.
The grounds, which I have just mentioned, are fairly
large and much appreci~ted by the Fathers. The
flower-garden, though small, is so well kept that
it reminded me always of the grounds of Woodstock. :~
In this garden tliere is a grotto of St. Ignatius, especial- ~ ·
ly worthy of notice. It is an imitation of the grotto of
Manresa; on the wall there is a wood-carving representing our holy Founder in the aB: of writing the book of
the Exercises, a fine piece of art, estimated to have been
executed some three hundred years ago.
In Linz the Tertianship as a rule ends on July IS i
but this year local circumstances made it necessary t~
close it two days before. And so on July 13, immedt·
ately after the usual annual retreat, we left Freinberg.
Probably none of the foreign Fathers will ever see the
place again, but the memory of the year which we spent
under the paternal care of our beloved Fr. InstruCl:or
will never depart from our minds.

MISSIONARY EXCURSIONS IN
THE PHILIPPINES
MINDANAO, CAGAYAN DE MISAMIS.

Letter from Father D. Lynch, S.

J.

After the feast of the Sacred Heart I started for Tagoloan, in order to help Father If:eras wi!h hi~ Easter
confessions. He sent me to the httle fishmg vtllage of
Baluarte by the sea, a short distanc~ away. Here. a
good Spanish friend, Mr. Manuel Qumtero, put me m
possession of his small house. It was ho~, an~ there
was the usual unpleasant experience of se:m~ tt filled
with curious visitors, who came to observe m stlence the
Father while he ate, and to share what remained over
of the meal. I stayed a week in Baluarte; said Mass
every day, preached three or four times, and heard confessions at all hours. A great many of the poor people,
in holiday attire, came to Mass, during which they sang
and recited the Rosary ; no work was done during the
week ; and all but two or three came to confessionmen, women, and children. Their chapel of nipa and
bamboo, with sanded floor, is large and new. On Saturday night the sacristan brought to my little house a
band of men, young and old, who had been negligent.
These occupied my time until about ten o'clock. Sunday, June r6th, was the feast of our great missionary,
St. John Francis Regis; and I was greatly consoled by
the attendance at Mass and the fervor of my people.
Preaching on the Gospel of the Sunday, (IV after Pentecost) the subjea being Our Lord's teaching from the
bark of Peter, I warned them against the Aglipayano
revolt, with its low money-seeking and bad living. At
th.e end of. Mass I gave the Apostolic Blessing, and distnbuted ptctures and medals to the children, who appeared from everywhere, as if by magic.
My experience is that the men, and the youno men
a_lso, can be induced to go to confession. They ;;eed a
httle good-natured urging. In Salvador, a short time
before, I heard nearly a thousand confessions in a month ·
and many of these were confessions of men. Alas {
everywhere now there are men and women who have
not confessed for ten, fourteen, sixteen years ; aud a

76

THE PHILIPPINES

grea~

number, who have never made their Holy Com.•~.
muruon.
tl
The following week, in Tagoloan, we began the con· rJ
gregations of St. Aloysius and St. Rose, for the children; rl
and on the feast of St. Aloysius we had a very beautiful t!
ceremony with about ISO Holy Communions. One or f
two dreadful sick-cal~s. mi_les aw~y in. the drenching rain
and across the sweepmg nver, diversified the week.
f
I went on to Jasaan, I4 or I6 miles away, to help Fa.!:
ther Roure on Sunday. It was high tide, and difficult;
to pass in places along the shore. In Bobuntugan, on !
Sunday morning, when I reached them after Mass, Fa·~
ther Roure had his children and religious associations r
drawn up to meet me. They were much amused to hear 1.
me talk Visayan; for I knew but little at the time of l
my last visit.
I
We went in a banquilla with a splendid breeze to Ba· f
lingasag in two hours; and early in the afternoon on i
horseback to Lagonlon, for the fiesta of St.]ohn the Bap- !
tist. Lagonlon was a battle ground. The Aglipayano jl
revolt was recent; and renegades were coming from
everywhere, even from Cagayan, to conquer the Roman· \
istas. They had brought a bell and two pari-j;ari, or f
so-called priests, from somewhere; and promised and I
threatened great things. Their exhibition was, how· !
ever, but a contemptible one. They had only a handful ~.
of people, no music, and no procession; while the Cath· £
olic attendance was enormous, and the_procession filled
the town. We had solemn High Mass, sermon, band,
etc. One of tne two Aglipayano corporals, as they are
also called, reniained to collect enough money to defray
expenses. The bell, 'vhich kept ringing a gre~t part_of t
the afternoon to announce the so-called marnage of a i
Chinaman and his concubine, disappeared after the
fiesta; and with it, nearly all traces of Aglipayanisro.
I stayed about a week in Lagonlon, sang three High
Masses, and heard about ISO confessions.
From Salay, about eight miles north of Lagonlon, to
Talisayan is a long, wearisome ride: the roads are ba?, t.·
and in rainy weather, dreadful. I went and came thtS J
same road. Coming back, it had rained; my horse fell; f.
and I had to get down repeatedly, as he crept up the l.
steep and slippery ascents. It is a picturesque road, al·
ways near the sea, and shaded with giant trees. Through
all the villages that we passed the people were evidentlY
loyal to the Church. The salutations were constant and
demonstrative. After about seven hours we reached

r

MISSION WORK

77

Talisayan. One of the sons of the only prominent family in the.place ha_d rec.ently aposta~ised, and '!as ab~>Ut
to bring, 1t was sa1d, w1th th~ conmvance of his fa?Jlly,
a pari-pari and band of Aghpayanos from Canmgum
island for the patronal fiesta of Mt. Carmel. The
rumor turned out true. The Presidente (a member of
this family) met him on the shore with a .ban~, and received him into his house. He, the parz-jJarz, was accompanied by some fifty Aglipayanos. But the people
of Talisayan, in spite of the ~candal, although many
went curiously to look on, remamed loyal. The Church
was crowded at the fiesta, and the procession was very
lar~re. It was remarked that there were more people in
the~church than ever before. The majority, also, of the
members of this uncertain leading family came to Mass,
and the aged father was prominent in the procession.
From Talisayan another long ride to Ginvog and back
again. I was surprised to hear of all the official injustice
committed through all this region. The officials, as
through all the Misamis province, have become veritable
Aglipayano sacristans. One consejal has, under pretexts of debts of the poorer people, taken possessionof
a whole town. Two others have divided between them
a still larger tract of country. Another took down a
small Catholic mission·church, and planted cocoa-nut
palms in the cemetery, taking possession of the ground
as his own; while, it is said, he with others speak openly of obliging all the unfortunate, voiceless people to
become Aglipayan. On my return to Cagayan, Father
Superior (Father Nebot) presented one or two of these
cases to the Governor for his consideration.
·One has to lament everywhere the unrestrained injustice of officials, and the deterioration of the people in
almost every sense.
D. LYNCH, s. J.
THE CATHOLIC AWAKENING IN SPAIN

Six years ago, when viole,"1t attacks upon the religious

ord~rs s<:emed to point to the ultimate triumph of the
ant1-c~encal party, we asked ourselves in bewilderment:

wha~ Is to be the futu~e of Spain. No one then could
predict the outcome w1th certainty .
. Now, however, ~e are consoled by some favorable
signs. The Catholics seem to be drawing closer and
closer together. Their, union, if completed will surely

SPAIN-CATHOLIC AWAKENING

78

bring them viB:ory. For a strong, ardent faith is mak. 1
ing itself manifest everywhere, and Catholics are, be-J
yond comparison, more numerous than their opponents. I
Their numbers have made it possible for them to defeat
three unfavorable governments. To use a comparison:
well known to our people, the Spanish lion is aroused
from his long, long sleep. He has shaken his royal I
mane, and has sent forth a warning roar that has re. i
sounded up and down the land. Hence we may expect l
that something extraordinary is about to happen. What 1
defeats on land and sea could not do, what the anti-re-1
ligious spirit of the newspapers, and the riots of the t
liberals did not accomplish, is being achieved at last, by i
the proposal in congress of an associations' law, <I> and a l
bill authorizing civil marriages. From the many pro-~'
visions of this baneful law we have chosen two, that
will give you a good idea of its tenor.
·
Accordi_ng to the twelf~h artic;le, every s?c~ety mu~t f
have a register, open to the mspeB:10n of the civil anthon· J
ties. In it must be recorded the name, age, profession, E
plac: of resi~ence an? n_ationality of every memJ:ler, _in·
cludmg offictals. Withm five days of the nommat10n e
or election of the latter, notice is to be given to the provincial government. Furthermore, one or several ac·
count-books, under the supervision of those in charge •
of the business affairs, shall contain the receipts and ex· ~.
penditures of the association ; and a copy of the annual It
?alance-sheet must be sent to the registrar of the prov· ,
mce.
The thirteenth article declares that government offi·
cials may enter;· at any time, the domicile of a society,
visit its schools, hospitals and institutions of charity, be
present at its meetings and scrutinize its books and docu·
ments. Such a law would violate the concordat of r851,
and subject the religious orders to the caprice of the .
civil power.
.
It'is being greeted throughout the country by the cries..•.
"Vandals at our doors!" "Down with the associations' i
law!" " Down with the law of civil marriage !" "Its ~
advocates, the masons, have been the cause of all the
misfo~~unes that have befallen Spain in these latter t;
years.
.
fl
Every day sees the opposition grow stronger and ;,

I
I

I
f

t·

t

that the law

IS

both UnJUSt and Illegal.

They have w· \
----,

(I)

This law was proposed about a year ago.

,'

'
>

SPAIN-CATHOLIC AWAKENING

79

form-ed the government ~hat they propose to defend. the
religious orders to the bitter end ; and have eu~ogized
the regulars in eloquent addresses. In every city and
town, the most able and devout Cath?li~s hav~ for~ed
an alliance for social defense. Its pnncipal obJect IS to
unite all our forces for a monster pr~test. . .
.
The Primate of all Spain, Cardmal C:maco Mana
Sancha, sent this bold message to the president of congress.
''In the name of the Spanish Prelates I send you a
1
respectful protest against t~e prol?os~d law of associations.' It oppresses consc~en~e, It I~ contrary t~ !he
liberty of the Church, and It IS offensive to the rehgwn
of the Spanish nation."
He also wrote the following letter to his majesty, Alphonso XIII.
"Message of the Rev. Spanish Prelates to his Majesty,
protesting against the approbation of the proposed 1 law
of associations.'
Sire: We, Cardinal Archbishop, Primate of all Spain,
in the name of the Rev. Spanish Prelates, your majesty's most loyal subjeCls, turn to-day, in profound affliction to the august throne of your royal person, and sincerely beg your kind protection against the projeCled
bill, termed 'law of associations,' read by the minister
of the interior, last October, in the congress of deputies.
Should the bill receive approval, a general conflict
'for the rights and liberties of the Church would certainly follow. For no good Catholic could agree to the
measures proposed in the iniquitous law, without incurring excommunication, and the canonical censures imposed by the Church on the those who violate ecclesias. tical jurisdiction, or contemn the sacred rights of the
Holy See.
Beseeching, therefore, your Majesty to accept these
respectful requests, with your usual kindness, and begging your gracious assistance, according to articles 3, 4,
43 and 45, of the concordat of March r6th, r8sr we
your loyal subjects, kiss your hand.
'
'
Ciriaco Maria Card. Archbishop of Toledo
.
· Toledo, Dec. 2oth, 1906."
To this let me add a few words from addresses of three
other Spanish Bishops.
The Rt. Rev. Bishop of Tortosa.
. '.'We do not k.now the future of the proposed bill; but
If It should receive approval, the Spanish' Catholics and
above all the religious, know full well that they o~ght

80

SPAIN-CATHOLIC A1VAKENINC

to obey first God, and afterwards men. Men indeed
have no authority over the Church invested by Jesus
Christ with divine authority."
The Rt. Rev. Bishop of Malaga.
"A bill has been presented and read in congress, that
threatens directly the rights of the Catholic Church,
that is opposed to the belief of the vast majority of the
Spaniards, and that is contrary to the natural liberty of
every man."
The Rt. Rev. Bishop of Pamplona.
"We heartily desire that all our parishes will com.
bine, and send their unanimous protest to his majesty,
requesting him to reject this bill."
All Catholic parties, indeed, have opened their eyes,
long closed by political intrigues, and perceive now that
the bishops, the sentinels of the Church, entrusted by
Christ himself with supreme power, are to be their
leaders. They are responding with loyalty to the clar·
ion call for union; and the sublime resistanee that is
now being offered to to the anti-clericals will mark redletter days in the history of this Catholic nation.
It is almost impossible, to describe the extraordinary
activity displayed during these last few months. There
is no large city in which enthusiastic public demonstrations have not taken place. Millions of Catholics have
signed their names to a solemn declaration that the law
would be resisted with their blood. Deputies have pre~
sented memorials to congress, and pronounced splendid
discourses. The Catholic press has exposed the perfidy,
hatred and false :accusations of the masonic sectaries,
and overwhelmed "them with unanswerable arguments.
They have turned a search-light on the law and it is
seen to be a copy of the French associations law, that
the lodges of Spain were incited to propose by French
masons. Millions of written protests have been distributed among the people, by the working men's clubs,
such as the " Congregations of St. Aloysius," or, " The
Apostleship of the Sacred Heart.''
·
On December 9th, a magnificent manifestation of
Catholicity was shown by the people of the province
of Navarre. At four o'clock, in the morning, thousands
of Catholies, marching since midnight down the snow
covered mountain sides- began to enter Pamplona.
They wore medals or scapulars of the Blessed Virgin;
and came into the city singing hymns and waving flags
and banners. Trainloads of people from distant dis-

SPAIN-CATHOLiC AWAKENING

81

triets swelled the numbers. When the deputies _of the
province arrived, they. were escorted to. Mas;; m the
church of St. Lawrence. It wa~ a beautlful stght then ·
to see, in different parts of the c1t~, t!wusands of people
kneelin<Y on the cold earth and ass1stmg devoutly at the .
Holy S~crifice. When Mass was over fifty thousand
men marched through the streets of the city. For full
two hours, the lines were pa~sing before the govern~ent
buildings; aud only once dt~ the bands cease playmg,
or the voices stop from cheenng, when the ~burch bells
rang out, and with uncovered heads the multltude paused
to recite the 'angelus.'
At the end of the march a vast meeting was addressed
by the deputies, and Sr. Mella 7lo~ed the ~emon~tration
with the following words. " fhts land, m whtch St.
Ignatius of Loyola first opened his eyes to the truth,
this land, the country of St. Francis Xavier, the' Apostle
of the Indies,' this our beloved Navarre, now gives the
Catholics of the world a noble example of love for
Christ's religion. Will you then, sons of Navarre, fight
valiantly in defence of your faith and your rights? (A
prolonged cry "we will.") "Do you swear to shed the
last drop of your blood for your Catholic faith? Do
you solemnly promise to protest unwaveringly against
this unjust and cruel law, and to defend the religious
orders with your lives? Well then," continued the orator, after each question had been answered..as the first,
" we will never consent to the expulsion of a single
member of the religious orders from our country, while
there is a drop of blood left in your veins."
A simil.ar display of loyalty _and courage was given at
S. S~ba~tlan. The vast mult~tude began the meeting
by smgmg th~ famous hymn m honor of St. Ignatius.
The last few hues run thus. "Sons of St. Ignatius, on
to the combat! Let the army of the evil one behold
yo~r courageous advanc~! Let t~e noble spirit of your
thnce gallant Father shme forth m your every aCtion!
~ear the trump.ets' w~rlike blast~ See your comrades
1~ the field, wavmg theu standard m token of undeniable
VH~l:ory and everlasting peace."
. But there have been very few public meetings in the
~I story <?f the na~ions such as was held last}anuary, 1907,
m the ctty of Btlboa. Everywhere the buildings were
gorgeous!~ decorated. From balconies and windows,
$OO,ooo pnnted protests were showered upon the throngs
m the streets, by enthusiastic ladies. Fully 6o,ooo men,
6

-.
l

82

SPAIN-CA THOLJC AWAKENING

including deputies and councilmen, with bands and
standards, marched through the city; and as they passed
the government buildings, in a loud voice, all pledged
themselves to die, before a single religious would be
driven from Spain. The following telegram from the t
Bishop of Vitoria was read to the assembled multitude. f
" Sons of noble Biscaya, I praise the sublime example
of faith and love for your holy religion, that you are
giving to the world to-day. My protest is united to
yours, against the despicable, French-born 'law of associations.'
I bless you with paternal affeCtion, and count myself .
happy in being your prelate. We are defending the
cause of the Catholic Church, and if all are united we
shall conquer. For God is always with us. Down with
the iniquitous proposal."
Other monster meetings were held in Barcelona, Ge·
rona, Reus, Manresa, Tortosa, Cadiz, Granada, Sevilla,
Alcala de Henares, Villareal, Burgos, Palencia, Carrion,
V alladolid, Santander and Salamanca. Now and then,
of course, violence is met with from our exasperated
opponents. At Barcelona, for example, sixty or seventy
shots were fired into the massmeeting. For the most
part, however, our triumph is complete.
So great in faCl:, has been the remarkable aCtivity of
true Catholics that the anti-clericals have taken alarm,
and disclaim in every possible way any intention of per·
secuting the Church. Their only objeCt, they say, is re·
ligious orders devoted to the education of vouth. Li·
berals, Republicans and Socialists have united for a su·
preme effort in congress, after greatly modifying the ob·
jeCl:ionable articles of the law. Nevertheless, their com·
plete defeat seems imminent. Already, in faCl:, the three
successive liberal governments of Lopez, Dominguez,
Moret, and Vega de Armijo, that dared to defend the
'law of associations,' have been compelled to resign.
The conservative party, headed by the eloquent Senor
Maura, a loyal defender of the religious orders, has come
into power. A brief review of his career will prove
that in his hands at least the Catholic interests are se·
cure.
It is known with certainty that he made the spiritual
exercises some years ago under the direCtion of one of
our Fathers. He receives Holy Communion on the first
Friday of every month, and never fails to assist at Mass
every Sunday and holyday. While a student, he be·

83

SPAIN-CATHOLIC A WAKENING

longed to the sodality of St. Aloysius ; and tw<? years
ago, when the jubilee of the Immacula~e Conceptlon was
being celebrated, as an honorary sodahst, he sen~ a telegram of congratulations to his college, recalhng the
happy days of his youth. ~s a token of thank_ful_ness,
an offerring was made by htm to the Blessed Vugm of
the heavy gold fringe on his uniform, by whicb he was
saved from assassination at Barcelona.
His conduct of public affairs has clearly proven him
the man needed in these calamitous times. His parliamentary ability, his successful eloquence, his varied and
splendid talents, and his tireless energy have evoked
such admiration, that even his enemies admit him to be
one of the greatest of Spanish ministers. Yet in our
opinion, his best title to honor is his bold defense of the
religious orders and his fearless pretliB:ion in congress
that the 'law of associations ' would throw the nation
into a terrible civil war.
The best fruit of the whole movement, however, is
the realization of Catholic strength, when all are united
under the Bishops. It has been clearly proven, that it
is yet impossible to govern this nation with laws opposed
to a consolidated public opinion, and that the Spaniards
never will permit their religion to be insulted by a handful of anti-cJericals.
Con.stant union ~h~n is all that is n~eded to complete
our tnumph. Thts 1s what all our Btshops are wisely
counsellin!!, this is what His Holiness Pius the Tenth
~
'
'
h as :warmly lfecommen?ed. Let us pray, therefore, that
the JUst God, who prestdes over the destinies of nations
will strength~n our people to fight on together loyally
for the ?reater glory of Our Lord Jesus Cprist.
RAPHAEL CARMONA, S.

J.

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

,

REv. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I send you for the readers of the WoODSTOCK LET·
TERS an account of the missionary labors of our Fathers
in Ceylon. The matter is taken from a book which has
been published lately on the Missions of the Belgian
Fathers in the Congo, Ceylon and British India. Only
those details have been chosen which were thought to
be of interest to Ours in this country.
The work of evangelizing Ceylon. has been portioned
off by the Propaganda among the Oblates of Mary, the
Benedictines and the Jesuits. In the year r886 the
Catholic Hierarchy was established in India; in Ceylon
was erected the Archbishopric of Colombo, and the two
suffragan sees of Kandy and Jaffna were attached to it.
In 1893 the two new Bishoprics of Galle and Trincomalee
were created. The latter was given to our Fathers of
the Province of Champagne, the former was entrusted
to the Belgians. In the South of the Island the Belgian
Fathers are doing missionary work in the diocese of
Galle; at Kandy they direct the Seminary of India.
They have, therefore, a twofold task to perform; on the
one hand to instruCl: the poor and the little ones of the
Church of God,-qn the other to form pastors and Apos·
tles, who, in years to come, will announce the good tid·
ings of salvation to their fellow countrymen all over
India.
The present Bishop of Galle, the first one named to
occupy that See, is Rev. Father Van Reeth. In Sept.,
1895, the new Bishop set sail from Antwerp with four
Fathers. On Nov. 9th he was received with great so·
lemnity in his episcopal city. All the people were wait·
ing- to give him the honor and respeCt due his dignity.
With joyous acclamations and amid every demonstra·
tion of public rejoicing he was escorted to the new Ca·
thedral. The people, after the example of the Jews of
old, spread out their garments on the pavement before
him. The triumphal arches ereCted in the streets, the·
Belgian flag waving in the air, the joyous sound of
the church bells, the booming of the canon, all these
(84)

l.··

l

I
J

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

85

were indications of the joy of the people and mani~es-.
tations of the sympathy with w~ich .the. representative
of Christ's Vicar was welcomed m hts dwcese. ~hose
were the hours of festivity and gladness, the pamful,
laborious task was to begin.
The diocese was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. The Fathers set to work with generosity and
unbounded confidence. The mission had fallen mto a
deplorable state of destitution. Of the 865,000 souls
entrusted to the care of the Fathers only 46oo were
Catholic. For the space of three years they had been
totally deprived of religious instru~ion. One may ~ell
imagine how sadly they stood m need of a pnest.
Knowledge of the Catholic Faith had well n~gh faded
away, morality had sunk very low, the reception of the
Sacraments was totally neglected. In some districts
men and women twenty years old hardly knew the "Our
Father," or the" Hail Mary," children could not make
the sign of the Cross. The number of Apostates grew
rapidly. Many passed over to Buddhism. Of the 725
schools scattered through the diocese 400 were Buddhist, 160 Protestant, 140 Atheistic, only five were Catholic. Nearly all the churches were abandoned and falling into ruin, and over against the deserted altar of God
there stood the temples of the Buddhists and of the
Protestants in all their arrogance and pride.
In the face of all obstacles the Fathers began. Those
fir~t ?ays :vere days of hardship and of toil. The new
mtsstonanes were compelled to set out and explore the
country, to penetrate to the very limits of their distriB:
to rebuild the chapels and schools. And when afte;
their long and wearisome journeys, they returned to the
hovel that was called their residence they had no other
comf<?rt except that derived from the study of English
of Smghalese and . of Tamil. But they persevered:
They suffered and t01!ed and prayed, and their constancy
has been ~ewarded wtth a rich harvest of souls. To··day
there areetght stations in the Mission, each has a residence
a c~urch and a school. Within the few years, during
whtch th~ Fathers have been laboring there, the number.
of Cathohcs has nearly doubled. In 1905 their thirtyfour schools numbered 2801 pupils. Thirty-eight
churc~es ~ave been built, or raised from their ruins
T~e ~1st gtven below points out the progress which th~
Mtsston has been making slowly but steadily from 1895
to 1905.

86

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

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Catholics
6857 7529 7878 8200 8265 8799
682 684 6o;
Baptisms
234 371
486 555 618 529 659
Confessions 4232 6381 9224 12140 15374 16149 17389 1go89 21708 2J14J
Communions 4006 7196 1016g 14326 18738 19234 21g63 24084 27673 3o&J5
82
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Marriages
29 54
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We might speak at great length of the trials and joys
which fall to the lot of the missionaries in Ceylon. But
the nature of their work, not onlv in the immediate
neighborhood of the parish, but also among the scattered
faithful, does not essentially differ from the experiences
which the priests meet with on their Missionary Excur·
sions here in our own land. We take rather a point of
greater importance: the question of education. The,
work in the schools is not only produClive of much good,
it is considered bv the Fathers the most momentous of
all their undertakings, the one on which they rely chief·
ly, if not entirely for the future welfare of the Church.
But as it is the most important work it is also the most
difficult. Want of resources, lack of competent teach·
ers, rivalry on the part of the Buddhists, opposition
from Protestants, the Fathers must face all this.
Social conditions require two kinds of Catholic
schools, the Singhalese, where students receive gratuitous instruClion, and the English Schools where the
tuition is not free. The first named are Primary Schools.
In them are taught the language of the country, Arith·
metic and Geogra"phy. The English School is divided
into nine classes: the Alphabet Class and the eight
standards. Instruction is given in English. Dictation,
reading, and Arithmetic form the principal branches.
In the three highest grades the teacher may introduce
Algebra, Geometry and other courses, even Latin.
These English High Schools of the Fathers are great·
ly esteemed. They alone in the opinion of the Bud·
dhists impart a really English education; and an English
education is considered priceless by those of the Singba·
lese who are loth to cultivate the fields, and whose high·
est ambition is to secure a position in the government
administration.
In addition to the Singhalese and English High
Schools the Fathers have found it possible to open the
St. Louis College. A college, to deserve the name in
the English dominions, must not only teach the eight

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

87

standards but also have courses prepari?Ig candidates for
entrance into the University of Cambndge. The studies of the college are under government control, an~ an
annual subsidy varying according to t~e r~sul!s obtamed
in the examinations is granted the mstl!~tlon by _the
British Crown. To each branch is allottea tts premtu!ll
of rupees, provided the required standar? is reached m
those courses which the government asstgns. For the
Cambridge Junior and Senior Examinations ~he questions are drawn up by the Professors at Cambndge, and
the written answers, under the penname of each studen~,
are corrected in England. The students of St. Loms
Colle<Ye presented themselves for these Examinations for
the fi~st time in 1903. From the very start !hey obtained equal success with the students of Rtchmond
College, an institution that has existed in Galle for a
long period of years. "The School-question," says Father Van Austen, "is one of life or death." Hence the
Fathers do all they can to keep the schools in a flonrishing condition and to increase their number.
What we have said so far of our Fathers as pastors
and teachers applies to those only who live in the Diocese of Galle. Let us now turn to the Seminary of
Kandy.
To the illustrious Leo XIII belongs the honor of first
conceiving the plan of founding such a seminary. The
Pope's idea was to ereCt a home in wl1ich young candidates for the priesthood could be trained and educated,
not for one particular diocese, but for the entire peninsula of Hindostan. It was to be a common nursery for
all the ~ative clergy. In r8go, Mgr. Zalenski w~s made
Apostoh~ De~eg_ate of India! and received from the Pope
the spectal mtsswn of carrymg out the Pontiff's scheme.
On the success of it the stability of the Catholic Faith
i1;1 the .empire of India depended. The European misswnanes were not numerous enough to provide for the
wants of ~hree hundred million souls; prudence dictated
!he ~doptlon o.f a plan that would supply the deficiency
10. tlme of ~tstress; the nations of India demanded
pnests of thetr own blood.
At. the recommendation. of Mgr. Zalenski, Father
GrosJean was m_ade Supenor of the future Seminary
and the prelate, 10 ~ompany with the Jesuit Father, set
out on an e?'ploratlon tour through India. It was of
paramount tmportance to seleCt a suitable site and in
that vast country to find the desired spot was' not an

88

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

easy task. For more than a year the two travellers
journeyed together, crossed mountains, rivers and val.
leys, until finally a unique site was discovered two miles
from Kandy. The scenery, the rolling country of the
immediate neighborhood, the lofty mountains in the
distant horizon, the climate, the nature of the soil,
everything seemed ideal. Two hundred and fifty acres
of property were bought at once. The wild vines,
plants and jungle were cut and burned, and prepara.
tions made to start building. When would the Seminary be opened? Father Grosjean was an enemy of delay.
He rented a house near by, sent out his prospectus, made
public his plan of studies, and on May 3rd, 1893, the
first student arrived. Within three months fourteen
companions had joined him, and even at that early
period it became necessary to look for more spacious accommodations. Accordingly, a second house was rent·
ed. Meals were taken in one of these two houses, class
was given in the other. During five months Father '
Grosjean was left alone with his Seminarians. In October, r893, other laborers joined him. Demands for admission increased constantly, and the quarters at their
disposal were soon unable to house the inmates. What
was to be done? The ground had been cleared and
levelled, plans for the Seminary had been drawn, but
nothing yet was built, not even the foundations had been
laid. Father Grosjean put up a temporary building, and
more than five years were spent in this new habitation.
Progress of the \York on the Seminary proper was des·
perately slow. ~-Eor this delay, however, Father Grosjean was not to blame. The hills had to be levelled,
rocks had to be blasted, quarries had to be opened, the
workmen had to be taught their trade, money was wanting, heavy rains impeded the work. But patience triumphed in the end. In the fall of 1899, the Seminary
was completed and dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, the
Apostle of India. The grand building stood on the
mountain-top, overlooking the country, an omen of tri·
umohs and honors for the Faith and the Church of
God.
The studies and occupations of the Seminarians are
much the same as those of our scholastics in the So·
ciety. The course of Philosophy is three years; that
of Theology four; but before entering upon those high·
er studies the greater number of the young men have
to go through two or three years preparatory studies.

OUR FATHERS IN CEYLON

89

The length of their stay at the Seminary varies, therefore from seven to ten years. In addition to the study
of Latin and of English, which receive special attention
during the first years, History, Mathematics,_ Physics,
Chemistry and Geology form part of the curnculum.
Such then is the Seminary which was so dear to the
heart of Leo XIII. He planned it, he blessed it and he
had the consolation t~ see it completed before he died.
In May, r8gg, the first Ordination took place at the Seminary. Since then young priests have left its walls every
year to offer their services to the Bishops of their respective dioceses, and from different parts of India letters are sometimes received from them by their younger
Brothers at Kandy, letters thrilling with fervor, narrating the good that is being done, telling of the good that
is still to be accomplished, speaking of the harvest
which is ripe, breathing love and compassion for their
countrymen, for the millions of souls that are waiting
for pastors to lead them on to Him who is the Way the
Truth and the Life.
'
Yours in Christ,
H. R. FLEUREN, S. j.

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

·,

Paradise Lost. A Compendium of Milton's Twelve Books,
with Notes. Edited by ALLAN A. STEVENSON,· s. J. Two
Parts, 15 c·ents each. Classic Library: Educational Publishing Co., Boston.
Whatever may be said ''against the unceremonious procedure of ' compendiarizing' a great masterpiece," we believe
that this attempt will appeal to our teachers of English. For
·anyone that has taught " Paradise Lost" in our colleges
must have felt the inadaquacy of having the pupils study
only its first few books, while at the same time he must have
found it rather impracticable to teach the whole poem from
existing editions. Now these difficulties are obviated by a
judicious abridgment, which brings the entire epic into a
more manageable compass by the omission only of less essen·
tial and of morally offensitre passages.
Furthermore, the book may be looked upon as a note·
worthy venture also in as far as it exemplifies what can be
done in the line of editing school classics from a Catholic
standpoint, without necessarily betraying any positively sectarian tendencies, that would after all only debar them from
a more general use.
The notes are brief, but very much to the point ; .and the
analysis, inserted into the text, will prove very useful.
Manuale d' Eserdzi di Devozioue e di Prt-ghiere ojferlo al
Fratelli Coac{jutori della Compa~rnia di Gesi't dal P. ERME·
NEGILDO BACCOLO. Venezia, Tipogrofia Emiliana r8g6.
This little Manual for our Brothers is a labor of love. It
is divided into foyr parts: a raccolta of prayers and exercis·
es of devotion ; a raccolta of meditations and considerations;
a raccolta of Novenas in honor of Our Lord, Our Blessed Lady,
St. Joseph, the Angel Guardians; a raccolta of Novenas in
honor of the Saints and Blessed of the Society. We recom·
mend the work heartily and would like very much to see it
translated.
Hiddm Treasure if Plmary Indulgences. By REV. Prus
MASSI, s. J. Benziger, N. Y. 1907, pp. 162.
Though THE WoODSTOCK LETTERS noticed this book in
a previous number, we are pleased to call attention to it
again, as it has run through the first edition in less than a
year. The second edition which has been considerably en·
larged and improved has the rare distinction of containing
a letter of approval sent by the Holy Father through the
Papal Secretary of State, R. Card. Merry del Val, to the
Reverend author. From the letter, which appears both in
(90)

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

91

the original Italian and in an English translation, we qno!e
as follows : '' His Holiness thanks you through me for t~us
filial homage, and rejoices with your Reveret:ce that 'Y1tb
your little work yot: propos~ to poi?t out ~rachcally to ,r1ous
souls the inexhaustible spntual mme of mdulgences.
~n
these words His Holiness has touched upon tb.e essent1~l
character of the book, for it is nothing if not practical ; and 1t
is well called a mine, for it bas to be work":d, not merely
read, before it will yield its treasure. The ch1ef part of the
book consists of a list of indulgenced prayers and good
works, so arranged as to enable pious people, who feel sympathy for the souls in P~rgatory, to gam every day, five
plenary indulgences, apphcable to the holy s~uls. From
this list the Reverend author has excluded all mdulgences
which involve more than ordinary inconvenience, and all
those which are attached to fixed and movable feasts, although
the latter are all given in an appendix. But since even such
as involve little difficulty may be gained with more or less
ease, these indulgences have been arranged in groups, containing five indulgences of graduated difficulty, one group
being assigned to each day of the month. Thus all will
find it possible to gain some indulgences, though all may
not have time and generosity enough to gain all. The first
~ages are .taken up with a brief but fairly complete instructiOn on the pains of Purgatory, and the nature, advantages,
and conditions of indulgences. The second edition also
contains a supplement in which have been printed the indulgenced prayers, which give the work the additional advantage of being a prayerbook. It is not strictly speaking
a h~arned book, nor a popular book, but it is eminently the
work of a Jesuit, and has evidently been a labor of love.

The Teaching of English in the High School. REv. F.
M. CONN~LL, s. J. Ge?rgetown University, 1908. This
excellent httle pamphlet 1s an abstract of two lectures given
at the Keyser. Isla?d Su~mer School, August 13th and 14th,
1907. The hmts 1t con!ams under the headings, the English
Prec~pts, and the Enghsh Reading are most practical and
defimte. We are sure it will be weil thumbed by our High
School teachers.
Viflims de la Charite. Concerning this work, noticed in
the L~TTERS, Dec. 1907, a correspondent writes: "Notwith~tandmg .the. good will of the compiler of this most interestmg P?bhc~twn, the names of Father Robert Pardow and
Francrs .Mtcbel are omitted. It seems to ~e they should
b?th b~ l?cluded, as the Letters state, vol. 13, 1884, that they
dted v1ct1~s of typhus fever contracted while attending the
typhus patients of Blackwell's Island, N. Y/'
Word about .S~dalities. · St. Xavier Church, Cincinnati,
Ohto, 1908. Tbts 1s a neat pocket edition of Sodality rules,

·1

~

92

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

withi~

~

containing
the space of 30 pages the essentials for sol
dality directors and sodalists. Directors who may wish!.·
to distribute this booklet to sodalists or to prospecHve~
members, at Missions or Retreats, can get them for $r.ooper ;,
roo, postage extra, from the Rev. DirectorY. M. S. St. Xa· ·
vier Church, Cincinnati, Ohio.
We have also received : Nouvel Electro metre pour charges
statiques, par P. Teod. Wulf, s. J. Bruxelles, Joseph Polleunis, 45, rue Sans·Souci; Trait d'Union, College St. Joseph,
Marneffe, Belgique ; Simple notes sur les Congregations
de la Ste. Vierge dans les Colleges. P. J. Rousseau, s. J.,
Marneffe, rgo8; Catalogus Brevis Provincire Boeticre, 1767; •
Catalogo de los Difuntos de la Provincia de Toledo, I. rsso1767 ; Catalogo de la Provincia de Toledo, 1767 ; Catalogo
de los Padres y Hermanos pertenecientes a la Provincia de
Espana de la Compafiia Jesus, r8r5-r863.
Books .for sale at the Procurator Genera( s Office.
Address
Rev. A. Jl.faertens
Via S. Nicola da Tolmti11o, 8.
Roma, Italy.
Elmchus eorum qure a Rectoribus et ministris prrestanda
sunt juxta Cong. VI. Florentire, r884, 5 cents.
Epitome Inst. s. r-Pratiis in Etruria, r882-20 cents.
lnstitutum s. J.-Florentire, r886-r8g3, 5.00
Decrda Congreg. XXIII. 5 cents.
"
"
XXIV. 5 cents.
"
"
XXV. 5 cents.
Gaxli'ardi (P. Ach.) De plena cognitione Instituti, r" Ed.
Romre, Monaldi';" 1844, 30 cents.
Calmdan'um perpetuum s. J. r88g. IO cents.
Natalis-8cholia in Constitutioneset declarationes-Pratiis
in Etruria-r883, 40 cents.
Pralli'ca quredam, ad formulam scribendi, paradigmata,
informationem et formulre varire-Florentire-Ricci,. r884. 4
cents.
Exerdtia Spir. S. P. N. Ignatii-Romre, 25 cents.
Dirckinck-Instructiones pro Scholasticis, Romre-Monal·
di, r829-5 cents.
Dirckinck-Instructiones pro novitiis, 3 cents.
llfanarei (Oliverii)-De Rebus s. r. Comment. 45 cents.
Pongelli (P. Mariano)-De Instituto s. r., casus juridici et
morales-Florentire, r888, ro cent!>.
Bibadeneira-(s. r.) De ratione Instituti s. r. ex Hispano
in Latinum conversa a P. Carli Laurentis, Romre, r884, r.oo.

S01JAL11'Y NOTES

93

Synopsis Actorum S. Sedis in causa Soc. Ies. I605-I773Lovanii, I895• 45 cents.
.
.
Thesaurus Spiritualis s. r.-Textus Htspanus et verslO
vulgata-Bilbao-I887, 65 cents.
.
Beckx (M. R. P.) A~hortat~o ad decretum, quoS. Stams~
laus Kostkre, 'l.'irocinits ommbus s. I. Patronus datur Ro
mre, 1868, 2 cents.
.
.
.
·
Beckx-Ordinatio pro triennali Phllosoph1re stud10-Romre,
1858, 6 cents.
.
·
Pillures of our Saints, for rooms, stze about 24 x 30 me1
1es,
20 cents each.
.
,
Fine pillures of the Sacred Heart after the one m the Gesu
by Bottoni-IO cents.
·
Engravings of the Generals, down to Father Anderledy,
inclusive-4.75·
Constitutiones et Decreta Apostolica in publica mensa le·
genda-Florentire, I8gi, w cents.
De Soc. Jesu Paupertate-Prati-1892, 20 cents.
Atlas geographicus s. J. Parisii Igoo-6.oo.
Vita Funlli 7 Augusti 1814-7 Aug. 1894, Parisiis 1897.
in 4• 4.00.
in so 45 cents.
SODALITY NOTES
.THE INNER CIRCLE OF THE TWELVE HOLY APOSTLES
AND SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA

(From a letter in the "Lettere Edijicanti" of the Roman
Province)
Among the institutions established for the Christian education of youth, the special work of Our Society, that of the
Inner Circle of the Holy Apostles and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, is by no means the least important.
Originating as it did along with the various Sodalities for
the young, -it stands among the choicest fruits of those confraternities. Father Sertorio Caputo was the first to conceive the idea of these inner bodies within the larger Societies. Seeing that in the Confraternity of the Nobles, which
he had established at Aquilla, there were some who distinguished themselves by a more fervent piety, and showed
greater aptit':de. for speci~l advanc~ment in the spiritual life
·than the maJonty of the1r compamons, he thought it would
be a good thing to gather these together into a chosen band
that he might give them deeper spiritual instructions and
form. them to the practice of more sublime virtues. These
meetmgs were called at first Secret Sodalities; later 011

,....
94

,

SODALITY NOTES

\

they were known as Inner Circles, a name which bettJr
expresses their origin and nature.
~··•
Iu Rome, at our Roman College, the first to adopt th~t.
idea and follow the example of Father Caputo was Fatherr::
Caprini. He founded four of these Inner Circles. The firstt •
was for the nobles, the second f?r students, . the third fort •
other laymen. The fourth con tamed the chmcest member; ·· ·
from all the three circles, and was called the Inner Circle of
the Apostles.
But the one who should be looked upon as the founder of
these Inner Circles is Father Pompeo de Benedictis, who
succeeded Father Caprini as their Director. He reduced the •
number of Inner Circles to two, one for the students and the
other for the more generous youths, who, not satisfied with
attending to their own sanctification, desired to work also
for the welfare and the salvation of their neighbor. This ,
last Inner Circle still keeps the name of the "Apostles." ,:
It was Father Benedictis' special charge. He extended and
completed the rules and pious practises, procured its development, and established it so securely as to be virtually its
founder. This was at the end of the 17th and the beginning
of the 18th century.
This is not the place to relate the history of this Inner
Circle, interesting though the account would undoubtedly
be. I shall content myself with merely saying, that during
the two centuries of its existence, it has always produced
the choicest fruits of virtue. It has given excellent fathers
of families to the world, exemplary priests to the Church,
many and fervent religious to the different Orders, and even
canonized Saints to our Altars.
To this day this Inner Circle, following its old traditions,
continues to produce abundant fruits. It is frequented by
abo_ut 70 youths~.S<?me still students, others having .ta~en
the1r degrees. They are mostly chosen from our flounshmg
:Massimo College, but some come from other schools and from
the University. They all belong to the Sodality of the Mas·
simo College, or to the " Scaletta.'' They can only be ad·
mitted after they have made their first Communion.
They remain members during their whole school life, the
University included ; some even after taking their degrees
still continue to attend the meetings. They are all youths
of the better class, some belong to the best Roman families.
Every Friday evening after school hours the Inner Circle
meets in the Sodality Chapel of the "Scaletta." There
they spend about half an hour in various exercises of devo·
tion. These functions are conducted without the least pa·
rade of ost'.!ntation, the spirit of the Inner Circle being one
of absolute simplicity. All is done quietly and there is no
elaborate music, but always the greatest recollectedness obtains.

SODALiTY NOTES

95

While the Members are assembling, a go?d book is ~ead
aloud Meantime some are busy performmg s~mdry ltttle
practi.ces ot piety and mortification before a Crucifix, placed
u on the ground. These praCtices are dra~n by ~a<;h from
a ~ray placed beside the Crucifix, .and consist of kissmg the
ground, saying certain prayers with tJ:e a~ms .m;tstretched
in the form of a Cross, etc., all done with simpltcity and d.evotion and without a vestige of human respeCt, by tJ:e big
as well as the little ones. They all love these exercises of
piety, and if by chance the tray ~s not placed ready, they
beg the DireCtor to let them have It at once.
They then say the 5 Psalms of t~e Holy .Narne of Mary
and the "Veni Creator." After this, the DireCtor gives an
exhortation; before beginning, he reads the anno.u?cements.
These relate to the virtues to be praCtised, the visits to the
Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Communions to be made by
certain members, the names of those whose turn it is to visit
the hospitals.
The exhortation itself is generally upon the virtues proper
to their state of life, the sins and dangers they have to avoid ;
sometimes it turns upon some special occasion or feast. It
is always given in the simplest way, which is particularly
pleasing to the hearers, and they listen with the greatest attention and recolleCtion.
After the discourse a short prayer is said, and all leave the
Chapel saying, as they leave, the De Profundis three times
for the deceased members. From the moment of entering
the church, to their leaving, even while walking through
the sacristy and the passages and stairs, they keep the
striCtest silence.
All these observances give these very simple funCtions a
gravity and solemnity all their own ; thos~:: even assisting at
them for the first time conform to all the regulations and
carry away with them a very salutary impression.
Besides this ordinary Friday meeting, there is, on the first
'l;'hursday of each month, the Monthly Retreat. The Sodaltsts meet together an hour and a half before the time of the
A~gelus, and after.the usual devotions, the DireCtor or some
Pnest chosen by him, makes the General Examination of
Conscience. The special virtues to be praCtised during the
mont!t are spoken of, counsels suitable to the circumstances
are g1ven. The " Veni Creator" is said after this Examen ·
then follows the Meditation.
'
On the morning of the first Friday, Mass is said in the
. CJ:apel, and those who can without great inconvenience re- ·
ce1ve Ho~y Communion in honor of the Sacred H~art.
Man~, bemg students, cannot dispose of their time in the
mormn~; nev~rtheless, there are many who manage to attend th1s meetmg, even though they must often run from
the chapel afterwa~ds to their lessons in the various Colleges,
or to the ne1ghbonng Roman College, without taking any

96

SODALITY NOTES

breakfast. Many are so faithful to this reunion that they
are content to fast till midday rather than miss the Com·
munion of Reparation of the first Friday. Several have not
missed once in three years, notwithstanding the bad weather
or the distance from St. Ignatius'.
Besides these ordinary practices, there are the special ones ',
in preparation for the chief feasts of Our Lady, St. Aloysius' ~
St. John Baptist de Rossi, their special patron; also, th~
Carnival, the closing of the Month of Mary, the Feast of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These feasts are always kept with
great solemnity, without however departing from the sim·
plicity and gravity which characterise all the devotions of
the Inner Circle. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is
generally given, and in the last days of the Carnival and on
the Feast of the Sacred Heart there is moreover Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament.
On the principal feasts of Our Lady, for the Month of
May, and on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, it is usual to
read out the ''Crown,'' composed of the little flowers of
piety gathered together by the members, and practised in
preparation for these feasts. It is on this occasion especially
that the fervor and good-will of members can be appreciated.
I must confess that each time I have assisted at the reading
of these " Little Flowers," I have blushed for myself in
seeing that young students, free, in the midst of all the com·
forts of their homes and all their worldly surroundings,
without the abundant helps that religious have, go beyond
even what religious do in the matter of fervor and the spirit
of devotion and interior mortification. Many practise Medi·
tation, some both morning and night. The practice of the
Examination of Conscience twice a day is quite usual, as
well as that of sp,iritual reading, and visits to the Blessed
Sacrament. Many. are the victories over laziness, in cheer·
fully studying subjects they do not care about, in obeying
in all things, in giving up their recreation time to do some
good work, in bearing patiently injurious words, and even
accepting in silence reproaches they have not deserved.
Mortifications of greediness are always very numerous.
Many are the acts of custody of the senses, especially of the
eyes, while walking in the streets, some reciting the Rosary
or other prayers as they walk, without lifting their eyes to
look at the passers by, or the advertisements, or the stores.
In the '' Crown '' of Little Flowers for the close of the month
of Mary there were some who had offered the privation of
smoking. during the whole month; others who had not
drunk wine on the Saturdays; others who had accepted un·
favorable judgments which they had not deserved ; others
who had practiced some bodily austerities. The fervor with
which the members are animated make them constantly find
fresh means of exercising acts of virtue. The " Crowns"

SOlJALITY NOTES

97

they offer Our Lady and the Sacred Heart are always full of
flowers.
.
This year the Inner Cucle !llade a three days Retreat at
the beginning of the scholastlc year. It was much enjoyed
and was produCtive of much good.
.
The Inner Circle besides all these 'Y?rks of ptety fos.ters
also the praCtice of charity. The vts~ts to the Hospital,
which had been suspended for some tlme, we!e taken ~p
again thanks to the initiative of the Father Dtreetor. Stx
or eight of the members, chosen by turns, go every Sunday
to the Hospital ''della Consolazione,': to render. all t.he services they can, with the greates~ chan~y to the stck, JUSt as
our novices are used to do. Thts chantable work has been
undertaken with great ardor, though it costs many of them
no small effort. Besides serving the sick they als? often
bring them alms, either given them by the Father ptreetor,
or subscribed among themselves. On one occaswn they
found a poor workman who had been much injured while
working at the Monument of Vietor Emanuel; the poor fellow told some of the members, who were serving and consoling him, that he was in great distress on account of his
family; he had nothing to support them with, or to pay the
rent. The members, touched by the sad story, made a colleCtion among themselves and brought him, the following
week, money enough for the rent and for the immediate
needs of the family. The wife of the poor laborer came in
at the same time. When he gave her the money for the rent
as well as the alms she asked in astonishment how he had
got this help. The man pointed out to her the Members of
the Circle who were at that moment attending to other sick
people. The good woman, overcome by her emotion, ran
to them, threw herself in tears at their feet, calling down
upon them the blessings of Heaven and declaring them to
be angels of Paradise. This incident greatly consoled the
members and encouraged them in their zealous work.
The Catechis~ for children has also been taken up.
Every .Sunday etght of the older ones go to Porta Pia and
gathenng toge.ther the children of the neighborhood i~ the
garden belongmg to the "Caravita," they divide them into
cl~sse~ and teaci: them the Catechism. Thus the youths of
thts Ctrcle exercts.e themselves not only in piety, but also in
zeal ~or ti:e salvatiOn of souls, and in the spirit of Christian
morttficatton.
Their example t>f piety and reverence in church durin
the solemn ceremoni~s of old established feasts does muc~
good to all. The chtef of these funetions are, the Visits to
the Sepulcres on Maundy ?'hursday, the Visit to the Seven
<;hurches, to t~e Holy ~taus, and the Burning of the etittons to the Samt AloysiUs.
p
For the V~sits to the Sepulchres they prefer going to the

7

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98

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SODALITY NOTES

least frequented churches. All who see them are struck by
the singular modesty and gravity of these young sodalists,
and people often ask who are those devout youths going
about with such recollection.
The visits to the Seven Churches are generally made during the Paschal Time. On a Sunday evening they visit the
Basilica of St. Peter, then the tomb of their saintly brother
of the Inner Circle, St. John Baptist de Rossi, in the Church
of the Trinita dei Pellegrini. On Monday morning after
hearing Mass and receiving Holy Communion in a chapel
of the Massimo College, they start for the visits to the other
six Basilicas. They follow throughout the method of St.
Philip, and take part with much pleasure and devotion in
all the prayers and devout chants he instituted. This year,
after visiting the Basilicas of St. Mary Major; St. Lawrence;
Santa Croce, in Gerusalemme; St. John Lateran and St.
Sebastian, we stopped for dinner at the Villa Santambrogio,
most kindly lent us by the Proprietors. After dinner the
youths amused themselves in the meadows of the villa,
avoiding of course any noisy games, unsuitable to the spirit
of penance with which the visits should be made. In all
these visits the same spirit and the same customs are kept
up as in the time of St. John Baptist de Rossi, who belonged
to our Circle, as one may read in the memoirs he wrote of it,
and of Father Galluzzi, the holy and zealous Director of his
time. The visit to Saint Paul's closed the event.
The Visits to the Holy Stairs are also made, according to
the ancient custom, three times a year, during Carnival, and
Lent, and on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
The Feast of the Burning of the Petitions to St. Aloysius
is one of the best \mown and liked in Rome, as being the
special feast of the-y.oung, and with a character all its own.
These petitions, placed on the tomb of St. Aloysius on his
Fea.st day, are left there during the whole octave. They
are then carried upstairs to his room and enclosed in the coffin in which his holy body was placed before its first translation. From there they are carried to St. Stefano Rotondo,
where the ceremony of the burning has for many years been
performed, on one of the first Thursdays of July. The
function begins with a procession of youths, representatives
of the various sodalities of Rome. Then follow the members of the Inner Circle. Arrived in the middle of the
Church all take their places on each side of the altar. This
is prepared like a throne with the statue of St. Aloysius in
the centre surrounded with flowers and candles. Before the
altar, on a square of the pavement adorned with pictures and
flowers, stands a tripod upon which the petitions are to be
burned. When all are in their places a boy of the Inner
Circle, twelve or fourteen years of age, and dressed like St.
Aloysius in the novice's habit of the Society and in cotta and

-

SODALITY NOTES

9'9

biretta recites the panegyric of the Saint. The gifts of the
youthful orator, who is always chosen from .alii:ong the
cleverest and best of the speakers, the panegync ttself, always adapted to the occasion and to the age of the SJ?ea~er
and composed by one of our best preachers •. make thts dtscourse the most pleasing part of the fu.nchon. The_n follows a prayer to St. Aloysius, after whtch Cantors mtone
'' Ut nos exaudire digneris,'' which is repeated by the w~ole
body of people present. T~is is sung three tiU?-es, eac;h ttme
in a higher tone. M~anwhtle two yout~s begm .t? ptle the
petitions upon the tnpod, and at the thtrd repetltton of the
Versicle two others set fire to the mass. A column of smoke
rises to heaven accompanied by the prayers of all present.
The Cantors then begin the well known hymn '' 0 beato
Luigi" (Oh blessed Aloysius). When the burning is well
advanced the procession forms to go from the altar of St.
Aloysius to that of the Blessed Sacrament, while the choir
solemnly sings, the "Te Deum," as if to thank God for having already granted through the intercession of His Saint so
many petitions of his devout clients. At the altar of the
Blessed Sacrament the Tantum Ergo is sung and Benediction is given, and all is finished by the veneration of the
Saint's relic; as you leave the Church you hear on all sides,
"What a beautiful little feast, and how devout !"
The Inner Circle gives glory to God, not only by the examples it gives of the practice of piety and virtue, but also
in its very amusements and feasts. The garden to which
the members come on holidays through the scholastic year
is not only an arena for gymnastics, but also for the practice
of acts of charity, mortification and obedience. It is most
edifying to see these boys gathered together in friendly
groups, vieing with each other in giving up to one another.
One playing a game will at once leave it, if it is wanted by
another, and stand out himself rather than be selfish towards
a coml?anion. At ~he fi~st signal of the Director, they stop
all thetr games, gomg wtth readiness from play to the Visit
of .the Blessed Sacrament. They return to Rome in the appomted couples, all with much simplicity and smiling cheerfully.
~he members of the Inner Circle realize the benefits accrumg to them, not only for the practice of virtue but also
for the innocent amusements provided.
'
Th~y love their I~ner Circle and diligently follow all its
practtces. The ordmary Friday eyening meetings, the
Monthly Retreat, the other extraordmary meetings are always ver:y nu~erously attended. They make every sacrifice
to come, m s~nte often of bad weather, and even give up
pleasant pastt~es so as n?t to miss. They assist with the
~reatest attentton and stnve to draw profit from the devotions. They are remarkable among their companions at

100

SODALITY NOTES

j~

i

school for their greater diligence, studiousness and progress.
Our Lord blesses this beautiful institution, never ceasing
to load it with favors and even at times providing for its
needs in ways little short of marvellous. It has often happened, that when the means were wanting for accomplishing
some good work for God's glory, alms have flowed in quite
unexpectedly, sometimes even the actual sum needed has
been sent. It has been noticed almost every year that the
five francs sent by the Inner Circle for the Feast of St.
Leonard of Port Maurice, a former member of the Inner
Circle, has been sent back by the Saint multiplied to 50
francs. Our Lord thus favors even materially this institution which works for the good of the young, who are so dear
to His Heart.
·, Here are a few extracts from the letters of some youths
~ who had frequented the Inner Circle, begging to be admitted
"as members ; they will show the affection and esteem of the
members for the Circle.
One thus writes: "I entreat you, Rev. Fr. Director of
the Circle, to admit me as a member. I greatly desire this,
because ever since I have been frequenting the Circle I have
realized by the many graces I have received, what immense
advantages are to be obtained from it. In the hope that my
ardent desire may be granted, I am etc. . . . "
Another writes: "The undersigned, considering bow
necessary it is for the young to be fortified in the practice of
piety, in order to withstand the world and to preserve intact
the faith of our fathers; considering also bow much good so
many holy souls who have belonged to the Circle have done
to humanity both by word and example ; considering also
his own great need of a school of charity and faith, begs to
be admitted as a brother.into the Circle of St. Aloysius."
A third says: "It is·.-llOW 18 months since I have been
frequenting the flourishing Inner Circle of St. Aloysius, to the
great advantage of my soul. I must confess to you that in
it I have found a thing I had not known before-but of
which.I greatly felt the need-I do not know if I explain
myself aright. Having had the good fortune, thanks be to
God, of being born in a Catholic family and of being educated in a Catholic College, I have had, ever since my first
Communion, a great desire to serve God in a more special
way than that of the ordinary sodalists of Our Lady. The
means offered by the Sodality were not enough, I felt impelled to do something more. That something more I have
found in the Inner Circle. What good it has done my soul !
I may truthfully say that I have found in it a real help in
the first moral combats I have been obliged to sustain during
the past two years. It is for this reason, that all through
the week I long so keenly for the precious Friday evening
sermon. From it I obtain new comforts and lessons, and

'

101

SODALITY NOTES

carry away powerful means of resisting temptatio_ns and
keeping myself in the straight path. I do not he~ttate _to
say that if during this year I have done my scholastic duties
better-my masters seem better pleased with me-l owe it
in great measure to the Circle, and more especially to having
made the Retreat you so wisely provided us. Moved by
these reasons, though recognizing myself most unworthy, I
beg to be admitted into the Circle which has already done
such good to my soul."
A List of the Sodalities aggregated to the ''Prima
Priman·a" of Rome, under the title of ~he
Most Blessed Annunciation
from .January IS! to December JI, I907.
Total

Italy (Rome 7-Naples I,-Sicily 3,-Turin g,. Venice I2) . . .
32
Austria-Hungary . .
107
Belgium (West Bengal Mission 5) . . . . . . . 45
Galicia (Poland) . . . . . .
. . I2
Germany and Switzerland (German Brazil. Miss. 7) 231
Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I7
France (Champ. g,-France 3I,-Lyons I2,- '
Toulouse 30) . . . . . . . . . . .
82
Spain (Arag. 26,-Castile I3,-Toledo g) .
48
Portugal (Goa Mission 6,-Macao I) . .
23
Mexico . .
12
England . .
.
32
Ireland (Austral. Miss. Io) . . . . . . . .
28
North America (Md.-N.Y. 37,-Missouri 106,New. Orl. I4) . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
South America (Colomb: 8,-Chile-Paraguay Io,. Ecuador I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . I9
Cahfornia Mission s,-Rocky Mount. I4,-(Japan I) 20
Under the title of Immac. Cone. 563,-0ther titles
335 . . .
.
8g8

The Sum of All the Aggregated Sodaliti'es
From the year of its foundation I584, to Dec. 8th,
I 854 • · • • • · . . • . . . . . . 5625
From Dec. 8; I854, to Jan. I, I904
2o86g
FromJan. I, Igo4, to Dec. 3I, Igo6
27 65
From Jan. I, to Dec. 3I, Igo7 • .
.
SgS
Total, 30I57
.5_odality Manu!. By Ocl:. I, I907, three editions I5 000
co~tes, of Father Elder Mullan's Sodality Manual 'for' the
~hlldren of Ma~ had been published. Evidently the work
ts much ~pprectated.

-4;1

OBITUARY
FATHER GREGORY O'BRYAN

Father Gregory O'Bryan was a native of Halifax, N. S.
He was born there on April 28th, rsss, being thus scarcely
over 49 years of age when he died. He studied for a time
at the Grand Seminary in Montreal, but felt himself called
to the religious life, and in August, I8j9, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Sault-au-Recollet. After his two years
noviceship and a further year spent in literary studies, Fr.
O'Bryan was sent to St. Mary's College on Bleury street.
A year later we find him in England at Stony hurst for his
philbsophical studies. In r885 his superiors sent him to St.
Boniface, Man., to be one of the pioneers in opening this
Jesuit College. He began his theological studies in Montreal, but was sent to complete them in Ireland at Milltown
Park, Dublin, where he was ordained priest.
From the first, his superiors had remarked in him a wonderful gift of preaching, and after his ordination gave him
time to prepare for this ministry by studying the Fathers of
the Church and by giving missions under the direction of
experienced Irish missionary Fathers. From Ireland he
went to Roehampton, London, England, for his tertianship.
The Lenten season of 1892 brought him back finally to
Canada and inaugurated that missionary career, which,
though short, was of unparalleled activity. Up and down
Canada he travelled, and even into Newfoundland and the
United States, seemingly incapable of fatigue. He was
heard to say recently to one-·that showed surprise at his acquaintance with a certain priest, that he knew every Englishspeaking priest in Ontario-he might almost have said in
Canada. There are few Catholic centres of any importance
in which Father O'Bryan has not preached; few religious
communities to whom he has not given retreats. He many
times gave diocesan retreats. He was the counsellor of
priests and people alike, and the confidant of bishops. His
thorough acquaintance with the needs of every parish in a
diocese made bishops seek his advice, while the work of
conversion wrought in parishes caused pastors to seek eagerly for his ministrations.
Father O'Bryan was a most distinguished preacher.
A tall, strikingly handsome man, of powerful physique,
with massive head, strong yet noble features, he seemed ever
to dominate his hearers. His voice, of singular strength
and. richness, heard in the remotest corner of the largest
church, responsive to the changing passions, would (;apti(ro2)

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FATHER

GREGORY O'BRYAN

103

vate or often appall the audience. A memory of marvellous
tenacity and readiness served him admirably.
The dominant note in Father O'Bryan's character as a
missioner was his utter self-forgetfulness. A fellow-missioner relates to us how Father O'Bryan always insisted on making his companion rest, while he would rise i~ time to sa.y
the earliest Mass and to hear any stray confessiOn, and thts
after having preached several times the day previous, and
having spent six and eight hours even till late at night in
the confessional. Indeed it was surprising how little sleep
he seemed to require.
But his health was being gradually worn out. Twelve
years ago he fell ill in Halifax, and the physician then
warned him that he had but ten more years to live unless
he relaxed from this mode of life. Father 0' Bryan was then
but thirty-seven. At forty-seve-n he was condemned by frequent attacks of heart disease to give up forever the missioner's life.
·
In the meantime he did not spare himself. He would accept no holiday, refuse no mission: the good was waiting to
be done, the grain was white for the harvest and he simply
could not, even for a time, seek quiet and rest.
In I896 a different field of work opened before him. A
college for English-speaking boys was opened in Montreal,
and to Father O'Bryan was entrusted the work of organization. The great missioner became an administrator, to
break loose every now and then to preach a mission or give
a diocesan retreat. In 1902, the Rev. A. E. Jones being
named Rector of Loyola, Father O'Bryan was once more
free to go on the missions, and he availed himself of his opportunities to the full.
Early in 1905 his friends noticed that the great missioner
showed unmistakable signs of fatigue. His heart had weakened under the strain. In August, 1905, Father O'Bryan
was once more Rector at Loyola, but this time chained to
his post. This was the most trying period of his life. To
a man of his boundless energy and activity, to remain quiet
in his room or on the same flat, not to go up stairs, not to
walk fifty yards from the door, not to speak in public, even
to the boys more than a few words-under pain of risking
an attack of heart disease, each one of which caused intense
pain and any one of which might prove fatal-this was his
Purgatory. His ardent, impetuous nature, chafing at all
obstacles, carrying all before it by main strength, had to
ada~t itself to the narrow bounds of college life, and to the
detatled monotony of college routine. It was a school of
patience, resignation and gentleness, in which the kindness
and g:enerosit:y o.f the rector .shone more conspicuously than
even m the mtss10ner. A tnal peculiar to himself was that
of being frequently misunderstood by those who did not

10!

FATHER

GREGORY O'BRYAN

know him. He was thought by some to be unsympathetic,
and even at times, by those who misinterpreted his jokes,
somewhat sarcastic. On the contrary, he was one of the
kindest of men. He never deliberately gave pain, and
whenever made aware that someone had taken offense at
some remark of his, he was never satisfied till he had made
an ample apology.
Though generally feeling well and outwardly the piCture
of robust health and colossal strength, yet death was ever
near him. He lived in the thought of death. If ever he
was tempted to forget it, a sharp attack would recall to him
the faCt that at any moment he might have to face his God.
One of the worst of these attacks was at Father Doherty's
funeral. He seems to have thought himself dying, but the
attack passed off, and Father O'Bryan, as if nothing had
happened, took his place amongst the clergy who were reciting the office of the dead. The disease was slowly gaining..on him. Absolute rest and absence of all worry might
delay the end for years.
On Monday evening, June 3rd, the Loyola College Old
Boys' Association, which Father O'Bryan had organized,
held its annual meeting. When the refreshments had been
got through, and the speeches by "old boys" and present
students had been delivered, Father O'Bryan rose and gave
a stirring address.
On Thursday, June 6, 1907, the day of his death, he set
out for Sault-au-Recollet to attend the funeral of an old
friend and fellow novice, Father Danel. Father O'Bryan
seemed in his usual health all evening, went to supper with
the community, and to prayers in the chapel. A little later
his friend, Dr. McCarthy, came in to have a chat, and after
examining him advised him to remain quiet, as he had overexerted himself. Towards half-past ten Father Doyle, hearing him cough, got up and ·came, as he had often done before, to listen at his door, whether all was well. He found
him seated in an armchair in the middle of his room. A
feeling of suffocation had come upon him, and he had got
np out of bed. "I am not well at all," he replied to Father
Doyle's query. "Then I shall send for the doCtor." "No,
do not disturb him. It is only a difficulty in breathing."
But Father Doyle persisted and the doCtor was summoned.
A second doCtor was called when the injeCtions administered
took no effeCt.
·
As soon as Father O'Bryan learnt that he was in danger,
he asked for the Last Sacraments and made his last confession. Almost immediately afterwards he was seen to be
sinking rapidly. The rest of the community were hastily
aroused. Father O'Bryan was conscious almost to the last
breath ; calm and colleCted, though gasping for breadth, he
replied to the questions put to him; gasped out pious ejacu·

,·
I o

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·~

I

FATHER HENRY BASELJJfANS

105

lations, and quietly ceased to breathe while his brethren,
kneeling around him, recited the prayers for the dying. He
was buried at the Sault.-R. I. P.

FATHER HENRY BASELMANS.

Father Baselmans was born the 8th of March, 1836, in
the little village " Meerveldhoven," Holland 1 in the diocese
of Bois-le-duc. His parents were well-to-do and pious
farmers.
At an early age Fr. Baselmans and a younger brother, John,
felt inclined to study for the priesthood. Accordingly they
began together, and walked daily to the Latin schools in the
city ofEindhoven, a distance of three or four miles. Later they
finished in the seminary of the diocese, and when they presented themselves for ordination to the priesthood on June
2, r86o, John was found too young, and was sent to teach
in a college of religious until he would have the required
age for the priesthood.
Henry was ordained, and almost immediately after his ordination he asked the consent of his parents and of his bishop to enter the Society of Jesus in America. The permission obtained, he crossed the Atlantic, and entered the
Novitiate at Florissant, Mo., September 8, r86o.
Having spent two years there he was sent to the St. Louis
University, St. Louis, Mo., to take charge of the Catholic
negroes, and to do some teaching in the university.
A couple of years later superiors appointed him assistant
pastor in St. Xavier's parish, Cincinnati, 0., and Chaplain
in a large hospital. There Fr. Baselmans remained until
the summer of 1888, and there he took his final vows August
IS, 1872.
In looking over the labors of Fr. Baselmans for the years
spent in Cincinnati, we find that besides being assistant pastor he faithfully and zealously attended to hospitals, pesthouses, homes of the Good Shepherd and such like work.
Just one short year he was pastor at St. Charles, Mo. He
longed for harder work, and obtained it. At the end of r88g
he was called to Chicago, made assistant pastor in the Holy
Family parish and Chaplain of the Cook county institutions
at Dunning, This latter office he held for fifteen years, laboring with the greatest zeal and edification among the poor
and unfortunate. Neither rain nor shine nor any kind of
weather could keep him from that field of arduous laboras both the people at Dunning and the charitable who visit
it testify with admiration and enthusiasm-until his health
gave way in September, 1904. And yet to the last he clung
to his confessional in the church.
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106

FATHER JOSEPH RODUIT

.

He gave the greatest edification to all who attended him
in his last six weeks' sickness. He died June 20, I907.R. I. P.

FR. JosEPH RonurT, s. J.
At Spring Hill College, on the morning of the 27th July,
1907, in his ninetieth year, died Fr. Joseph Roduit. He was
among those who, with Rev. Fr. Anderledy and Fr. Villager,
in the Swiss Revolution of I848, were driven from their native
land and came to labor in America.
Fr. Joseph Roduit was born in the Valley of Bagnes, in
Switzerland, on the 28th of March, ISIS. At an early age
he learned to unite physical labor with mental work. Until
~his seventeenth year his education was such only as a secluded village could afford. When the season permitted, he attended the village school, and applied himself assiduously
to his studies. A desire for the priestly dignity seemed to
be the spur, which ever urged him on to greater efforts. The
spirit of piety that permeated his work at home and at school,
led his parents to believe, that his desire for higher things
was not without foundation. 'When, amid great difficulties
he acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him to begin
higher studies, he was sent to the Jesuit College of Sion.
His exemplary assiduity and piety marked him above his
companions. After two years at Sion, having told a trusty
friend his desire to enter the Society, he was exhorted to
apply to the Provincial. He accordingly applied to the
Provincial, and entered the Novitiate of Melan in Savoy.
He made his J uniorate at Friburg, and after teaching at Sion
and Estavailles and the b~arding school of Friburg, he began
in I846 his Theology at1:he Friburg Scholasticate.
It was in his second year of Theology, that the Protestant
and Catholic parties of Switzerland rose in arms against each
other. The Protestants captured the citadel of Friburg,
and after holding a council against the upholders of the
Church, passed a law banishing the Jesuits.
Thus far Fr. Roduit, had on two occasions given signs of
that character so simple and so admirable in its after manifestations. The first occasion was at the college of Sian, just
before entering the Society. His father died. Young Joseph
asked his mother with trembling agitation. whether her
necessities would oblige him to give up his noble vocation.
\Vhen she answered, that with great difficulty, the family
might support bim at college, be returned with joy to his
studies. The second occasion was the circumstance which
brought him to America. When he escaped in I848 into
Piedmont, the Provincial there, finding his houses overbur-

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FATHER JOSEPH RODUIT

107

dened with numbers, proposed that any one who should ~eel
himself inclined to the Missions, should appear before htm.
Fr. Roduit, with simple contidence in God, presented himself
before him, and told him, that although he felt no very
special inclination for the Missions, nevertheless, he would
leave himself in the hands of the Provincial. He was sent
to America.
He left Harve, March 25th, 1848. On the steamer with
him were : Frs. De Chaignon, Essaina, Brunner, and the
Scholastics: Messrs Imsand, Montagne, and Theobald Butler,
of whom the last named is still living. He arrived in New
Orleans on the 19th of May, 1848, and was sent at once to
Spring Hill to prepare for Ordination. In August, the same
year, in the Chapel of the Visitation Covent, Mobile, he
received Holy Orders at the hands of Bishop Portier. After
ordination, he set out for Grand Coteau College, there to act
as Prefect.
The next year, r8so, he was made Spiritual Father, and at
the same time assisted Father Rocoffort in his Parish work.
He also assisted Fr. Abadie in St. James' Parish. Several
incidents occured, which prepared Fr. Roduit for his coming
Rectorship. He was once instructed to take care of Fr.
Rocoffort, his pastor. The Rector had given to Fr. Rocoffort,
at short notice, a sermon of some importance. Having found
Fr. Rocoffort with a pair of scissors, leisurely cutting old
papers, he ordered Fr. Roduit to see to that sermon! It is
easy to picture Fr. Roduit approaching his Pastor, and
saying. "I think, Father, you have a sermon. I think so.
I have been appointed, you know, to accompany you." Fr.
Rocoffort continued cutting papers, till it was time to start
for the church, and then delivered one of the most magnificent
sermons ever heard there. Fr. Roduit never forgot the
lesson, and often used this experience in after life, to warn
his Scholastics against the error of rash judgment.
The College of Grand Coteau was reopened in 1856. Fr.
Roduit was installed Vice-Rector. It was a strange coincidence, that his Provincial wrote about the same time, recalling
him to Europe. The matter was referred to the General. It
was decided to allow Fr. Roduit to remain in the United
States.
Fr. Roduit afterwards labored in the missions of Louisiana
until 1884, when he returned for the last time to Spring Hill.
Here he was for many years Chaplain to the Visitation
Co?yent, missionary in the outlying portions of Spring Hlll,
Spmtual Father to the College, and a favorite Confessor of
the boys. In 1878, he celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his
entrance into the Society, and in 1901 the Jubilee of his Last
Vows. About this time, owing to his advanced and feeble
health, he was relieved of all burdens and offices His death
which took place on July 27th, 1907, was sing~larly blessed

108

FATHER ANGELO COLTELLI

by the presence of the Fathers and Brothers of the various
houses of the Province, who were gathered in Spring Hill
for their annual Retreat.
Fr. Roduit was remarkable through life for his childlike
trust in God, his attention to duty in all its details, his tender
piety, his deep sense of gratitude towards his benefactors,
and his love for his spiritual children. In his devotion to the
Blessed Virgin, he was never weary of telling his beads.
His favorite custom was to pray each day for each member
of the Province, and he used to say that he was glad there
was one way left for him still to help the Society. It is
noteworthy, that in his extreme old age, good Fr. Roduit
would not inconvenience the Infirmarian by having his meals
brought to his room, but was as faithful as the youngest of
the community in things appertaining to common life.
When he could no longer say Mass, owing to loss of sight,
·he was most exact in attending daily Mass, at which he
~ ..received Communion. Such was his sense of gratitude, that
in his ninetieth year, he still spoke of those who had helped
him in entering or persevering in the Society, as of men who
had lifted him up from doubt and despondency to the "the
hope that confoundeth not". Deep also was his gratitude
towards those who read to him any spiritual book or a portion of the Scriptures. The mention of the name of God
and His Saints, always impressed him sensibly, and in his
last years, the mention of things spiritual, roused him to the
vigor and mental energy of youth. Thus prepared, it was
easy for his soul to pass to the goal of his expectations.
Ubi th~suarus vester, ibi et cor v~strum erit.-R. I. P.

FATHER ANGELO Cor.TELLI

At rz.zo, Sunday mo~ing, August r8, ICJ07, Father Angelo Coltelli breathed his last most peacefully and tranquilly
in the Lord, at Santa Clara College, having previously re·
ceived all the sacraments of the dying, with the final absolution and plenary indulgence in articulo mortis at the
hands of Rev. Father Gleeson, Rector of the College. At
the time of his death he was 57 years old, and of these
he had spent 34 in the California Mission.
Fr. Coltelli was born Oct. 2, I85o, at Pisa, Tuscany; and
there he had made very fair studies in Latin, Greek and
Italian literature, under his parish priest, before he finally
resolved to dedicate himself to God in the Society of Jesus,
in r868. The novitiate of the Turin Province was then at
Monaco, Principality of Monaco, on the confines of France
and Italy.
During his juniorate Brother Coltelli suffered considerably
from intestinal troubles, and these ailments manifesting

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FATHER ANGELO COL'i'ELLI

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a disposition to become chronic in his first year o~ philosophy, his provincial, Rev. Father John Matthew C1vavegna,
resolved to send him to California, earnestly hoping that the
change would benefit him. The hopes were fully realized ;
and Brother Angelo, continuing his philosophy· at Santa
Clara, grew rapidly stronger, though the ailments never entirely left him. Philosophy had been begun at Monaco,
under the noted professor, Father Jerome Raffo; and the
second and third years of the course were made at Santa
Clara, under Father Charles Pollano, a veteran professor,
known to the earliest W oodstockians.
Philosophy over, Mr. Coltelli .was assigned, 1874-75,
to Santa Clara College, to teach sth Latin and Greek, and
also Italian, doing duty besides as one of the prefects of
discipline. Here he spent six successive years of most
earnest and successful work. From .r878 to r88o, he was almost wholly employed in the laborious duties of prefecting,
wherein he had proved himself to be thoroughly efficient
and entirely reliable. His chief scene of labors in that line
was the First Division, or Senior dormitory, which he kept
1n conjunction with Father Francis Veyret. It was during
the dormitory years, r875-76, that both of these noble men
came unfortunately to be great sufferers in one of those
serious disturbances, and rebellions against authority, incidentally to be met with in the annals of all large educational
establishments. The kind providence of God, however, and
the help of their angel guardians, brought them safe out of
what proved to have been the skillful and well-laid plot of a
few malcontents. These were promptly expelled to the
number of r8; and the remainder of that year passed in
peace and quiet. Father Aloysius Varsi was president at
that time; and to his timely vigor the happy outcome was
largely due. But both Mr. Coltelli and Fr. Veyret suffered
for a long time from the effects of that trying ordeal. Yet,
as is always the case, in the ways of God, good came of it ;
all who had taken part in the outbreak repented afterwards
of their youthful folly. One of them, a Protestant, a few
years after, when the hand of death was upon him, humbly
and earnestly called for Fr. Veyret, whom he had so much
wronged, and, amidst tears of sincere sorrow for his misdeed, was by that pious and forgiving man prepared, and
received into the Church, and so passed safely, as we may
trust, into his eternity. Another, a Catholic, also died
within a few years; but happily, not before he had sincerely
and sorrowfully acknowledged hi~ fault, and been prepared
for death by one of our Fathers of the College.
At the opening of the scholastic year, r88r-82, Mr. Coltelli
was sent to Woodstock for theology, following the short
c~urse therein; and in r883 he was ordained by Cardinal
Gibbons, Easter week. He returned immediately to Cali-

110

FATHER ANGELO

COLTELLI

fornia, and the year I883-84 found him once more stationed
at Santa Clara, with more or less the same duties of teaching and prefecting as before.
Having a decided relish both for mathematics and music,
he now devoted considerable time to these, and became so
proficient in them as to be largely employed in those branches either at Santa Clara or St. Ignatius, San Francisco.
Fr. Coltelli was excellently versed in Latin and Greek,
teaching some of the highest classes of those languages successively in both colleges of the Mission, especially after ordination. Being a poet of renown, notably in Latin, he was
frequently called upon in that quality, as both theologians
and philosophers at \Voodstock in his time may still remember. He was for some time professor of rhetoric to our
juniors at the Novitiate of the Sacred Heart. Los Gatos.
His tertianship was made at Santa Clara, 1888-Sg, under
Father John Pinaser. Fr. Pinaser used to tell his tertians
that the "third year" with its sequel, the final vows of the
.. Society, was the last mile-post ahead in a Jesuit's life; and
then he had only the end of all things mortal to look forward
to, death.
The years following the tertianship, and his last vows on
Aug. 15, 188g, were spent partly at Santa Clara, partly at
St. Ignatius ; and it was at the former place death came to
Father Coltelli as the result of what was most probably "galloping consumption," in the broader sense of
the term, covering not only rapid disintegration of the respiratory organs, but also of the digestive and assimilative.
As a result, for several months prior to his death he had almost completely lost his voice; while his feebleness and
emaciation were such as to call forth pity in those who had
known him in his strenuous and robust days. Plainly and
perfectly realizing his own condition, while at the start he
fought off the attack br:1l.vely and persistently, hoping on for
a victory, yet he finally saw that death was drawing near ;
and then he faced it like a hero, and thought no more but
of making the final preparation for its coming with a wholesouled resignation of himself into God's hands.
For about three weeks or so before his death, unable longer to say Mass, he asked and obtained permission to receive
daily ; and for this he would come himself to the domestic
chapel, until this effort he had also to give up; and from
that on, daily communion was brought him in his sick-room.
Thus fully armed, not only did he not fear the approach of
the end, but, humbly trusting in the fatherly goodness of
God and the infinite merits of Christ, rather welcomed
death's coming with genuine joy.
Those who knew Fr. Coltelli intimately, realized what an
ingenuous and straightforward a man he was ; how sincere
and earnest a friend; a scholar of high attainments; but best

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of all, a religious of true and deep piety, and solid, manly virtue, an humble and loyal son of St. Ignatius and the Society. These qualities gained him many a warm friend both
among his pupils and the general public with whom he came
in contact in his professional and priestly duties.-R. I. P.

VARIA
ST. ANDREW-ON-HUDSON. The New Chapel.-When the
plans for St. Andrew were drawn up, some nine or ten years
ago, no special provision was made for the domestic chapel.
It was the conviCl:ion of those who had projeCl:ed the idea of
a new novitiate that the chapel should not be hidden away in
some obscure corner, and inaccessible to the lay visitor; it
should be a building apart, and relatively as magnificent a
struCl:ure as the Novitiate itself. As the cost of such a
building, however, would entail too heavy a debt, it was
deemed advisable to wait until some benefaCl:or or benefactress should come forward and volunteer to defray the ex' penses. Meanwhile, the community exercises could be held
in a room adjoining the lower cloister. So it was during the
·· past five years. But the old Frederick chapel was never replaced. The novice sacristans, true to the traditional spirit,
vied with one another in their efforts to convert the little
rocm into a Garden of Paradise ; but the chapel was, at its
best, rather cheerless. The surroundings were such as refused to be idealized, the illusion was never complete. Such
at least was the verdi& of those who loved to think of thelr
noviceship and Juniorate days in the South; and surely we
must credit the older generation with the unbiassed judgment that comes with maturity. Now, however, that the
new chapel, thanks to the unsolicited generosity of Mrs.
Ryan, is no longer a mere possibility, the most pronounced
lover of the ''good old days '' would be slow to institute
comparisons in any way unfavorable to St. Andrew.
The feast of St. Stanislaus was suggested by Mrs. Ryan as a
fitting occasion for the. consecration of the chapel. About
a week before the feast,.however, Archbishop Farley wrote
that it would be impossible for him to perform the consecration
on the day appointed, since the convention at Baltimore
obliged him to cancel all previous engagements. As His
Grace would not hear of anyone but himself officiating at
the ceremonies, it was decided to postpone the services a few
days. Archbishop Farley accompanied by his secrearty,
Fr. Lewis, arrived on the night of the 18th. An informal
reception was held in his honor. Greetings were offered by
representatives of the novices, the Juniors, and the Tertians ;
and at the close his Grace was asked by Fr. ReCl:or to make
a short address to the community. It was a pleasant reminiscent speech-or rather chat-on a subjeCt Ours have often
heard him touch on-the high esteem and affeCl:ion in which
he has always held the Society; an affeCl:ion, it may be remarked, that has not been an idle boast, but has on many
occasions, to the knowledge of St. Andrew, at least, proved
itself to be quite sincere.
(u2)

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/?ARIA

On the following morning the consecration of the chap_el
was begun. The cer~monies,. of course were cond~cted m
private, those only bemg admitted _who took an active part
in the service. At the Solemn High Mass that followed,
besides the community, there were present upwards of 8o
distinguished visitors. No distinction of creed had been
made in drawing up the list of invitations, and it
was gratifying to see the Protestant Section of the neighborhood fully represented. One gentleman, a prominent banker of Poughkeepsie, speaking afterwards of the ceremonies,
was heard to say, "I often remark to my wife that it is in
just this our religion is chiefly wanting. There is very little
appeal to the heart. If there were more of the external in
our devotions I think our churches would not appear so cold
and forbidding.'' Fr. Richards had come on from Boston to act as celebrant. Rev. Fr. McCluskey and Fr.
Dinand, of the West, were deacon and subdeacon respectively. The singing must have been of an exceptionally high order, for although the choir was composed of about
40 Juniors, we have it on the authority of the Poughkeepsie News-Press, a paper that prides itself on the accuracy of its statements, that " Nearly two hundred of the students, priests and brothers at the Novitiate sang, and the
great unison of so many men's voices made the Gregorian
music of the occasion most impressive." The sermon,
preached by Fr. Campbell, was pronounced by one eminently qualified to pass judgment, a master-piece of pulpit
oratory. The bestowal of the papal benediction by Rev.
Fr. Provincial brought the service to a fitting close. Luncheon was then served in the basement. Besides those already mentioned, there were present Fr. Wynne, Fr. Smith,
Fr. D. J. Quinn, Fr. Magrath, and Fr. Himmel.
That evening, Bishop <;;ollins arrived. With characteristic
generosity he had secured faculties from Archbishop Farley
to consecrate the nine side altars in the chapel, and a tenth
that had been erected in the basement. On Wednesday
three were consecrated, on Thursday five, and on Friday the
two remaining altars. It was a fatiguing task, lasting from
three to four hours each day, but to the large-hearted Bishop
a labor of love.
Perh~ps, the first impress_io~ one r~ceives on entering the
chapel Is that the charactenstic note IS one of tasteful simplicity; and t_his see~s to be. the consensus of opinion.
There IS nothing glanng, notbmg that stands out prominently and detracts from its surroundings. Naturally the
eye turns to the main altar, as forming the central feature of
the ~bole, to which all else is subordinated. Still
there Is no want of proportion felt, for the side chapels
are, relat~vely speaking, of equal beauty. The main
altar, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, is made entirely of

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Italian marble ; like the side altars, barring that of St. Stanislaus, it is the work of Mr. John Mullan, of Baltimore. The
centre panel, flanked on either side by two pilasters, is a
beautiful bas-relief representing the Last Supper. It is the
exaCt counterpart of the front piece adorning the high altar
in St. Ignatius Church, New York; those who have seen
the latter will recall the life-like expression on the faces of
the figures. Surmounting the tabernacle is a dome, about
two feet in height, and supported by four columns of Pava~
nazza marble. The altar, cost $6ooo.
·
The sacristy, like that in the upper church of St. Francis ·
Xavier, is semi-circular. Back of the sacristy, and facing the
Hyde Park road, is the Ryan crypt, where the bodies of Mrs.
Ryan and her children shall some day rest. This, by the way,
is indicated by a modest marble tablet on the epistle side of the
sanCtuary, which bears the following inscription "EreCted
; in honor of the Blessed Sacrament-Please pray for those
who are buried beneath." The sanCtuary lamp, presented
by Mr. \V. J. Feeley of Providence, in memory of his wife,
is far superior to those seen in many of our city churches.
The sanCtuary itself, extends almost the entire width of the
chapel, and is not dwarfed by the juxtaposition of the altars of
Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. These and seven remaining
altars-St. Ignatius, St. Aloysius, St. John Berchmans and St.
Stanislaus on the Gospel side, St. Francis Xavier, St. Peter
Claver and St. Alphonsus Rodriguez on the right, are set in al·
colves, raised a few inches above the level of the floor, and running parallel with the body of the chapel. The two altars
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, are the generous offering of a lady who wishes her name withheld. The
marble chosen is that known as Pavanazza, streaked with light
lines of blue, and here and there tints of gold. It contrasts
pleasantly with the marble of the central altar, in color a mean
between a dull and a.polished white. The costly candlesticks and crucifix on tlre Blessed Virgin's altar are the gift
of Mrs. Halliwell, of Providence, whose son is now a Junior. The third place of honor has been appropriately assigned to St. Ignatius' altar. It is a splendid expression of
Catholic devotion, and derives special interest from the faet
that it was donated by the parents of one who was long associated with St. Andrew, Fr. Joseph Smith. All the
appurtenances of the altar-candlesticks, crucifix, altar
cloths, etc.-bear the invocation, SANCTE .PATER IGNA-.
TI, ORA PRO NOBIS. As Fr. Smith humorously remarked,
this precaution was taken to ensure their not being
used on altars for which they were never intended.
The crucifix, it should be added, will always be of historical
interest to the province. Fr. Purbrick gave it to Fr. Smith,
as a token of his gratitude for the kindness the latter had
invariably shown him during his stay at St. Andrew. Fr.
Purbrick had received it from Fr. General (Fr. Mar-

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115

tin) in 1897, as he was on the point of sailing to this country
to assume the post of Provincial. In the piece of wood ru?ning lengthwise are imbedded many little stones gathered m
the Holy Land and other places of historical significance.
A detailed account of these sacred scenes may be found on
the back of the crucifix. It runs as follows.
Croix dubois d'un cedre du Liban, contemporain de Salomon.-Croix interieure du bois des Oliviers de Gethsemani
du temps deN. S. J. C. PIERRES-RELIQUES DES QUATORZE
STATIONS DU CHEMIN DE LA CROIX, et des lieux suivants :
de Ia Nat. de la B. V. M.-Mais. de S. Joseph :-Mais. de
1' Ann. de laB. V. M.-M. de la Visitation-Lieu de la Nat.
deS. Jean B.-La s•. Creche. La. . . . . . . . des Innocents
-Lieu du Bapt. deN. S. J. C.-Maison de Lazare-Lieu de
Ia Transfigur. deN. S.-Sepulcre de Lazare. S. CenacleLieu de 1' Agonie-Scala Santa-Colonne de la Flagellation
-Ecce Homo-Voie douloureuse-Lieu du crucifiementPierre de l'Onction-S. Sepulcre-Lieu ou fut lapide S.
Etienne-Sepulcre de la B. Vierge Marie-Lieu de 1' Ascension deN. S.-Lieu da !'Invention de la s•. Croix.-Then
follows-Ace crucifix sont attachees toutes les indulgences
du Chemin de la Croix.
Written in ..a familiar hand are appended the words: Dono
dedit A. R. P. N. L. Martin, s. J. Ed. Ign. Purbrick, s. J.
The crucifix has been mounted in brass, and bears at the
base the inscription,
IMA~INEM · CRVCIFIXI
QVAM · EX · LIGNIS · SANCT.£ • TERR.£
L~PILLISQVE · FABRICATAM
ADM
R. P. LVDOVICVS · MARTIN · PR~P · GEN · S. I.
R. P. EDVARDO · IGNATIO · PVRBRICK · S. I.
DONO· DEDIT
HVIC • APTATAM · AR.£
PHILIPPVS • HENRICVS · SMITH
EIVSQVE · FRATER
GRATI · ANIMI • CAVSSA
POSVERE
QVORVM · LITANTES · MEMENTOTit

It is only proper to add in this connection, that the censer
used in the Mass of Consecration was blesse.d by Pius X,
and is the gift of Fr. Smith's sister-in-law. St. Stanislaus'
altar, the first on the left as you enter, is readily recognized
as the vow-altar of Frederick. It is due to the offering of
$rooo-the gift of Mrs. Peter McDonnell, whose son Robert
graduated from Fordham in 1897-that the altar has been so
much improved. So thorough, indeed, has been the renovation thus rendered possible that many do not hesitate to
·pronounce the altar t~e prettiest of any in the side chapels,
No doubt the memones that cluster round the little altar

116

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tend to color one's judgment, yet allowing for all bias, the
chapel is conspicuous among the rest. The wax ·model, enclosing the relics of St. Maximus, has been retouched while
a beautiful marble statue of St. Stanislaus completes the additions and alterations that have been made. On the side
is a tablet with the simple inscription. " In your prayers
remember Peter McDonnell, his wife Charlotte, and their
children.''
The five remaining altars were presented by Mrs. Ryan. It
is to her too that we are indebted for the stations, which I
believe, are the models of those to be seen in the Richmond
Cathedral. They are the work of Mr. Armin Sibbel, of
N. Y., as are also the statues of the Blessed Virgin, St.
Joseph, and St. Stanislaus. The statue for the St. Alphonsus'
altar is now in the making; the benefaCtor does not care to
have his name mentioned.
The following extraCt taken from a letter of Fr. Richards
to Messrs. Arnold, Locke & Co., of Brooklyn, gives a very
accurate description of the windows and of the oil paintings
soon to form a background for the sanCtuary. '' Our plan
for the windows in general is as follows. As the chapel is
to be dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, and particularly
in memory of this year when the Holy Father. Pius X, has
published his important Decree on Daily Communion we
think it well that the windows should constitute a history
of the Blessed Sacrament in its Prophecy from the beginning
of the world, its accomplishment by Christ our Lord, and
its continuation down to the present year and the decree of
the Holy Father. Moreover, as the chapel is in charge of
the Fathers of our Society, we deem it fitting and instructive for our members, that the history of the Holy Eucharist
in modern times should include its conneCtion with our Society and some of the c!lief favors and graces that we have
received from It. We.have therefore made out a series of
subjeCts, embodying as ·far as possible this plan. Before
giving a list of these subjeCts, I would remind you that there
are in all eight large windows, four on the west side of the
chapel, and four on the east. These are so ample in size as
to be capable of receiving great groups of figures. There
are two much smaller windows situated at a high level in
the sanCtuary. There are in addition three great panels for
oil paintings in the sanCtuary itself, one above and behind
the main altar, the other two glancing it at a small angle.
Now we think that these three oil paintings should be a part
of the series of subjeCts, together with the large windows.
The small windows we think should be filled with adoring
angels or some similar figures. This being premised, the
series of subjeCts would be as follows :
On the west side would be the Preparation for the Holy
Sacrament.
In the SanCtuary, its Accomplishment.

VARIA

117

On the east side its History to the present time.
The particular subjeCts would be as follows :
West Side:
1.
Next the door: First Type of the Blessed Sacrament.
Melchisedech, Priest of the Most High God, offering sacrifice
in Bread and Wine. Abraham and his followers adoring.
2. Second Type of the Blessed Sacrament, the Paschal
Lamb. The Jews before their departure from Egypt, standing girded, eating the Paschal Lamb, the Door . Posts
sprinkled with its blood, and the Angel of Death passmg by
leaving the house unharmed.
.
3· Third Type of the Blessed Sacrament, the Manna In
the Desert. The children of Israel gathering the Manna
under the direCtion of Moses and Aaron.
4· The Promise of the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the shore of the Lake of
Genesareth promising to give His Flesh and Blood as food
and drink for the life of the world. The Jews, some protesting, others doubting, some disciples turning away in unbelief. Peter at the head of the Apostles accepting and professing faith.
SanCtuary-Oil Paintings.
I.
Establishment of the Blessed Eucharist at the Last
Supper.
2.
Altar piece : 1'he Crucifixion as the Great Sacrifice,
of which the Blessed Eucharist is the continuation and the
mystical repetition.
3· Beginning of the history of the Blessed Eucharist in
its aCtion upon the Church. The Communion of the Blessed
Virgin Mary at the hands of St. John.
East Side-windows.
I.
(Next Altar) Communion of St. Ignatius and the First
Fathers of the Society of Jesus, when taking their first vows
in the chapel of Montmartre.
2.
The Revelation of the Sacred Heart in the Blessed
Sacrament.
3· All the Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus
worshiping the Blessed Sacrament and deriving their strength
from It.
4· The Holy Father, Pius X, issuing the Decree on Daily
C~mmunion. Representatives of the various Orders and the
Hierarchy and the Generals of the Religious Orders, including Fr. Louis Martin, s. J., receiving the Decree from his
hands."
. The basement, in. length and width as large as the chapel,
IS used for entertainments, debates, elocution classes and
other purposes of a like nature. For want of a more p~ecise
!erm! it is .commonly known as the Hall. The name, I say,
1s m1sleadtng; and for several reasons. First it is an obvious misnome; n<?w-a-d~ys to style a part of the Novitiate
a Hal.l or Aud1tonum, stnce the plays, entertainments, etc.

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are only such as the most finical critics could not but approve
of; secondly, its proximity to the chapel gives it a tone not
usually associated with places of amusement; and lastly, a
reason that might well have come first-it is also made to
no service as a chapel. Eight side altars, one of which has
been dedicated to the martyrs of the Society, have been
placed in the angles formed by the pillars supporting the
main chapel. However, this arrangement does not detract
from the main object of the auditorium, as the partitions are
screened from view by the use of curtains. The Hall
can easily accommodate 200 spectators. Mr. Donnelly, of
Pittston, has very generously furnished us with the chairs.
The stage, though narrowed in compass by the dressing
rooms on either side, is wide enough to allow the actors sufficient space to do justice to the heaviest roles in Shakespeare's plays. The scenery is as yet very simple much re.. , sembling that of the Elizabethan theatres. Opening into
the small passage adjoining the basement is an entrance,
which enables lay visitors. who would otherwise be debarred
from access through the cloister, to gain a view of the chapel
from the gallery which is out of the cloister limits. The
quadrangle, of course, is cloistered.
It will have been seen from the above account, that, though
the chapel owes its existence to the munificence of Mrs.
Ryan, there have not been wanting others to follow the example of generosity she has set. In this respect the Novitiate
has been blessed beyond all expectations. Though St. Andrew is still in its infancy, the roll of benefactors is long,
and yet many a name shall have to be added to the list before the house shall cease to be dependent on the " area
seminarii. ''
It is unnecessary to speak of the gratitude that Ours owe'
these devout Catholics.: the best we can do in return is to
think of them in our Masses and prayers.
AusTRIA. lnnsbruck. Fr. Fonck.-Towards the end of
June, Father Fonck returned from the Holy Land. He has
given since then several short talks to the seminarians and
scholastics on the impressions of this his second trip to the
scene of Our Lord's labors, and on the privilege of his half
hour's private audience with the Holy Father. Father
Fonck's work on the true method of scientific study in Sacred Scripture, prepared by special request of Very Reverend Father General, is in press.
Retreats.-During August and September four retreats
were held in the Convictus. From the sth to the 13th of
August Father Fonck gave the exercises to twenty-six
Priests; from 16th-2oth Father Schmid conducted a retreat
for sixty-two students, and Father Mickel had charge of the
exercises from 26th-3oth, and from Sept. 2d-6th. At the. la.st
two 170 secular priests were in attendance.

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Alumni Mee!ing.-News has reached the Seminary of an
enthusiastic meeting of former students of Innsbruck held
at Marquette University, Milwaukee on July 24th. It was
the fourth annual meeting of the American Alumni and was
attended by seventy-five of the one hundred and fifty members in the society ; Archbishop Messmer celebrated the
Mass with which the meeting began. A Committee w,as
appointed to prepare and send resolutions of condolence to
the Seminary on the death of Father Nilles, and fifty dollars was subscribed for the '' Papa '' Nilles fund founded for
poor students at Innsbruck.
Attendance in the Con villus.-There was some fear, owing to
the increase of one hundred krones in the price of tuition and
board, that the number of Seminarians this year would be
small. But such is not the case. At present there are 244
con victors in all-besides many who are obliged on account
of lack of room to lodge in private houses in the city.
Twenty of the theologians are living in the "Schwarzer
Adler," a building situated opposite the scholasticate-eight
came this term from the States.
Bishop Don"ng.-R. Heinrich Doring, s. J., who has recently been consecrated Bishop of Poonain East India, makes
the nineteenth convidor that has been raised to the dignity
of the purple. Bishop Doring studied in Innsbruck in the
years 188o-82, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1890.
Fr. Hurter's "Nomenclator."-Fr. Hurter has published
a revised third edition of his "Nomenclator," and his very
fine "Helps for the Exercises of an eight days Retreat."
Fr. Flunk's "Eschatology of Old Israel," (rst part) has appeared. Fr. M:iiller has edited a booklet entitled "Ada Pii
X Modernismi errores reproban tis colleda et disposita."
Contents: I) Allocutio of April I7, 1907, 2) Decreta Inquisitionis July 3, I907, and 3) Litterre Encyclicre of Sept. 8,
1907.
Death·if Fr. Franz Hattler.-Fr. Rattler, the well known
Sacred Heart Apostle and writer, died on Od. 13th at our
Villa, Zanzenhof am Ahrenberg. For forty-two years Fr.
Rattler did not fail to send once a month in the Messenger
of the Sacred his greetings and his consolations to the pious
people of the Tyrol. Born in the Tyrol, Sept. I I, I 829, he was
78 years old at the time of his death. Fr. Rattler entered the
Society in 1852, in which he has spent most of his years as
scriptor. He was Editor of the Messenger of the Sacred
Heart from 1883-1887. It may prove interesting to give a
" partial list of Fr. Rattler's works, which are read and loved
by the people of the Tyrol. Translation of the pages "Cor
Jesu," " Cor purissimum," "Neun Liebesdienste "· "Stileleben im Herzen Jesu" ; "Blumen aus dem Kath~lischen
Kindergarten"; "Liebst du mich" (many editions). His
adaptation of "Die Postille von Goffine" is most widely

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circulated(7editions); "Wanderbuch" 2 vols.; "Das Haus
des Herzens Jesu" ; "Christkatholischen Hausbrot" ;
"Grosses Herz J esu Buch" and "Missionsbilder a us Tirol."
Father Hattler was working at the time of his death on
a biography of the celebrated nineteenth century missionary,
Fr. Franz X. \Veninger, s. J.
Promotio sub Auspiciis lmperatoris.-On Oct. 29, Rev. Alphonsus Meyer of the diocese of Brixen received at the
hands of the University officials the highest academical
praise which Austria offers, being promoted to the doctorate
of-Theology ''sub auspiciis Imperatoris. '' The necessary conditions for obtaining this honor are not only a blameless
character and a successful course of studies-but all the
Gymnasium and University classes must be passed with
honors, and the "Rigorosum 11 with applause, that is the
votes of all the Examiners must be "Eminenter respondit."
That Father Meyer's prize is a big one is shown by the fad
that for the past fifty years in our Faculty only two, Dr.
Jonck, o. s. n., and Dr. Meyer-have received it. Fr. Meyer
made his Gvmnasium studies under our Fathers at ''Stella
Matutina," 'Feldkirch. He entered the Convidus in October, rgoo.
The whole academical senate was present at the promotion; besides many Professors of all the University faculties
-a large number of students and most of the seminarians.
The Viceroy of Tyrol and Voralberg, Baron Spiegelfeld,
presented to the young Doctor in the name of the Kaiser the
much coveted diamond ring.
There are 6r in the scholasticate this year-thirteen of
whom are Fathers. Two scholastics devote all their time at
present to University work and will take up their theological studies later. That the different tongues are well represented is shown from the fad, that it is found possible to
have once every two 1veeks five different "Toni 11 classes,
German, Hungarian, "Bohemian, French and English.
These classes are presided over by a Father appointed by
Rev. Father Rector. The English one, for example, consisting of the four scholastics from the Maryland-New York
Province, the two from the Missouri Province and one of
the English speaking scholastics of the Province of Toledo,
is in charge of Father Keogh of the English Province, who
is studying Ecclesiastical History under the direction of Fr.
Michael.
Thanksgiving Day Celebration.-The American Seminarians here have a friendly society which they call the '' American Exiles." The main events of the society are two banquets, one on Thanksgiving Day and the other on the Fourth
of July. The American Jesuits are always invited to these
banquets.
This year, the Thanksgiving Day banquet was the;! twen-

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ty-fifth annual celebration of that day by the American
Seminarians. Their banquet was one of decorous ~oo.d
cheer and American patriotism. There were enthustasttc
speeches, toasts in lighter vein and songs that had been
composed for the occasion. The guest of honor was Fr.
Hurter who has just celebrated the golden jubilee of his
profess~rship. He still teaches theology a.nd i~ very dear to
the Americans. In response to the toast m hts honor, Fr.
Hurter gave three reasons why he loved the Americans. He
said : " First, I am a father to many Americans ; secondly,
I am a republican; thirdly, I am an exile." Fr. Hurter is
a Swiss.
Mr. Kemper, of the Missouri Province, represented the
American Jesuits in a speech on America and the Vatican.
At the end of his speech, he caused the heartiest applause
of the evening by proposing to send to the Holy Father the
following telegram :
"Quadraginta Alumni Americani convictus theologici in
Innsbruck, festum quod in eorum patria in gratiarum actionem agi soli tum est celebrantes, gratias Deo agunt et Sanctitati Vestrre pro Modernismo obtruncato."
The telegram was sent, and Cardinal Merry del Val wired
the following answer:
" Patefacta ab alumnis Americanis convictus theologici
sensa, Beatissimus Pater libente animo accepit, meritamque
tribuens lau~em Apostolicam eis benedictionem amanter impertiit."
The American Seminarians are enthusiastic in their
pleasure at the answer.
BoSTON. N~w Coll~g~ Sit~.-The trustees of Boston College have finally brought to a successful issue a project that
has for many months been under consideration.
For some time past the friends of the eollege have urged
upon the authorities in charge the necessity of expansion,
and the need of separating locally the high school from the
college department.
This project had the hearty support of the alumni and old
, students of the college, and, above all, of the most reverend
Archbishop, himself an alumnus, who is a recognized leader
in every movement that tends towards the advancement of
Catholic higher education.
The site selected for the new college is the Hinckley estate. a large tract of land-over 30 acres in extent-situated
in Newton, bordering on the Chestnut Hill reservoir. The
land faces directly on the boulevard on the north adjoins the
reservoir on the east, is bounded by South st., 'Newton, on
the west and Beacon st. on the south. Deeds conveying this
tract t~ the trustees of Boston College will be placed on
record m Cambridge. to-day. The site is, and always will
be, one of the finest 1n New England for academic purposes.

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The surroundings are extremely artistic, for the land looks '
out upon the clear waters of the Reservoir lakes and the
wooded slopes of the environment.
The upper part of the traCt has a splendid elevation, while
the land toward Beacon st. affords unrivalled facilities for a
fine campus and for athletic purposes.
Upon this charming site it is hoped to erect a group of
buildings which, both in design and equipment, will take a
high rank among the college struCtures of the land.
The position and shape of the land must prove an inspiration to any architeCt who might wish to build a lasting
monument of architeCtural excellence.
It has been suggested that the initial plan should' contemplate a recitation building, an administration building, two
science buildings with ample facilities for laboratory training, an up-to-date gymnasium, a library and a college hall.
In the new plan, provision will be made for special study
in technical and scientific research, for it is well known that
many of the professors are ardently devoted to scientific and
technical training. The scientific department will, consequently, be a marked feature in the new development.
The present facilities for reaching this favored spot are
many indeed, but in addition to those now existing others
are projeCted which, in conneCtion with the Riverbank subway, will bring this entire region within easy reach of the
railway terminals and of the great local centers of travel.
While the scheme as outlined above will call for the outlay of a large sum of money, it is felt that the wonderful
progress of the Catholic Church in New England warrants
belief, that these plans can be brought to a successful issue
in a few years by the cooperation of those who have at heart
the intelleCtual needs of Catholic youth.
Already steps are o~ foot to secure the funds necessary for
the ereCtion of the first buildings. A number of the older
alumni and former students have entered into the work with
enthusiasm, and it is hoped that their efforts, together with
the assistance of all who are interested in higher education,
will result in an early fruition of the hope of the president
of the college, Rev. Thomas I. Gasson, whose energetic
work since he became the head of the institution, augurs
much for the success of the undertaking.
The present site on Harrison av. and James st. will be
kept for the academic department, after the change to the
new location has been made.
At a mass meeting of old students and friends of Catholic
Education, held in Boston College hall, great enthusiasm
was shown and Sso,ooo were subscribed for the building of
the new college. The Archbishop was unable to attend, but
he sent the following letter, which was read by Father Gasson.
"Each succeeding day brings stronger conviction that the

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lZl

Catholic school and the Catholic college are an absolute necessity to the progress of faith and the welfare of this land
of ours.
''The Catholic Church stands firm in her position. However the others may cloak over and neglect the moral
training of the young, she will never compromise her true
position. In our parish schools the child has, before he
completes the grammar school, a well-defined knowledge of
the great moral principles of life, which will never be obscured unless they are torn up by the roots.''
"But we must look beyond our parochial schools if we
are to do our full duty in preparing our young men for life's
higher responsibilities. We must think of that ever-increasing number that are entering the professions and high mercantile pursuits. We need now, and we shall need more
every day, the doctor of moral convictions and a christian
conscience, who looks upon his patient not as a mere combi·
nation of cells, but as a child of God, who will go to the
sick chamber with his knowledge of anatomy and medicine
and a firm belief in God and the charity of the christian
heart.
"We need more every day the lawyer who holds the law
as a sacred thing-not merely as something to toss about, as
jugglers do, for mere gain and barter.
"We need the Christian merchant, possessed not only of
a shrewd business sense, but of a strict Catholic conscience.
" For the training of such men the Catholic college is a
necessity. No Catholic community can be content without
a Catholic college.
"For many years this diocese has been blessed with Boston College. It has done its work well, but it has outgrown
its present condition. It has got to the point where it must
take a great step forward.
"The cost, while large, will in the end prove to be a very
small one. Boston College has taken this land, but now is
the time to aid her."
At the conclusion of the reading of the Archbishop's
manuscript the cheering was tremendous.
Father Gasson then said in part:
''The Catholic Church has ever been the promoter and
generous patron of education.
" The college may be considered as the fortifications which
guard the sacred temple of truth, as that temple is enlarged
so must the fortifications expand. Since the days when this
college was started the church has grown beyond the fairest
dream, and the consequence is that we all feel the need of
enlarging the fortifications, that is, of expanding the college.
yve mu~t have m<;>re ~oom, we must have other surroundings,
tf we wtsh to do JUStice to the system of training for which
the Catholic Church stands."

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Father Gasson then explained in detail the various new
buildings which are needed to complete the greater Boston
College.
CALIFORNIA. Rocky Mountain Mission.
San Francisco.
St. Ignatius Colltge. Changes in Studin -Courses of study
preparatory to law, medicine and engineering have been introduced into the last two undergraduate years. According
to the new arrangement philosophy, which includes logic,
metaphysics and ethics, together with their history, scholastic debate and the philosophy of religion, is still common
to "all three courses. The course preparatory to law adds
jurisprudence and legal history, constitutional history and
law, political economy and research, parliamentary law and
the art of debating, the theory and practice of oratory, especially forensic, and the history and analysis of the masterpieces of Greek, Latin and English oratory.
The course preparatory to medicine embraces, besides
philosophy, biology and particularly zoology, cytology and
embryology, higher French and German, and special laboratory work in physics, chemistry and biology.
The course preparatory to engineering, over and above
philosophy, takes in graphics, or free-hand, geometrical,
mechanical and topographical drawings, assaying, geology
and mineralogy, higher French and German and special
laboratory work in physics and chemistry. These three
courses follow the four years of High school and the freshman and sophomore years of college, thus completing an
undergraduate curriculum which for thoroughnessis second
to none in the country. The first six years of this curriculum aim at imparting a truly liberal education ; the last two,
or junior and senior years, aim at preparing the student directly for the work of the university proper, or professional
schools. One result·of these new courses will be that a
graduate of St. Ignatius should be entitled on his merits to
enter at least the freshman year of any college of law or
medicine, and the junior year of any college of engineeringTo carry on the courses of medicine and engineering successfullv the laboratorv rooms have been remodeled and an
elegant-studio has bee-n fitted up with every necessary appliance.
The Pope's Blessin.tr to the Members of Peter's Pence Sociery.-In a private audience of December 30, 1907, the Rev.
Father Salvator Brandi, s. J., at the reque~t of Rev. Father
Sasia, s. J., presented to the Holy Father the sum of $500
(equal to 2575 Italian lira\ the offering contributed by the
members of Peter's Pence Society, organized in St. Ignatius
Church. On this occasion the Rev. Father stated the fact
that such an amount had been cheerfully contributed by the
Faithful, notwithstanding the special difficulties under which

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they labor, owing to the late calamity, which dep~ived ~any
of their homes and other temporal resources. His Holiness
was deeply touched by such unsti~ted generosity and _ardent
devotion to the Holy See, and deigned to express his profound gratitude by the following autograph letter:
''To our beloved son, Father Joseph Sasia of the Society
of Jesus, and to the equally beloved members of the community over which he presides, and to all the members of
Peter's Pence Society connected with St. Ignatius Church,
San Francisco, we impart with gratitude and particular affection the Apostolic Benediction.
"From the Vatican, Dec. 30, 1907.
''PIUS X."
SouTH DAKOTA. Holy Rosary Mission. A Prairie Fire.
-The prairie fire so graphically described by Cooper is not
a thing of the past and of romance only, but is even nowadays a frequent occurrence on the plains of the wild West,
as may be seen from the following experience.
A short time ago I returned from a missionary trip to the
Bear Creek district, which had just been the scene of such
a conflagration. From some unknown cause, the fire started
on the eastern side of our reservation, and for days careered
madly, like a wild horse, in a northwesterly direction across
the rolling prairie. Nothing could stop its course of destruction. Lashed by the strong wind, so to say, into fury, it
made its way across the plain, climbed almost inaccessible
heights, crossed dry creeks and deep ravines and spared
nothing in its march of triumph. At last the conflagration
assumed such dimensions that, with a front of twenty-five
to thirty miles, it moved onward like an immense ocean
wave.
During the cold nights, when the wind ceased, the people
around tried their best to stop the tide of the furious element, and on the third night they thought they had succeeded. But the next morning it started afresh, and irresistibly continued its destructive course. Not until the night
before All Saints' was the terrible foe overcome.
But what a sad spectacle presented itself now to the wondering eye, after the smoke had cleared away ! Over seven
hundred square miles had been swept clean by the devouring flames, and nothing remained but the black, desolate
prairie. No living being was to be seen far and wide.
The damage done was exceedingly great. In this country the stock has to seek .its food on the prairie in all seasons.
Owing: to circ~m~tanc.e~, hay is put up for bad weather only.
Now, m the distnct VISited by the fi~e, all the grass is gone,
and the cattle and horses must be dnven ten and more miles
to find feed.
There is great desolation everywhere, and some people
lose heart altogether because they can come to nothing on
account of these terrible fires. For, unfortunately, the

I"

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prairie fire is a calamity that visits the reservations of Pine
Ridge and Rosebud every year more than once. Until snow
falls the people are never sure that they will not be visited
by the much-dreaded guest. In spring the danger commences again. All attempts to prevent these prairie fires have
proved unsuccessful.
This year the Government tried to help the Indians by
giving a heifer to every one of them. They are also now
busy allotting land to them. The heads of families receive
640 acres, their wives and grown-up children 320, the rest
16o. About twenty-six hundred allottinents have already
been made. The Government hopes, by allotting the land,
to make the Indians settle down and attend to their
farms and the little stock they now have. The fad is that
really some progress has been made since the allotting began. Unhappily, the land is to a great extent little suited
for farming, and, moreover, the small harvest that might be
expected is only too often destroyed by drought, frost and
hail, although the last three years have been somewhat more
favorable in this regard.
On the whole, the Sioux Indians are, and will remain for
a long time, a people whose condition fills one with pity,
They are sickly and poor. That says all. Their state of
health is getting worse and worse; we had never so many
burials as this year. The mortality statistics increase, in
fad, at an alarming rate, and there is no hope that the near
future will bring a change for the better. Fr. Theotl. Henry, S. J. in the Catholic Standard and Times.
CHINA. Geography if the Chinese Empire.-Among the
recipients of prizes which are annually awarded by the
Commercial Geographical Society of Paris is Father Richard,
a Jesuit missionary of Kian-nan. His two volumes on the
geography of the Chinese Empire contain a wealth of information, drawn~from the best sources, on the physical
geography of China, on the various provinces and cities, on
the agricultural and mining resources and on the actual economic conditions of China. Of all questions the one treating of the climate of the Empire, based as it is on the data
furnished him by Fr. Loidrey, s. J., of the Jesuit Observatory of Zi-ka-wei, is of the greatest importance and deserves
the highest encomium.
ENGLAND. Mount St. Mary' s.-The following is the result of our successes in Public Examinations, 1907. The
Tablet of August 24th says:-" Among the boys' schools the
four Jesuit Colleges, St. Francis Xavier's, St. Ignatius's,
Stamford Hill, Wimbledon and Mount St. Mary's, run in
close and fraternal rivalry, and manage among them to carry off the lions' share of the Honors.''
Oxford Locals; Seniors : two in third class honors, and four

VA.RJA

12'1

passes First Division. In this examination 6370 candidates
presented themselves.
Responsions: Stated subjeds, ·Two passes.
OxjtJrd Locals :-Juniors: Honors_. Ist Class, one. Our
candidate, 0. Lofthouse; was 4oth out of 327; 2nd class
one. 3rd class, eleven. Passes, zst div. eleven. 2nd div.,
two. DistinElions, Latin, six, Greek, three.
Oxford Locals, Preliminary : zst Class .Honors, three, 2?d
class, two :-3rd class, six. Passes, 1st dtv., twelve, 2nd ~tv.
three. DistinElions, Latin, one, Elementary Mathematics,
one :-Heat, one.
In this examination 3817 candidates presented themselves.
London University. Intermediate B. A. Pass, one; exemption from Matriculation, Four.
School Examinations: Certificates : Harmony and Grammar of Musict one :-Rudiments of Music, four : Primary
Theory, ten.
Malta. St. Ignatius College.-Extrad from the Mt. St.
Mary's College Paper- The Mountaineer. -The native party,
who are, by the way, mostly Italians, had since the college
started taken every means in their power to annoy the Fathers as belonging to the English Province. In pursuance
of this "policy of pin-pricks," they had seized upon the fad
that a boy had been punished, and they took adion against
the Father for assault. This adion they carried before every
court in Malta, but the Redor won all along the line; and
it was finally decided that he was in statu parentis and well
within his rights in infliding the punishment mentioned, to
the great discomfiture of the native party and the delight of
all loyal inhabitants, Protestants as well as Catholics.
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY. The House oj Writers.-In early
September, 1907, the Messenger staff moved its headquarters
to Fordham. The three editors have their living apartments
on the second floor of the Old Manor Building. Their offices and library are on the same floor in the northern extension. The sacristy of the Students' Sodality Chapel has
been neatly converted into a chapel, and this is reserved for
for their use. The Fathers are regular members of the
Fordham community, and follow the regulations laid down
by Very Reverend Father Anderledy in his decree of July
17th, 1892. They have the immediate management of the
Messenger in all its details, its financial status being made
known to the Reverend Redor once a month, and to the
Procurator of the Province every three months. By arrangement between the three Fathers of the staff, Father Wynne·
edits the Messenger, Father Campbell The Catholic Mind
and Father Spillane The Pilgrim of our Lady of Martyrs. '
Father Campbell is preparing in book form his ' Monographs of New York Priests,' and Father Spillane is soon to

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puhlish the Life of Father Van Rensselaer. Father Wynne
is still occupied with the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Kohlmann Hall, at 181st Street, remains the headquarters
of the Apostleship of Prayer and its organ, The Messenger
of the Sacred Heart. The Messenger, The Catholic Mind,
and The Pilgrim, are now published at Fordham by the
Fordham University Press. The library books which bad
been acquired by the Messenger and the Apostle$hip of
Prayer, have been divided, the Apostleship keeping mainly
the spiritual books and the Messenger taking the ·others to
the number of about 6.ooo. The only connection that now
exists between the Messenger and the Messenger of the Sacred Heart is a financial relation concerning advertisements
which still appear in both publications. The Messenger
Fathers have been making special efforts to have the alumni
of our colleges subscribe to the Magazine. Good results
have been obtained.
Preparations are being made to convert the Messenger
Magazine into a Review in the course of the year 1908. The
scope of the Review will be the broadest possible. It will
be a reflex and critical study of Catholic life and literature
in every direction. Though the articles will for the most
part be written by Ours, externs also will be invited to contribute. The present staff of editors will be increased by
the addition of members of other provinces as well as of our
own. The cooperation of Ours abroad will also be enlisted,
and for this purpose Father Wynne wiil go to some of our
houses in this country and later to Europe, in order to secure the cooperation of Ours as editors and contributors.
The establishment of the new publication Very Reverend
Father General has much at heart. He has written to the
editors to congratulate them on their establishment as a
House of Writers at Fordham. The name of the Review
will not be settled up_on until its scope be more definitely determined.
- -· .
The Shrine at Auriesville.-The pilgrimages began last
year on July 15th, and were continued regularly on Sundays
until September 22nd. Previous to this year, the season
ended with August, but so many parishes in the neighborhood wished to make the pilgrimage, that the season bad to
be extended. During the summer, fully 12,ooo persons
visited the shrine. A full account of the year's success is
given in the October number of the Pilgrim, 1907.
The second step in the process of beatification of the Canr.dian Martyrs, known as the 'process non cult,'' was completed in September, and the papers have already been forwarded to Rome.
FRANCE.
The Universi!J' o/ Beyrout and the Government.
-The Deputies gave just two months to make up the budget; an impossible feat for serious legislators, which, of

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course, they are not; and left only eight days for ~he.Senate
to approve, which they did, but because the midmght of
December 31 was at hand, and the bl!dget _?ad to be rus~ed
through. In the course of a brief discussiOn the quest~on
of the University of Beyrout, which is controlled by Jesu~ts,
came up. Should it be suppressed or n?t? M. J enol!v~er,
who was admitted to know more about It than the Mimster
of Foreign Affairs himself, as that gentleman naively admitted declared that ''to substitute the present faculty by a
lay fac~lty would be deplorable and disastrous.'' He proved
that the present faculty "employed in a most admirable
manner the money it received ;" that "the Father in charge
was an eminent man of the first order;" "that he and his
collaborators were performing a work of patriotism and civilization," and that "instead of wishing to destroy that
faculty which would inevitably pass into the hands of
foreigners, France should offer them greater emoluments,"
etc. All this from an anticlerical. He staved off the suppression, but it is a matter that promises furious times when
Parliament takes it up as it will do later.
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY. The Sodalities.-Fr. Aloysius Brosnan has organized a professional sodality in the
law and medical schools which gives promise of great and
far reaching good. In addition to the regular duties of sodalists, frequentation of the sacraments, attendance at sodality meetings, teaching in Sunday schools, visiting jails,
etc., the members gather each Sunday evening to hear an
instruction from the Director on some subject of Catholic
controversy. The sodality has awakened great interest
among the students and already has an active membership
of forty with a waiting list of forty.
With the approval of Cardinal Gibbons Fr. Conway is engaged in perfecting plans for the organization of a Washington Alumni Sodality.
Athletics.-The question of athletics in the Prep school
has settled itself in a satisfactory way owing to a peculiar
circumstance. The Prep team was so far superior to the
High School teams of the city that nearly all of them refused to play with our boys. Compelled to fall back upon
themselves the various classes organized class crews, track
a_n~ football teams. Fr. Rector purchased flags for competitiOn. The races, meet and games awakened so much interest and resulted in such keen contests that athletics hereafter will continue local in the Prep school. Incidentally
studies received. an impetus from the class contests; no boy
could play on .his class team whose mark was below sixty.
The response m the classrooms was immediate and practically t;.niversal as almost every ?~Y was engaged for some
athletic contest. Some began nsu~g before the appointed
9

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time to gain an additional hour of study by attending early
Mass. The practice has spread to the college students and
now there is a regular attendance of between thirty and forty
students at the early Mass.
GERMANY. Some Inttresting Statistics.- Rev. Father
Krose in the Dec. number of the Stimmen aus Man"a Laach
gives some illuminating figures concerning the numerical
situation of the Catholic Church in Germany. According
to these there was in the German Empire on December I,
1905, a Protestant population of 37,646,852 as compared
with 35,231,104 in 1900, and a Catholic population of
22,094.492, as compared with 20,321.441 in 1900. Comparing these figures with those of I871, the proportion of Protestants in the Empire has diminished during the last generation by o. 23 per cent, while the Catholic population has
increased in the same period by 0.25 per cent. Father Krose
finds that this slight increase of Catholics is due not to conversions but to Catholic immigration. Between 1900 and
1905 the foreign population of Germany increased by just a
quarter of a million and almost all the additions came from
Catholic countries. Father Krose finds no comfort in the
slightly increased percentage of German Catholics-on the
contrarv he shows that the Church has to lament serious
losses among the German immigrants. Most of these find
their way into Protestant parts of Germany: Berlin, Brandeburg, Silesia and Saxony, and there many of them contract
marriage with Protestants. Whatever may be said of the
general results of mixed marriages they are certainly disastrous for the Church in Protestant Germany, for Father
Krose shows that in Saxony alone, between 1900 and 1905,
mixed marriages resulted in no fewer than 5772 perversions
to Protestantism-and of course all the children of these
unions are lost to the Church.
A Curious Letftr.::::On Oct. J, 1907, the Rev. Rector of
Valkenburg was amused to find among his mail a rather
curious letter from a Mr. Cohn of Berlin. The writer declared that he wished to negotiate the loan of one million
for Princess Louise of Belgium, who, as he explained, was
just then in great financial embarassment. As a security he
begged to offer the princess' villa in Aix-la-Chapelle, and
added that Her Royal Highness would be very generous to
the Society, after she had received the inheritance which
was meanwhile withheld from her.
The communication was, of course, consigned to the
waste· basket. But ten days later a second one arrived from
the same gentleman, and after another week even a third,
both urging the same matter, and disregarded like the first.
Finally on Oct. 26, Mr. Cohn wrote again to state, that in
the meantime the princess had received the loan of a con-

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siderable sum of money from someone in Holland, presumably through the agency of the Rev. ~ector; wherefore the
latter was kindlv asked to declare without delay, whether
the surmise was· founded on fact or not. In a brief reply
Mr. Cohn was thereupon politely requested to desist once
for all from molesting his correspondent in this affair.
The whole is a strange episode, that goes to show what
an opinion prevails in certain quarters about us Jesuits and
our supposed wealth. Or was it, perhaps, a snare laid for
some less wary superior?
Valkenburg. St. Ignatius' College. A change in thecourse
if studies.-They ha':e introd.uce~ quite a change here. the
in the course of studies, makmg It as modern as possible.
The first year is altogether separated from the rest in dogma, and while we are finishing our usual course according
to ''Pesch,'' the beginners are having a treatise on religion
in general and another on archaeology. The treatises on
the sacraments are to be joined with moral theology, thus
making room for the above new treatises.
At Rev. Fr. Generals' special recommendation, the consultors of the German Province have resolved to give all
scholastics engaged in their studies an additional half hour
of recreation every day at 4 P. M. and an extra walk on Sundays, so that besides our full exitus day, we have two walks
a week from d-3~ P. l\I. This change went into effect on
Oct. I I.
INDIA. Mangalore. St. Aloysius' College.
Visit of the
Governor if ll£adras. -Some time back you asked me to send
you such news from India as might be of interest to your
readers. The recent visit of His Excellency Sir Arthur
Lawley, governor of Madras, to Mangalore enables me to
comply with your request, as it will show how much our
work in this part of the world is appreciated by the representatives of the British Government.
The governor of Madras rules, almost as sovereign, over
nearly forty millions of British subjects. His tenure of office is five years and during this period he is supposed to
pay at least one official visit to every District of the Presidency.
The governor arrived in Mangalore on September 4 and
t~e first important function he performed was the pres~nta­
twn to our veteran Father .(i. Miiller, s. J. of the Kaiser-iHind m:dal. ~he ~aiser-~-Hind medal, it will be necessary
to explam, .was Instituted m 1900 by Queen Victoria "as a
reward for Important and useful services rendered in the Indian Empire in the advancement of public interest." It
has been awarded .to Father Miiller in recognition of his
great work of chanty towards the poor and sick and above
all in recognition of his life of sacrifice in the management
of the Leper Asylum founded by him fifteen years ago.

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The presentation of the medal to Father Muller took
place in the Reception Pavilion in the presence of all the notabilities of Mangalore and of a crowd of about w,ooo people, who had assembled to greet the representative of the
British Soverign orr his arrival. It was a solemn moment.
The governor on presenting the medal to Father Miiller
made the fellowing beautiful speech which I copy from the
" Madras Mail," the leading paper of the Presidency :
REVEREND FATHER Mur.r.ER

I take it that the purpose in view, when the bestowal of
the Kaiser-i-Hind medal is determined on, is to make known
as widely as possible the recognition of services of exceptional merit rendered to India and her peoples.
I feel that the phrase which I have used-" of exceptional
merit "-is a most inadequate description of the work you
have done.
In this district the Church to which you belong has,
decade after decade, been a practical living exposition of the
teaching of Christ-self-sacrifice, self-obliteration, self-devotion to the welfare of others.
And, Ladies and Gentlemen, no exponent of these doctrines has been more faithful, more consistent, more conspicuous than Father Miiller. To restrain and to push back the
encroachments of ignorance, poverty and sin ; to do battle
with the forces of disease, plague, leprosy and the other ills
which flesh is heir to-this has been the noble task of his
life.
His way of life may seem to have fallen into the sere and
yellow leaf but age cannot wither his infinite enthusiasm,
his patient devotion to duty, his overflowing love for his fellow man. I hope that to him and to the gallant band enrolled under his banner the present moment may help in
some degree to bring: home the fact that his labor is not in
vain, that we do rea1ize how splendid has been the effort of
his life, how rich the fruit of his work, and earnestly we
hope and pray that God may prosper the labor of his hands.
Sir, in pinning this medal on your breast, I offer you my
sincere congratulations and express the hope that for many
a year to come you may wear this decoration and that it may
cheer you and others who with you are climbing the steep
and rugged path of duty.
The governor was accompanied by his wife, Lady Lawley
and his two daughters. In the evening of Nov. 5 Their
Excellencies motored to St. Aloysius' College to attend an
entertainment by the Catholic community. The route to
the college was gaily decorated, several artistic triumphal
arches spanning the road. On arrival Their Excellencies
were received by the Right Rev. Bishop A. Cavadini, s. J.,
the Rev. Paul Perini, s. J., Rector of the College, Father
Miiller, s. J. and the leading members of the Catholic com-

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munity. As soon as Their Excellencies had taken their
seats, the college choir sang the Lombards' chorus, aft~r
which an address of welcome was read and a COJ:?edy m
three acts, Moliere's L' Avare was staged. The stagmg, getup and acting were perfect and the play was greatly appreciated.
His Excellency made a fine speech dwelling c~i~fly on the
loyalty of the Catholics of Mangalore to the Brtttsh Crown
and on the splendid services rendered by their forefathers to
the English on various occasions.
The singing of the National Anthem and three cheers to
Their Excellencies terminated a bright and successful entertainment. The beautiful college building, which lends itself so admirably for illumination, was decked out with innumerable multi-colored lights and presented a dazzling appearance. An artistically illuminated arch at the gateway
displayed an inscription of farewell as His Excellency drove
away.
On September 6, the Governor paid a second visit to the
college; this time, to see the classes at work and to receive
an address from the staff and students. The account of this
second visit to the college is taken from the " Madras Mail"
of Nov. 7, and I give it in full because I consider it of peculiar interest to Ours.
From the Jail His Excellency proceeded to the St. Aloysius' College, where Lady Lawley and the Misses Lawley
joined him. Their Excellencies were received by the Rev.
Father Paul Perini, Rector and Principal, who introduced
him to the Professors of the College. Their Excellencies
went round the various classes, where some 6oo students
were at work, and after inspecting them were conducted to
the beautiful Chapel attached to the College, dedicated to
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron of youth, a pretty image
of whom was placed on the altar. Vivid frescoes and artistic paintings, illustrative of the birth and life of Christ, with
which an Italian artist, the late Brother Moscheni adorned its
walls and ceiling in r8gg-rgoo, have made the Church a
centre of attraction for the public, and it is not too much to
say that it is one of the most artistic in India.
By the time the in~pection of the Church was completed,
the boys bad been marched upstairs and bad taken their
seats in the spacious hall. On Their Excellencies en.tering
the hall, they were greeted with loud cheers. His Lordship
Dr. Cavadini, Bishop of Mangalore, was also present.
T~e Rector read an address, during the course of which
special reference was made to His Excellency's sympathetic
treatment of the Jesuits in the Transvaal in these terms:Your progress through the countries over which you have
been placed has been frequently punctuated with warm discours~s to teachers and taught, and while your words have
been listened to everywhere, to us they have come with pe-

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culiar significance, as from one who is familiar with the spirit
in which the education ofthe young is here undertaken. The
Society which is responsible for that work is the same as the
one which you used to come across in a distant part of the
Empire, where lasting monuments of your wise rule are patent
on every side, and whose educational work was performed
under your own auspices. \Ve have comfort in the thought
that the same sympathy that went out to them will ever be
with us, engaged as we are in similar pursuits. We thank
your Excellency for the proof of it already given us in the
nomination of the Principal of this College to be an Ordinary Fellow of the University of Madras.
THE GovERNOR's SPEECH.
Two excellent part songs were well sung by the boys, after
which His Excellency made the follow reply :
MY LORD BISHOP, REVEREND FATHERS AND STUDENTS
OF ST. ALOYSIUS' COLLEGE,- I beg to thank you very sincerely for the kindly way in which you have greeted Lady Lawley and myself this afternoon. I cannot fail to be deeply
touched by the generous and all too flattering words in
which you have alluded to my services in other lands. And
I am particularly gratified by your allusion to my past association with some of the Jesuit Fathers, whose work in the
educational field all over the world (inspired as it is by devotion to the service of God) is, in my opinion, the noblest
task to which a man may put his hand.
You refer to the work of the Society of Jesus far way in
the heart of Rhodesia. It was possible for me there to be
in constant touch with the "good men and true" who were
direCting that work and devoting themselves thereto in a
manner not unworthy of the Master whom they serve. It
was my privilege to know these men well, to claim them as
my personal friends,_·and I shall ever cherish my friendship
with them, ever rejoit:e that I was allowed to share with
them, in however small a degree, in spreading the influences
of Christianity and civilization in that distant land.
No less do I sympathize with you, Sir, and the brethren
of your Society in the same splendid work which you are
doing here; and if it may be possible for me to give in some
praCtical way proof of the sympathy which I feel, it will be
to me the greatest possible pleasure.
It is nearly thirty years since this College was first opened,
and from then until now its history has been one of constant
outpouring of money, of time and of self by the ReCtor and
his staff.
My young friends, do you ever pause and ask yourselves~
How comes it that you have access to these spacious halls
and class rooms; that you have brought within your reach
the golden opportunity of acquiring knowledge and thus of
acquiring power (for knowledge is power) to fight the stern

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~

135

battle of life? Do you realize how great a measure of love
and care and thought for your welfare is day by day, hour
by hour, being freely given you? I ho_P: you do, and I am
sure that von will not be unworthy rectptents of such generosity and affection. I say this with the greater confiden~e
when I think of the many who have gone out from thts
College to serve their country with distinction in all parts of
the Presidency and to give practical den:onstra!iof:I of the
admirable training which they have recetved wtthm these
walls.
To each and all of you I can but say, "Go and do likewise." So shall you best repay the debt you owe to your
College ; so shall you prove worthy of th-e example of dev_otion to duty which is ever set you by those whose puptls
you are. To the Rector and his staff I would only
say that I am most grateful for the opportunity which I
have had of seeing what they have accomplished here, to
realize for myself what splendid work they are doing. I
only hope and pray that God may prosper them in their
labor of love.
The governor and party spent six days in Mangalore, during which time they visited several othe.:: Catholic institutions and were everywhere immensely pleased with the work
of our Fathers.-Letter if Fr. Pen·ni.
St. Mary's College, Magazon.-From the report of St.
Mary's College, published at the close of the year 1907 we
learn that the school closed with an average number of 506
pupils on the rolls. Of these 250 belong to the European
and 256 to the English Teaching school ; 206 are Boarders
and 300 Day-scholars.
The number of Boarders has remained for a good many years
about the same. There would be, no doubt, an increase
in the number, if there were room for more admissions; we
have however accommodation for 212 at the utmost. This
is one of the reasons why applications of good and respectable Parsi and Muhamedan families are not entertained for
Boarding ; then we have laid it down as a maxim to close
the door to these, in order to keep it open for any deserving
Catholic lad, who otherwise would be debarred from receiving a suitable education and religious training. That the
number of Boarders however remains for many years at the
, same high level without great fluctuation is a sufficient proof
of the confidence our Catholic parents place in the Institution and the universal satisfaction given to them.
For the Matriculation 6 were sent up and 5 passed. Of
the successful candidates, three joined St. Xavier's College
and two obtained suitable employments.
~his_Year 29 boys were presented for the first grade exammatton of the School of Art and 20 passed ; in the second
grade 5 passed out of 7· They all will receive certificates
from the School of Art.

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IRELAND. Mungret. Death if Father Ronan.-Theirish
Apostolic School of Mungret is well known in America. Its
founder, Father Ronan, who was well known in this country, died on December 10 at the age of 82. He had come
to America, in r884, to solicit help for the great work. He had
been a secular priest and was ordained in Maynooth, in r848.
Two years afterwards he became a Jesuit. When the Crimean War broke out he went as chaplain of the English
troops. Returning to Ireland he labored chiefly as a missionary, and was a favorite everywhere throughout the country. When Re&or of Crescent College, Limerick, in r88o,
he founded the Irish Apostolic School, and when Mun'gret
College came into the possession of the Jesuits, the Apostolic
College was transferred to that place. In r887 he again resumed his work as a missionary, and in rgor returned to
spend the last six years of his life in his beloved Mung-ret.
ITALY. Residence for University Students at Padua.-The
Province of Venice has this year opened a residence for
university students at Padua. This residence corresponds
to what is called a dormitory in our Protestant Universities;
its name is Pensione Universiteria Francesco Petrarca. The
pensione marks a new movement in an old dire&ion, an upto-date way of getting personal influence upon the young
men of Italy. The Holy Father takes a keen interest in
this new movement, and is very grateful to the Society for
its flank attack on the enemies of the Church. The enemies
rejoice that the entire system of University education in
Italy is under unchristian and even atheistic control. The
Italian youth begins his university studies at seventeen or
thereabout; and is hence under the vilest influence during
the most important years of chara&er formation. The Fathers at Padua will strive to countera& this influence bv the
safeguard of solid ·Catholic principles and sincere jesuit
friendship.
-- -·
The Society has made the pensione most attra&ive to the
young men of the world. \Vith a realization that they are
not forming novices but merely trying to prevent mortal sin,
the Fathers have taken all the sinless ways of the world
that they could take to make their pensione attractive. Its
very name startles one ; but Francesco Petrarca draws the
young men of Padua even better than San Antonio de Pedova. In the whole institution there is nothing at all to indicate monasticism, supervision, religious influence, or clericalism. Billiard-tables, pool-tables and card-tables, large
and lightsome corridors, airy and cheery rooms without pious
pi&ures and holy-water fonts. ele&ric lights, all manner of
baths, an automatic elevator, steam heat, a telephone, beautifully kept gardens, well served meals and perfe& cleanliness indicate a new modernism that delights the fatherly
heart of Pius X.

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The students pay per semestre from twelve to thirty dollars for room twenty-five dollars for board, and seven ~ol­
lars for washing and all other service, -in all, between fortyfour and sixty-two dollars per semestres of four and a half
months. The pensione leaves to the students the char.ges for
mending, medical treatment, correspondence, etc., JUSt as
any boarding house would do.
.
The regulations are few. The purpose of the Fathers ts
to give to the students every freedom that is compatible with
the safeg-uarding of morals. They were very anxious to
know our American ways of prefecl:ing and the results of
such ways ; how we were able to prevent gross contamination in the midst of gross temptations, etc. Presence at
Mass is required on Sundays only. Once a week all must
be present at a conference on apologetics. Students must
be home in the evening at 9 during winter, and 10 during
summer, unless special permission is got to stay out later.
This latter permission is given from time to time, but only
at the responsibility of the parents. In fad every means is
taken to make the life of the students free and happy, while
safeguarding their Catholic principles and Catholic morals.
}AMAICA. Retum of Bishop Collins.-'-At Winchester
Park, Sunday afternoon, Dec. 22, 1907, there was a very
large gathering to welcome His Lordship Bishop Collins,
·who had just returned to the Island after his consecration.
The assemblage was worthy of the occasion. The school
children were there in large numbers, and altogether the
funCl:ion was a most pleasant one.
A procession was formed in the house at Winchester Park
and proceeded to the platform on the grounds. The platform was handsomely decorated for the occasion, appropriate mottos being displayed, and the procession was headed
by three little girls. Then followed the members of the
committee of management, and other Catholics and after
them came the priests and the Bishop. His Lordship was
attired in his purple robes.
After the children had sung a hymn, Mr. J. W. Branday
made a few introduCtory remarks, referring to the address
presented to the Bishop on board the steamer last Thursday
and the gift of a carriage and a pair of horses. They
thought, he said, that was the most useful present they
could make him, because they realized that in his arduous
duties in a tropical climate, that would help him in the discharge of his duties and save him a certain amount of inconvenience. That afternoon they had gone there to welcome the Bishop home. He used the word '' home '' bec~use he knew that Bishop Collins considered this c~untry
h~s home and they considered him part of themselves. The
Btshop was no stranger to them. He was an old friend in a
new garb, and although he had been raised to the dignity

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of a Bishop, they would find him the same sympathetic
Father Collins they all knew and loved.
The Bishop's reply was in part as follows.
The terrible earthquake which wrecked our city in less
than a year after my arrival, did not lessen my affection for
the Island, or you, but rather increased it. For how could
any one have labored with you and for you, during the days
that followed the earthquake without growing to admire the
way you bore your affiiction and to esteem you more highly.
" One of the effects of our calamity was a closer union of
hearts between priests and people. And in the providence
of God we are now in greater need of the union than ever,
as the task of building our church and convents is a heavy
one, demanding the self-sacrifice and co-operation of all.
"I may again state that the plan of the new church is
now being made out by an architect in New York City.
The style of the church is Romanesque, and will, I think,
give satisfaction to all lovers of church architecture. The
church will seat twelve hundred people. The architect is
expected to arrive in Jamaica at the end of January next
and to spend a few weeks on the Island. He is bringing
down with him a Superintendent of Works, who will remain
to look after the construction of the new church. The superintendent has worked under the architect for several years
and thoroughly understands his ways.
"I have nothing to add to, or substract from the financial
statement, which I gave out before I left the Island for the
States. I entertained the hope then of being able to report
an increase in our cash account on my return but, owing to
the panic in the money market of the United States, and the
subsequent fright of moneyed men, I felt that it would have
been imprudent to ask for money at such a time. I, however renewed my acquaintance with many who can and may
.help us substantially later, when things improve in the
States. However, ·this is only a hope and a possibility.
JERSEY CITY. St. Peter's College. Rellor's Day.-On
Jan. 2r the students of St. Peter's College celebrated the
first anniversary of the appointment of the Rev. Edward J.
Magrath, s. J., to the presidency of that institution. The
exercises were held in the parish hall, on York street, and
were of a literary and musical nature and were intended to
give some evidence of the excellent work that is being accomplished in the various classes of both college and high
school, as well as to express the deep appreciation that the
students feel for the earnest efforts of their president for their
welfare during this first year of his administration.
The program was varied and interesting, and the good
taste apparent and the effective rendition were due to the
fact that professors and teachers devoted much time and care
to its preparation.

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139

At the conclusion of the entertainment, Father Magrath,
in a very hearty speech, complimented the students on the
excellent program they had rendered, and thanked them for
this token of their appreciation of his work for them.
On Tuesday afternoon, January 21, the students of the
College and High School ~ssembled in Saint Peter's ?all to
celebrate what is known tn the colleges of the Society of
Jesus as Father .Rector's day. The members of the Faculty
and the Fathers of the community were present; the exercises which were of a literary and musical character, consisted of addresses, poems, essays in English, French and
Latin, a dialogue in Greek, scenes from the plays of Shakespeare, choruses and choice selections by an orchestra of
talented members of the High School. ·
The entertainment was of a high order and was dignified,
refined and elevated throughout.
The Church. Tn'duum.-The Triduum preparatory to
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was most successful. All the Sodalities were well represented at the services
throughout the three days, and the whole parish seemed to
manifest a deep and lively interest in it. This was made
evident on the feast day, Sunday, December 8th, when about
seventeen hundred men, women, boys and girls received
Holy Communion in honor of Our Lady. The sight at the
8 o'clock Mass was most edifying. With very few exceptions, everybody present in the church approached the Holy
Table. Four priests administered the Blessed Sacrament to
more than eight hundred persons, of whom about three
hundred were men.
The Deaf Mutes.-Our deaf-mutes were a busy people
during the holidays, for the children in the Sunday schools
were provided with Christmas trees, gifts and entertainments.
Then, too, those at a distance who cannot come were not forgotten, one especially, a young girl, Nora Walsh, who is
deaf and dumb and nearly blind in one eye, and who lost
both arms above the elbows in an accident. She received a
Christmas token, not that she stood in any special need of
comfort, for, by the love of God, she is cheery all the day
long, and by a peculiar arrangement attached to her arms
she is able to write and paint.
MISSOURI PROVINCE.

Chicago.

Golden Jubilee o/ Holy

Fam~·ty Parish.-On Nov. 10, II and 12, 1907, the Holy

Family Parish celebrated its golden jubilee. On Sunday
~ov. 10, Most Rev. Jam~s Edward Quigley, D. D., the Arch~
bishop, celebrated Pontifical High Mass. The sermon a
beautiful and magnificent tribute to our Fathers, ~as
preached by the Rev. P. C. Conway, pastor of St. Pius'
Chur<:h. To commt!~_TIOrate the happy event a jubilee dinner
was g1ven by the pansh to the old people of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

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Deaf men sang, dumb men applauded, lame men danced
and a state senator and a Chicago alderman acted as waiters
at the dinner given to 200 elderly men and women.
.
The dinner was the last of the exercises commemorating
the fiftieth anniversary of the Holy Family Church. Rev.
H. J. Dumbach, Rector of St. Ignatius College, suggested
the idea to Rev. John F. Neenan, Pastor of the Holy Family Church, and members of the congregation defrayed the
expense. Turkey, beef and vegetables in profusion formed
the menu, with cigars for the men and candy for the ladies.
The following chronological table of the Holy Family
Parish may be worth while preserving in the LETTERS.
1857. May-Arrival of Father Damen in Chicago. July
-Frame church opened. August-An addition made to the
church. Corner stone of the present church laid. Arch
Confraternity of the Immaculate Heart and Altar Society
established. September-First Parochial School opened.
1858. Second addition to frame church made. Married
Men's Sodality established. Present church under roof.
The large bell blessed.
1859. The new church floored and plastered. St. Vincent de Paul's Society established.
186o. Acolythical Society established. Dedication of the
present church. Parochial school for girls opened by the
Ladies of the Sacred Heart. Heating apparatus and small
organ procured.
1861. The large pulpit built. Residence on Twelfth and
May streets erected. Rosary Society, Young Ladies' Sodality and Holy Angels' Sodality established. The :first
Friday observed in devotion to the Sacred Heart.
r862. St. Ann's Sodality established. Sodality band for
men started.
1863. A new bell blessed. Boy's Field Band paraded on
March 17.
_.
1864. Boys' sdio61 burned. New school on Morgan
street built. Society of the Sacred Heart and Apostleship
established.
1865. School opened in January. Communion railing
procured. Main altar blessed in presence of seven bishops.
1866. Addition of forty feet made to the church. Ten
new confessionals built.
1867. A new school for girls opened by Sisters of Charity
of the B. V. M. Foundation of St. Ignatius' College laid.
1868. St. Stanislaus school opened. Bona Mors Society
established. Sodality of the Annunciation established.
186g. Young Men's Sodality established. St. Aloysius
school built.
1870. Big organ opened. Death of Father Smarius. St.
Ignatius' College opened. Basement chapel enlarged.
Statue of our Lady of Perpetual Help erected. Holy Family Temperance and Benevolent Society organized.

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1871. School of St. Pius opened. St. Joseph's statue
erected.
1872. New boiler house built and boilers put in.
1873. New parish of St. Pius established. Corner stone
of the Sacred Heart church laid. New Way of the Cross
and Side Altars blessed.
1874. Side Altars in the b~sement bl~ssed. To~er built.
Addition to College. Guardian Angels school butlt.
1875. New Guilt Statues and Mission Cross erected. St.
Joseph's Home: the site bought and house built.
1876. Sodality of the Nativity of the B. V. M. established. St. Agnes school built.
1877. Death of Father Coosemans.
1878. St. Joseph's school built. Corner stone of Sodality
Hall laid. Small pulpit built.
1879. Death of Father Lawlor. Father Damen appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Church. A bazaar held in Sodality building to plaster and equip it. Bishop Foley died,
February rg.
188o. Sodality Hall opened. 1500 persons confirmed by
Bishop Hennessy of Dubuque on May 30. Altar of
B. V. M. took fire that day at Solemn High Mass; F. Bronsgeest stopped panic by striking the gong on Altar steps
and the Bishop quieted the people.
r88r. Most Rev. Patrick A. Feehan, the first Archbishop
of Chicago, confirmed 877, the usual number for each year.
Custom started to meet the Archbishop at the northwestern
boundaries of the parish in a parade of Sodalities, Societies,
with music, banners and regalia. Death of Father James
Walsh.
1883. The Catholic Order of Foresters (C. 0. F.) organized. The American League of the Cross established under Rev. James M. Hayes; 2,200 strong the first year.
Death of Father John De Blieck.
1885. Golden Jubilee of Father Maurice Oakley. Death
of Father Isidore Boudreaux.
1886. Convent school and hall built on northwest corner
of Taylor and Lytle streets by the religious of the Sacred
Heart. (Parish contributed 4,ooo.)
1887. Golden Jubilee of Father Damen. Death of Father Oakley.
r88g. Death of Father Arnol<~ Damen, January r.
r8go. Father Andrew O'Neill's Golden Jubilee. 4 237
school pupils. Patriotic Sons of Fr. Matthew started.' A
temperance society formed of uniformed Knights with a
brass band.
·
r8gr. St. Monica's Total Abstinence Society for Ladies
established.
1892. Great Columbian celebration in Church and College, on October 19, graced by the presence of Archbishop

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Satolli, Apostolic Delegate, and Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Feehan. New hydraulic organ, October 9·
1893. April 30-The Duke Veragua, lineal descendant
of Columbus, attended Mass in our Church, with his lady
and two children. They received a great ovation from our
parishioners, who crowded Twelfth street in front of the
College .. At the World's Fair Educational Exhibit our
parish schools were represented by a large and fine collection of school albums. The College presented to the City
Library a catalogue artistically decorated.
1894. Unveiling of a marble statue of the Blessed Virgin
over the entrance to Sodality Hall on May street, donated
by the Married Ladies. The basement of church was excavated and extended under the sanctuary.
1895. Silver jublee of St. Ignatius' College celebrated in
style, and commemorated by marble slab with lapidary inscription, placed on the east wall of the College vestibule.
Pope Leo XIII cabled Papal Blessing to all Priests and people of college and parish. The large new college annex
opened in the Fall. Death of Brother Thomas O'Neill, for
thirty-four years assistant director of the parish schools.
1896. St. Agnes Sodality duly erected at St. Joseph's
Home for 'Vorking Girls. Its charter members were the
public school girls of the parish instructed for First Communion by the Sisters at the Home and dirtcted by a Father
from the College. This year was begun the children's Mass
at 9.30 in the upper church for all the schools : the public
school pupils in the gallery. Death of Father Michael Van
Agt.
1897. Two Sodalities for the Deaf and Dumb organized
at St. Joseph's Home. New engine house and Alcolytical
Hall.
1898. Sacerdot.al Jubilee of Father Ponziglione.
1899. The old-Blank sidewalk on Twelfth street torn up
and filled in and granitoid pavement extended in front of
Church and College. Church front painted. Church doors
and vestibule renovated.
1900. The Maxwell street Convent and School closed and
sold. House rented on Twelfth and May streets. Death of
Father Paul Ponziglione, March 28.
1901. New Convent for Sisters of Charity, B. V. M .•
built on May street, between Taylor and Eleventh. Death
of Father Andrew O'Neill, September 13, for thirty-six
years the Director of our Parish Schools and founder of the
Sunday-school Association.
1902. In memory of Father O'Neill, St. Joseph's school
on Thirteenth street near Loomis, was extended. This annex was opened in September with 950 on the roll for its
first year. Bazaar in October for church and school expenses. Church frescoed and fitted with new steam apparatus;
some new windows placed in the sanctuary.

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1903. The young Ladies' Sodality donated a new stained
glass window for the west transept. The deaf and dumb
class of boys being removed from St. Joseph's Home, a
house was rented near by and a Father from the College
took charge of them, providing a teacher for a class of First
Communicants.
1904. The Married Ladies' Sodality donated the other
transept window. School of the Guardian ~ngels, near the
Italian church was closed and sold. Jubllee year of the
Immaculate C~nception observed by all the Sodalities in retreats, producing increased fervor in piety and good works.
The Married Men's Sodality led a procession-1,000 strong
-to the Cathedral of the Holy Name, in their regalia, headed by their band and the banner of the Immaculate Conception. This year the Iroquois theatre calamity brought down
on us the building inspectors in a fit of zeal, requiring
changes and improvements. We built four large fire-escapes
and changed all the doors to open outwards in halls and
schools, and improved staircases and refitted our stages at
great labor and expense.
1905. The Married Men's Sodality donated a Seth-Thomas, eight-day tower clock, as their jubilee gift to the Church.
It was in place by August 15th.
1906. Twenty acres of ground was bought on Evanston
avenue near Devon avenue, as a site for a new college and
church.
1907. The new St. Ignatius' Church and Rectory opened
on the North side. Jubilee windows put in Holy Family
Church.
Father Da??Zen and the Ephpheta School for the Detif.-The
chronicle of the fifty golden years of the Holy Family parish
would be incomplete without mentioning the good work
done by Father Damen in connection with the Ephpheta
School for the Deaf.
For many years this devoted priest was the spiritual father
of the deaf mutes in Chicago. When surrounded by his
speechless children he was as happy as they were ; his true
love for them was conspicuous in the many little ways he
would bring brightness into their clouded lives. His pockets belonged to the little ones who spied the candy and pictures that would peep out on their entertainment evenings
and his pleasure in making them happy was even greate~
than theirs.
In 1878 a great effort was made by Fr. Damen to procure
teachers for the deaf mutes. After much perseverance he
secured the help of the good ladies whose organization has
charge of the St. Joseph's Home for the Friendless.
In 1887, Fr. Damen, s. J., gave his Jubilee offerings to
the amount of $3,500, to build a cottage at the back of' St.
Joseph's Home for refectories and dormitories for the child-

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ren of the Ephpheta School, who were increasing in number. At one time there were 120 pupils in the school.
When the good Father was called from Chicago to other
fields of usefulness, and he could no longer exercise his influence for the good on the Ephpheta School, he never lost
his paternal interest in his dear deaf mutes; and, when as a
missionary, he occasionally passed through Chicago, he
never forgot to pay them an early visit.
It would have saddened the heart of good Father Damen,
s. J., had he lived eight years ago, to see the day when it
was found necessary, for want of room and support, to close
the doors of the Ephpheta School to boys as boarders, and
64 were sent away.
_
The generous patron of the deaf has gone to his reward,
and one of his special joys in heaven must be to hear the
voices of those, who on earth were deaf and dumb and who
were saved through his zeal for the salvation of souls.
\Ve are sure that his interest for the temporal and spiritual
welfare of the Catholic deaf mutes of Chicago is still alive.
May we hope that the good Father's prayers for his beloved silent children will make it possible to secure for them,
as a home and school, the property of the Sacred Heart
Academy on Taylor street; for of the 417 Catholic mutes of
Chicago, 225 are of school age. And, too, by such disposition will that Academy, which he helped to acquire and
build, be saved from destruClion and desecration and stand
as a memorial of the long and persevering labors of the
Madames of the Sacred Heart in the Holy Family Parish.
League o/ the Sacred Heart.-Very few realize the extent
to which the devotion to the Sacred Heart is praClised by
our people. Some idea can be obtained from the following
figures. Every month there are over 8,ooo leaflets distributed. That these are not wasted can be seen from the faCl
that during the m.outh of December there were 231,027 good
works recorded and· done for the intentions of the League.
Besides these there are thousands of good works done which
are not recorded. There were 54,840 requests presented by
the members. There were 1,598 Thanksgivings offered for
favors received. These returns indicate great aClivity. This
great work is accomplish~d entirely through the Promoters.
f{"askaskia.-What St. Inigo's is in the East, Kaskaskia
is in a lesser way in the West-the bond of the new and the
old Society. Fr. Meurin, the last Jesuit of Kaskaskia sleeps
on the little mound at Florissant beside DeSmet and Van de
Velde and the hundred others who carried the same banner
lately over the same field in which he was a pioneer.
Lately through the kindness of the good Bishop of Belleville the St. Louis University came into possession of several
precious relics of the old Society. He has promised us the
old altar; and we have from him the chalice and paten of

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hammered silver and the altar stone that were used by our
old fathers more than a century ago. The latter is scratched
and smeared and daubed enough to be as old as the date
which is scrawled on it in red paint " 1691." As the present Kaskaskia only dates back to 1700, this date would see~
to indicate that this stone was in use in the old Kaskaskta
village, where Fr. Rasle ministered in. that very year of 1691.
We have the Registers of Kaskaskia also, but merely as a
loan, until the Belleville diocese has its own fire-proof archives.
In reading about Kaskaskia recently, I observed a fliCt
that must be particularly interesting to Ours ; though I do
not know that attention has ever been called to it. Of course
there was no special reason for secular historians to note it.
It is that our old house in Kaskaskia was the first Capitol
building of Illinois.
Father Watrin in his letter in the Relations on the Banishment of the Jesuits shows that we had three locations in and
about Kaskaskia. 1, Fr. Meurin was staying among the
Indians about three miles from the town proper; 2, the
Father, who was cure, lived next to the church ; and 3,
"the establishment," which so many historians have called
the College. This latter appears conspicuously in the plan
or map of the old town given in Justin Winsor's America.
(Vol. 6, p. 717.)
Fr. Meurin complains that after our expulsion, it was not
destroyed, as ordered by the French government, but was
rented out to the English for a magazine. It became the
home of the British commandant soon after. It was here
that the infamous Rochblave, who, as Spanish commandant,
drove Fr. Meurin from Upper Louisiana, was himself as British commandant. made prisoner by George Rogers Clark.
This very house continued· for many years to be occupied
by the American chief officials, and in it were held the first
sessions of the Illinois legislature.
Kansas. St. Mary's College.-The last relic of Indian
Mission days has disappeared from the foot of Observatory
Hill. It was a frame struCture ereCted in 1869. For years
it has served as the domicile of Pat Woods, a personage intimately conneCted with the pioneer history of St. Mary's
and well known to every student, who claims the Institu:
tion as his Alma Mater. The removal of this old land mark
became necess¥y, when Loyola Hall, the new dormitory
building, was about ready for occupation. Loyola Hall is a
fo~r story _struetu.re, containing one hundred living rooms.
It Is beautiful!y sttuated on Observatory Hill commanding
an excellent view of the undulating prairies to the north east
and west, and of the fertile Kaw valley to the south~ard
The architecture is of the Elizabethan Ann type and the in~
terior conveniences are thoroughly modern and complete.
10

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On the brow of the same Hill will stand "The Immacnlata." This new and fitting Temple, in honor of Our Lady,
is a gift of present ~nd past Sodalists to the College. It
was on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1go6, that
the Sodalists organized and determined to take active measures for the erection of the new Chapel. In brief their plan
was to have three hundred of the present and old Sodalists
contribute $wo.oo each to the Chapel fund. The response
to the call has been generous. About two hundred of the
subscriptions have already been paid in. Work is now actively progressing on the foundation. On Monday, December the gth, the Right Reverend Thomas F. Lillis, D. D.,
Bishop of Leavenworth, will solemnly lay the cornerstone of
the " Immaculata." The sermon on the occasion will be
delivered by Fr. James J. Conway, s. J., of St. Louis University. This will be especially fitting, for when St. Mary's
ceased to be an Indian School in the early sixties, Fr. Conway was one of the first students of the incipient College, and
also the first Prefect of its Sodality. The Immaculata must
be given a prominent place in the Catholic history of Kansas.
In the very shadow of its gothic spire stood the first Cathedral of the state, and here Bishop Miege, of the Society, the
first Bishop of the Leavenworth diocese, resided. It is consoling to note, that since the inauguration of the movement
the present Sodalists and the student body in general have
taken an active interest and honest pride in the work. They
are striving earnestly to live up to the ideals of the Immaculata spirit. There has been a most edifying increase in the
number of Communions. Each day a number o( sodalists
are appointed to receive Holy Communion and to pray especially for three intentions which Fr. Shyne, the director,
suggested to them at the beginning of the Chapel Movement. The Intentions are : first, that all the students within
the College walls may live without interrupting sanctifying
grace in their immortal souls by any grevious sin of thought,
word, deed or omission; secondly, that the Immaculate
Mother may use her intercessory power with her Divine Son,
that the Students may be inspired by Him and enabled to
erect, in honor of the Immaculate Conception, a chapel fit
for service and a help to prayer; thirdly that the Immaculate Mother may obtain from that same Son blessings spiritual and temporal for all the old and new students, who help
in the erection of a Gothic structure in her honor.
Signs of God's blessing upon the College are not wanting.
Its capacity is overtaxed on account of the large increase of
students. There are now four hundred and six in actual attendance. It has been necessary to refuse admittance to
many. This makes it possible for Fr. Rector to be independent in admitting students, and also to make those who have
places appreciate them the more.

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The opening of Loyola Hall and the n_ew Chap~! h:;tve
necessitated the enlargement of the heatmg and ltghtmg
plants. The buildings have been exte?~ed and a ne':" dynamo and two new boilers installed. Otl lS now used mstead
of coal for fuel.
During the past summer the privileges of a flag-station
were obtained for all local trains passing the College.
St. Louis University. Golden Jubilee of Bros. Wittstadt
and Hoer.-On Sept. 5 and OCt. 26, 1907, respeCtively, the
golden jubilee in the Society of Brother Philip Wittstadt
and Brother John Hoer was fittingly commemorated by the
community of the St. Louis University, in which both of
the venerable jubilarians have spent many of the years of
their religious life, replete with merit before God and stimulating edification to all for unselfish and untiring devotion
to toil and duty.
Toledo. Roman Coins at St. john' s College.-St. John's
College has a very valuable colleCtion of Roman Coins.
The coins were purchased recently from the Vatican Library
in Rome. It is a splendid series of 823 pieces, ranging from
the year 300 B. C. to 400 A. D. The series is made up of
seCtions, the consular or republican and the imperial. The
former numbers 229 silver and 19 copper or bronze
coins ; the latter, 5 gold coins, 87 silver, and 483 bronze
coins. For its size the colleCtion is nearly complete. The
principal types, issues and denominations are well represented,, and the imperial colleCtion forms an almost unbroken cham from the first Caesar to Honorius. The specimens
are remarkably well preserved and, in many instances, are
covered with a beautiful patina.
The genuineness of all the coins in this collection is
guaranteed by no less an authority, than the PrefeCt of the
Vatican Library, the Rev. Francis Ehrle, s. J., under whose
direCtion the coins were selected from a collection of several
thousand duplicates possessed by the Vatican. The historic
value of these coins is enhanced by the faCt that they were
obtained at the very spot where they had been struck and
were in circulation many centuries ago.
'
The entire coin colleCtion of St. John's College, which at
present numbers about 3,000 pieces, contains several interesting groups q_nd n~re specii?ens ofmo~ey. The following
se~s deser~e a spectal ~entlon : a senes of 453 pontifical
coms r:;tngtng ~rom the Mtddle Ages to Pope Pius IX, mostly all stlver coms, and 17 of gold. This colleCtion was also
purchased from the Vatican; a set of so silver Bracteates
presente~ to the C<?llege by the Princess of Waldburg-Wol:
fegg ; c01ns of anctent Greek communities in Asia Minor · a
number of Byzantine and early Turkish coins, besides' a

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great variety of old and modern coins of Europe and America, and some fine specimens of African savage currency.

Nnw ORI.EANS PROVINCE. Florida, Tampa. The Martyrs if Tarahumara.-The remains of Fathers Julio Pascal
and Manuel Martinez of the Society of Jesus, according to
" El Correo de Chehuahua" have been found in the village
of San Andres de Comicar6, Sonora, Mexico, after a lapse
of 276 years. Father Manuel Pifian, s. J., found the remains.
These Fathers were murdered by the savages in 1623.
Don Silvestre Terrazas, a friend of the Society and proprietor of the " Correo," gives the above headline of the
announcement made in his paper.
PHILADELPHIA.
The Gesu. The Parochial School.-A
glance over the register of our school reveals some interesting fa&. For instance, there were on the register, OCtober
13th, 995 pupils. Of these children something like a third
came from families that sent each two. About one-fourth
came from families sending each three. Twenty-five families sent each four. Six families were represented by five
pupils each and two families aCtually sent each six children.
The remaining pupils represented about two hundred and
sixty families. We must remember the varying conditions
modifying this estimate ; all the children of one family may
be of the school age, while in another the older children
have almost all passed through the school ; and so on.
The College. Philosophical Disputations.-On December
2oth the Seniors held a Philosophical Disputation in the
presence of the Faculty and the College classes. Mr. William J. Bonniwell read a paper in English on "Independent
Morality" ; Mr. H. Eugene Heine on "The Essential Dif·
ference between the Human and the Animal Soul." Mr.
Francis X. Daily defended six theses on the fundamental
principles of morality. His objeCtors were Messrs. Charles
A. McDonnell and Edward J. Scanlon ; Mr. Francis E. Higgins defended six theses in Psychology, demonstrating and
upholding the simplicity and spirituality of the human soul
and liberty of the will. His objeCtors were Messrs. William
N. Killian and James F. Ryan. The disputation was held
in Latin, which is the official language of the Senior class
at St. Joseph's College. The young men acquitted themselves creditably and were complimented at the close of the
two hours' work by Rev. Father O'Sullivan, the President
of the College, who presided at the disputation.
Address on Modernism.-An explanatory address on the
Pope's encyclical on '' Modernism,'' issued on the 8th of Sepsember last, was delivered Wednesday evening, December
4th, in the College Auditorium by Father Guldner at the

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special invitation of the Alumni Sodality.. Among those
present were: Rev. Father Rector, Father Sm~leton, Moderator of the Alumni Sodality ; General St. Clair A. Mul~IOl­
land and Henry F. Stitzel, President, and John J. Reilly,
First Vice-President of the Sodality.
Father Guldner summarized the tenets grouped by the
Pope under the head of '' Modernism in Doctrine,'' aud
showed why the encyclical which condemned them must be
regarded as an utterance ex cathedra of the Supreme Pontiff,
and as binding upon all Catholics. He went further and
gave reasons also why orthodox Pr?testaut believer~ sho~ld
so regard it. Father Guldner attnbuted the surpnse with
which the encyclical was general~y received to th~ fact that
a very small part of the Catholic world knew JUSt what
" Modernism " was.
The Pope, he said, had no quarrel with modern civilization as such, or with the advance of science. On the contrary, he was in sympathy with all in them that was good.
He chose the name "Modernists" because those whose
opinions he condemned called themselves by it. It was at
these men that the encyclical was aimed ; not at modern society-much less at modern democracy. The speaker instanced the so-called "New Theology" proclaimed by the
Baptist preacher, Doctor Campbell, of London, as a phase
o( '' Modernism.'' While the great mass of Catholics were
surprised by the encyclical, the Catholic theologians were
not, and it had brought great relief to them by clearing the
controversial atmosphere.
St. Joseph's Church. The League if the Sacred Heart and
White Haven Sanatorium.-The present corporation of the
Free Hospital for Poor Consumptives, which conducts the
sanatorium at White Haven, grew out of a charitable work
started in old St. Joseph's Church about thirteen years ago.
The case of a Catholic girl dying of consumption under peculiarly pitiable circumstances, in poverty and without family or friends to give her shelter, was brought to the notice
of the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul attached to the
church, by one of its members ; and attention was thus directed to the fact that, aside from the City Almshouse and a
sectar!an institu.tion of lim! ted capacity, there were in Philadelphia no hospitals to which persons in the advanced stages
of tuberculosis could obtain admission. It was felt that
th~se conditions must be the frequent occasion of much suffenng among a class of deserving poor, whose destitute and
helpless state could often be attributed directly to the lingering nature of the disease itself.
The subject of a remedy for this evil was discussed with
the Re~.or of t~e church, Rev. John Scully, s. J., who was
also spmtual Dtrectorof the Conference, and he at once gave

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his cordial approval and enthusiastic support to a movement
having for its objeCt the establishment of a home in which
poor and dying consumptives should be received and cared
for. An association was formed, comprised largely of the
Promoters of the League of the Sacred Heart, of St. Joseph's
Center, and an organized effort made to obtain members and
contributions for " The Free Hospital Fund for Poor ConConsumptives," as the work was first entitled. Money was
also raised by entertainments, given from time to time.
It was thought prudent to defer the opening of a separate
hospital until the financial support of such an institution
should be better assured ; but arrangements were made immediately with St. Agnes' Hospital, and afterwards with
St. Mary's and other general hospitals in the city, to reserve
wards for the special treatment of cases placed in them by
the Association. Committees were appointed to investigate
applications for admission, and to visit at short intervals the
patients received in these consumptive wards. In the first
year, about forty patients were admitted, at a cost of nineteen hundred dollars. In the second year (1896) fifty-six
patients were admitted, and the outlays amounted to twentyone hundred and fifty dollars. Two years later the annual
expenditures had reached five thousand dollars. The only
conditions of admission were that the applicant should be
poor and the disease tuberculosis.
The origin and subsequent development of the work are
indicated in the first report of the Society, issu~d in 1899,
from which the following excerpt is taken :
* * * ''The Society had its inception in the charity and
pious zeal of the League of the Sacred Heart under the
leadership of Rev. John Scully, s. J., of St. Joseph's Church,
Philadelphia. At first the League secured hospital treatment for such poor. consumptives as came under its notice.
Soon, however, -anplications for admission into hospitals
came in so rapidly and from such wide-spread territory that
it was deemed necessary to found a Society whose sole duty
would be to look after the consumptive poor. The Free
Hospital for poor consumptives was accordingly founded on
February rst, 1895 ; it was incorporated under the laws of
Pennsylvania on December 13th, 1897· Since the beginning
of the work there have been between three and four hundred
applications for admission into hospitals. Of these all who
were found to be suffering from consumption have been
offered hospital treatment and, with very few exceptions,
have accepted it." * *
PHILIPPINES ISLANDS
The Ateneo, Manila. Reception to
Secretary Taft, Oct. I7, I907.-The reception to Secretary of
War, Willian H. Taft, at the Ateneo de Manila yesterday
afternoon was a decided success.

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The rooms of the Ateneo, the Jesuit college i? Calle
Arzobispo, were beautifully decorated for the occ:;tston and
there was a large gathering of Amencans, Spamards and
Filipinos.
.
The students presented "The Upstart," a comed:y m
three acts, delivered in English. The play was well .gtven
with dash and energv and was well recetved by the audtence.
The Secretary o( War, Governor General Smith and
Monsignor Ambrose Agius, apostolic delegate, occupied seats
in the front row during the play.
The following address from the students was read by
Ramon Zaragoza, a member of the graduating class and a
brother-in-law of Attorney General Araneta:
Most Honored Guest:
It is a great privilege for us of the Ateneo to outstrip all
others in welcoming your arrival on our shores. We feel as
though we were the first to grasp your hand as you stepped
on the ground that is so inseparably linked with your name.
And so it was more than a lucky chance that set our college
near the sea and yielded us the honor of greeting you betimes,
amid the keen rivalry of all who would fain have won so
coveted a prize. Besides, it is not a smile nor a word in
passing that has fallen to our lot, but we have you to ourselves for a whole evening, and we hope that your pleasure
in our feeble efforts will keep pace with our gratified sense
of the honor we enjoy.
However, it is not an honor merely that is ours but a great
happiness as well. You are no stranger here. The words
and songs of greeting that welcomed you here two years ago
have not died away, and to-day we are but waking their still
living echoes. We are receiving not only the statesman,
not only the skilled physician of national ills, not only the
ruler of islands that oceans and continents sunder, but we
are throwing wide the door of our home to a familiar friend.
It is no chill salutation we tender. It is no formal ceremony
we hold hereto grace your coming. We care nought for the
pomp and the splendor that others may command. Words
fall cold from the lips when they have not been kindled in
love's flame. Under our roof-tree we do you loyal honor.
The words of greeting that we utter come first from the
heart's prompting and glow with the warmth that sped them
to our lips. And so in the name of the faculty students and of
the Ateneo we bid you welcome. May the heartiness of our
gre.e!in~ be many times repeated during your stay in the
Phthppmes. May our bumble tribute find a home among
the _Pleasant recoll.ections of a busy life and endure as a
chenshed memory m the many happy years which we hop~
and pray, your future has in store.
'

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Father Anon, at the close of the presentation, read a paper
in English, acknowledging the debt of gratitude the Jesuit
order owed to the United States government and to the
Secretary of War. Secretary Taft replied with a short
address in which he dwelt on the literary and scientific
attainments of the Order, making special mention of the
Manila Observatory and the work of Father Algue.
At the close of the exercises a reception was held in which
all present had the opportunity of meeting the Secretary of
War.
The following is the address of Fr. Anon, rector of the
Ateneo:
The young gentleman who welcomed you this evening
said nothing in the warmth of his greeting that I am not
ready to make my own. But there is a duty which another
cannot discharge in my place and I hasten to acquit myself
of it now. As a member of the Society of Jesus, with the
certainty that I am expressing the sentiments of my religous
brethern in the Philippines, I desire to acknowledge formally
a debt we owe to the United States Government, and
especially to its representatives here in Manila. Our sense
of obligation is caused, first, by a debt of justice which we
owe the Government for the cordial and practical help with
which it has furthered the work of our Society in the Philippines. I need only instance the marked recognition and
the material support accorded to our Fathers who represent
the United States Weather Bureau, or the generous aid
which made it possible for them to show the people of America what our Society is doing for science and commerce in
the Far East. Then, too, the encouraging appreciation of
our missionary labors among native peoples calls for grateful acknowledgment.
But over and above all this I wish, as Rector of the A ten eo,
to make public avowal of our indebtedness to the local government for the kind and even flattering recognition with
which it has rewarded our efforts in the great work of education. The highest authorities of Manila accepted our
college degrees and praised our programme of studies in the
warmest terms. Such approval could not fail to arouse in
us a deep'sense of gratification and gratitude to which I am
happy to give expression. And I tender my hearty thanks
to you as well as to those who directly befriended us, because
with you all government in the archipelago is identified in
the popular idea. Be assured that our best endeavors will
not be lacking to deserve hereafter the support and encouragement which have cheered and sustained us in the past.
Missions in Cann£guin Island.-The volcanic island of
Canniguin is about 6o miles north of Cagayan, and about
eight from the mainland of Mindanao. It is about 20 miles
in diameter, and more or less heart-shaped. The island

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153

really consists of mountain peaks, all volcanic in formation,
with central valleys, and along the greater par~ of the coast
a plain of greater or less extent gradually slopmg to these~.
It is a rich island, and its pe~ple are _better-off than thetr
Mindanaan neighbors. Hemp ts the chtefproduct; but t_here
are extensive cocoa-nut groves, with chocolate plantatiOns,
and various fruits, The island is extremely _beautiful. Pure
water streams down everywhere. The htghest peaks are
some 7000 feet, towering above the active volcano: 1600 feet
high, which appears as a pigm¥ by the sea. Tht~ volca?o
is recent. About 37 years ago tt arose from the slopmg platn
and the sea, and destroyed the largest town on the island,
. which in part occupied its s~te. Within five. or si;X year~ ~he
neighboring crest, at least stx thousand feet tn height, nsmg
almost directly over Mambajao, now the chief town, began
to throw out sulphur smoke. This ceased or became intermittent. But during our recent visit it was distinctly visible,
and appeared in two or three places on the back of the mountain.
The people of Canniguin, mostly peaceful and industrious
immigrants from the neighboring island of Bohol, have
hitherto been conservative, entirely Catholic and antirevolutionary. Trouble-makers, however, have come amongst
them; and the Aglipayanos have obtained a foothold.
Morals, too, have decayed in these ten years of confusion.
Before the revolution, the four parishes of the island were
administered by Recoleto Fathers; and since, usually by two
or three secular Filipino priests. The total population is
put down in the census at 30,000. The people live, as usual,
along the coast ; and there are not even villages in the interior.
The purpose of the missions was to combat Aglipayanism :
so we (three Fathers) began in Mombajao, almost the only
place where the renegades have organised. Not a soul met
us at the pier as we landed in the early morning; and as we
walked to the Convento there was no sign of welcome or unwelcome. The idea of a mission was entirely new-there
never had been one here; and the really excellent pastor,
who made us most welcome, had not even announced it.
Mambajao is by no means a holy place, I think: very few
attended the mission exercises, and perhaps some zoo went
to confession out of a population of several thousands. We
did some good by visiting the chief families, whom we had
kno~n, and who_ received us with entire friendship. They
received_. too, a httle later, the visit of the Aglipayano so
called bishop, who followed us up, bent on imitation. ·
One Father stayed a fe~ days lon&"er in Mambajao, and two
went on to the next pansh of Mahmog. Here we divided
and one remained in the barrio of Jubangon. In these tw~
places the people began at once to attend the church, and

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soon we had work from morning till night-preaching, hearing confessions, teaching the children, baptising etc. The
poor people came with Mass intentions, chickens, vegetables,
and so on. Soo or more went to confession in Jubangon;
1300 in Mahinog; and about 26o children made their First
Communion .. A very much larger number of adults, here
as elsewhere, were admitted also to their First Communion.
The immense majority of the confessions covered several
years, commonly at least ten ; and the absolutely terrible
lack of religious instruction and the almost extreme lack of
even ordinary intelligence in a very large proportion of the
people made the confessions slow and painful work.
From the village of Maac, five or six miles farther on they
came to beg us to celebrate a fiesta: they never had had
Mass. They brought an offering of rs pesos; and sent men
with barotos, or native boats, to bring us in the early morning. Their chapel was prepared with a good deal of taste,
and especially a great many lights, and one of the little
houses was prepared with cloths and color to receive the Padres. \Ve sang the Mass and preached to the large number
of people assembled ; and then went on by boat to the next
considerable place-Guinciliban. This was the first settlement in the island ; but because it is cut off by the steep hills
by the sea, and because the port is bad, it never grew. It is
a very small place; but like most Philippine towns, contains
more people than one would imagine. The census gives
1236: nearly every soul capable of going to confession seems
to have gone. The young men began ; and I believe there
are no better in the world. They are a wonderful people,
with never Mass or sacraments. They were exasperatingly
curious: they followed us everywhere and watched from
everywhere ; but they are good as gold. They came with
Mass intentions and presents all the time we stayed. I had
the honor of admini?tering the first Baptisms-22 together :
the two mornings following, we had 8 marriages.
Sagay is the next place, a parish, larger and richer, with
even more demonstrative faith, but morals inferior. We had
a splendid attendance in the church, and very many confessions, but many fewer in proportion.
Catarman, where the native priest resides, is about of the
same size as Sagay. Fewer came here, and the 'confessions
were fewer at first; but after a while they began to gather
from their fields, and we had to leave many unconfessed.
Our last Station was at the foot of the volcano, Bonbon,
the former Catarman, the capital then. In this beautiful-wildly beautiful little place, Father Espana fell sick;
and, after two days and roo confessions, we had to return in
a Boholano banca to Mambajao. We had a fight with the
Aglipayanos, who interrupted us; and we insisted on the
arrest of two of them. In all, we heard more than sooo con-

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t

I

I
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t
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155

fessions in a month, and prepared more t~an sao chil~ren
and a much larger number of adults for First Co~mumon.
There was much religious instruction, not to mentwn other
benefits.-Letter tif D. Lynch, S. J.
Manila. The Plenary Council and Celeb':ation tif Thanksgiving Day.-At the 1st plen.ary ~ounc1l ~eld here Fr.
Villalonga is one of the Archbishop s .theologians-;-the Superior, Fr. Mir; the rector of our Semmary, Fr. PI, and of
our Seminary at Vigan, Fr. Saderra, are present also ex
officio. We had a magnificent Thanksgiving Day Celebration in the Cathedral, Fr. McDonough sang the solemn
Mass aud Fr. Becker preached a fine sermon. Between two
and three thousand were present, including the Governor,
Commission, members of assembly, and other officials, and
numerous army and navy officers. The archbishop presided
in full pontificals. It was a great triumph. as the Protestants had been trying to make a sort of Protestant-American feast of the day. They were refused by the assembly
the use of the government hall for their service, (they had
held itthere the past two years,) and so Methodist, Presbyterians and Episcopalians combined and held a ''Union'' service in the cathedral of the latter. They had an attendance
of a couple of hundred or less. A feature of the occasion
with us was the singing of an English patriotic hymn (God
bless our native land) to the air "My Country 'tis of thee,"
by 8oo boys and girls from the Catholic Schools. This may
seem an insignificant detail, but one thing our friends, the
Protestants, try to urge against Catholicism over here is that
it is anti-American.
There was a splendid demonstration in the city last Sunday night, IS Dec., in honor of the Bishops and Fathers of
the Councils, zsooo men and boys, this is a conservative
estimate, walked in procession carrying torches, lanterns,
transparencies etc. There were many handsome floats besides, and 34 bands of music. The bishops, clergy and
friends were in the reviewing stand, and it was 10.30 P. M.
before the last man passed in line. Legarda and Ocampo,
the Philippine delegates to Congress are both graduates of
the Ateneo, the latter has a couple of boys here now.
Osmefia, the speaker of the Assembly, is also a graduate.Letter tif Fr. Philip M. Finegan.
Notes from Vigan.-Nov. s. 1907. Today is election day
here. The leading candidates for Presidente are good Catholics, so it will not make much difference who is elected:
there are eight or ten candidates. For Governor there are
also six or eight candidates, the two leading ones being the
present Governor and the ex-Presidente; ex, i.e. he resigned
~is office the ISt of October in order to be able to run. He
IS leader of the Aglipayans here, and I have spoken of him
before. You may judge of the character of the people we

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have to deal with from the following incident. There were
two papers here in Vigan which often contained attacks
against the Church or its doctrines. About two years ago
the Fathers and priests urged the establishment of a Catholic
paper, and the "Mensajero Catolico" was the result. For
about two years it acted pretty well, its editor being, by the
way, a relative of the Presidente. About six months ago,
it surprised its best supporters by coming out with a strong
"Supplement" against the present Governor and favoring
the Presidente. A month ago it came out more openly in
support of the Presidente as Candidate for Governor. The
priests were indignant, and the paper lost about 200 subscriptions at once. But the facility with which the paper became
(politically) an Aglipayan organ is something of an index
of the people. One of the priests reprehending the editor
for his action was told by the latter that if the Aglipayan
was elected he (the editor) would protest against his election
in the paper.( !l.
Nov. 2I. Time you see passes quickly in the Philippines.
The elections are over and our friend (?) the Presidente is
elected by about a thousand majority. About a month before the election, the Governor had declared that owing to
the lack of money in the treasury, either the poll-tax would
be raised from one to two dollars, or the people themselves
would have to work on the repair of the road. It was this
law that the 'Mensajero Catolico' made capital out of in
favor of the Aglipayan, and its publication may have helped
much in the defeat of the governor. But the election of the
Aglipayan Governor was not the least misfortune or disgrace
of election day. What will you think when I tell you the expriest and renegade Pons was elected "Consejale" or Alderman. Here there are no parties. Anyone may run. Pons
kept his candidacy secret, and it was only the day after the
election, I heard- of it, and of the probability of his being
elected. The young men of the University had been working in his favor. I happened to see the Bishop that day, and
when I told him of Pons' chances of election, he only voiced
my own feelings, when he said : ''Well if these people elect
such a man as Pons, they are inviting down upon themselves
the wrath of God." Pons was not only elected, but received
more votes than any of the other elected aldermen. It
transpires however, that he cannot act, as according to an
unrepealed Spanish law no clergyman can be an alderman.
The best late report of Pons, and of course we hope true, is
that he and the University are going to move to Cebu.
Our '' Mensajero Catolico,'' as a Catholic paper, no longer
exists. On the 1 Ith a well known woman of the town,
supposedly a very good Catholic, went off to a neighboring
town, and before the Justice of the Peace married a protestant. The "Mensajero" congratulated the very devout

I-'ARIA

Senora on her marriage, ending its congratulation by e~pess­
ing the wish that the marriage would soon b~ cauomcally
arranged. This was the last straw,_ an~ the Btshop ordered
the editor to change the name, and m h1s future paper, have
nothing to say about Church affairs. But here agai~ you
have an indication of the people we have to deal wtth.Le/ter from Father Thompkins.
RoME.

The Novitiate at Castel Gandoifo.-On Nov. 13,

1907, the novitiate at Castel Gandolfo celebrated. its. silver

jubilee. All the first novices that could go were mv1ted to
be present on the occasion. Father General and the Curia
were also invited. The day was accordingly made a break
day, or a villa day, for the Curia. All the Fathers were invited; a good number went.
There are two ways-besides walking-of getting to Castel Gandolfo, the railroad and the trolley. Both pass across
the Campagna. The railroad then shoots under the Alban
Hills to the Alban Lake, emerging on the shore and running
along it for some distance before reaching the station of Castello, or Castel Gandolfo. From the landing place there is
a steep ascent up the road to the town, a walk of w good
minutes to the Novitiate.
·
The trolley-called train here-on leaving the Campagna,
labors up the hills, through vineyards and by villas of all
sorts, old and new, until it reaches the main road connecting
the various towns on the slope of the Alban Hills. Then
the line splits, one section going towards Frascati, another
up the hills to Rocca di Papa, the third to Castel Gandolfo
and beyond.
There are several trains both by rail and trolley. So the
Curia broke up into parties, each member of it choosing the
way and the time for which he could get a companion. Father
General went with one of the brothers by trolley at 8.Jo.
Two of the Substitutes took the same trolley. Others followed later.
On arriving at the Novitiate, Father General found the
community gathered to receive him. Each one came to
him, knelt on one knee and kissed Father General's hand
which is the us~al ceremony. One of the brotbers-prob~
ably a new novice brother-amused us all by approaching
Father General with his hands joined devoutly before his
brea~t and going down on both knees, as if to get a special
blessmg. There were several young people still in secular
dress, postulants apparently.
From after this ceremony, which was not at all formal
until I r.45 the visitors were free. Two of the Substitute~
~ook .a l_ittle. walk down the hil_l to see the new bouse which
I~ bUilding m the North Amencan Villa for the accommodation of the 135 students of that college. It commands a

VARIA

splendid view. Another visit was to the quarters of the
Novices, who were then out walking.
The Novices have their beds and desks in small rooms,
three or four or five together. The beds are bundled up
during the day, consisting of two iron stands of the old
Frederick kind, with a few boards, a mattress and the covers.
The curtains and their supports are not in evidence during
the day, but are put in position for the night.
The Novices' Library seems to contain chiefly ancient and
much used copies of Rodriguez. There are two or three
rather large cases, holding perhaps 700 or Soo books, but
there may be more in some other part of the house.
The Novices are on the chapel floor; the Juniors on the
floor below.
The chapel is very devotional. Over the altar is a picture
of Our Lady called "Mater Pietatis." There is a special
feast of Our Lady in the Novitiate under this title. The
picture has been often reproduced; copies are frequently
found, in private rooms in the Roman Province.
The two corridors of the Novitiate, that in front of the
chapel and that on its side, are lined with pictures from the
life of Christ. These pictures are the same as are found in
a large book at Woodstock, printed three centuries ago at
the suggestion of St. Ignatius and on plans proposed by
Father Nadal to help people. especially our scholastics, to
make meditation.
Examen came at I 1.45. Dinner followed, Litanies being
recited at this time of the year just before supper.
,
At dinner a Latin panegyric on St. Stanislas was delivered
from the pulpit by one of the Juniors. When he got
through, there was Deo gratias.
My lot put me at a specially decorated table where two
vow men were se~ted. They gave my companion and myself
some interesting information, among other things remarking that the Juniors always talk Latin after dinner and after
supper at Castel Gandolfo. The postulants were at dinner
with the community.
The Curia returned to the city in parties, as it bad gone.
The distance is about 12 miles. The trolley goes there in
something like two hours, the train being faster. The trolley does better coming· back, the road being largely down
hill. Indeed at certain parts the car goes rather too fast,
considering that it is a double-decker and that the gauge is
narrow. It may be added that the curves and the hills are
suggesth·e of the possibility of accidents, the curvt:s being
fearfu1Jy short in a number of places arid the hills being
frightfully steep.
The brothers did not have a feast on St. Alphonsus' day,
but went to one of the German College villas for ''haustus''
in the afternoon about a week later, the Curia Fathers and
those of the college being invited. The walk out and back

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159

was quite pleasant.. The. "feast" was nothing to boast <?f,
though it was ~earttly enJoyed. There w~s a poor ro<?m m
. bad repairs, wtth old tables and old chatrs. The vtands
consisted of wine, grapes, ham and cake, served without
any pretence to elegance, or rather not served at all. And
yet the brothers were thoroughly pleased.
An Audience with the Holy Father. A Letter of Father
Drum.-There was no difficulty at all to get a private audience. Mgr. Bisleti, tht! Majordomo, is most cordial to
Ours. His secretary took the letter of introduction I had
brought from Fr. Mullan, and returned at once to usher me
into the Monsignor's study. There we chatted for twenty
minutes about my Oriental work. Mgr. Bisleti spoke highly of the work of the Society in Biblical studies, especially
of the work of Father Fonck, whom the Monsignor hopes
soon to see on the Biblical Commission. When I explained
that I wished an audience, I was told the Holy Father would
take great pleasure in talking to me about my studies.
Two or three days later the invitation was brought me by
a special messenger.
Fr. Carroll, of the California Mission, was with me during
my audience. His name was not on the invitation, and we
feared some difficulty. There was none. Whenever we
were held up by any of the guards or attendants, we routed
them by a business-like wave of the hand and the magic
word " udienza," and forged onward. When we reached
the waiting-room, we were dismayed by the hard-heartedness of the ushers in rose-colored knickerbockers ; they said
it would be impossible for them to usher in any one but me,
as the invitation called for no one else. However, at our
request, they called a Monsignore ; he took the invitation
away, and very shortly returned with the kind information that the Holy Father would receive us, either both together or one at a time. When our turn came, we entered
together at 11.30 A. M.
That entrance I will never forget. I had expected to find
myself in the throne-room ; and had been told that a Mansignore would put me through the motions of the ceremonial. There was nothing like that. We were in the Pope's
study. He stood as we entered. I looked for the Monsignore; he was gone. So down I went on both knees and
made the solemn bow. At once a firm kind voice said:
"Surgite; accedite, sedete." The Holy Father is above
ceremonial ; his simplicity and strength and deep knowled~e
of human nature often lead him to lay aside the time honored
f?rmalities of the Vatican. Still, I felt the three genuflections were his due, and was determined to give them. So I
m~de a second and a simple genuflection. The Holy Father
satd: "Sedete, sedete." I then knelt at the feet of His
Holiness, and received his blessing. He would not allow me to

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i60

VARIA

kiss his feet, but made me sit in a chair close by his desk.
We chatted for nearly half an hour. As my companion
spoke even less Italian than I, and the audience had been arranged for me, he left me the floor; I took it fearlessly.
That talk of half an hour with Pius the Tenth is one of
the greatest experiences of my life. The memory of that
dear old man; of his piercing, telling, yet kindly eyes; of
his countenance, at times bright and humorous, at times sad
and solicitous, but always strong; of his words, authoritative, inspiring, heartfelt and heartreaching, that memory
will ever be to me an occasion of grace such as no other experience, but ordination and first Mass will be.
During my entire audience with the Holy Father, it was
clear to me how he esteemed the Society and how he counted
on it. On one occasion, he said slowly and with heart:
"La Compagnia e bene merita," -then he gazed at me with
his sad and soulful eyes, as he said, "bene merita della
Chiesa di Pio.''
. Most of our talk was about my studies. With all a father's interest, sincerity and pride, he asked me in detail
about my studies in the Society. Had I made the four
years of theology? the three years of philosophy ? the tertianship? He was much pleased that I had the full training of
the Society before starting to specialize in Biblical studies.
"Ah, 'tis well." said he: "you are a full-formed Jesuit."
Then we talked about my studies and travels in Syria and
Palestine. The dear old man wished to know what Semitic
languages I had studied, how long I had studied each, etc.
He inquired much about our Oriental Faculty at Beirut.
When I told him that last year there were twenty-five Jesuits studying Arabic in Beirut, his face glowed with joy.
"Those Jesuits," he said, "what won't they do !"
When I spoke of my coming studies at Innsbruck, the
Holy Father referred with pleasure to Fr. Fonck as to a man
who used modern science to-uphold traditional truth.
In regard to Biblical work, the grand old man spoke ever
firmly ann unflinchingly. There was but one burden to his
words: " Fight for the traditional teachings of the Church !''
He was sad, yet indignant, as he spoke of the Modernists.
It was clear he meant war with them to the finish. The
• day of my audience was the feast of St. Jerome. After one
of the Holy Father's outbursts against the Modernists,whom he always referred to as those wiseacres,-I ventured
the suggestion that the office and works of SS. Jerome and
Augustine entered less into the lives and studies of the
Modernists than did the writings of '' I1 Santo" Delitzsch and
"II Santo" Harnack. The Holy Father chuckled at the
allusion and struck his desk with a chubby fist, as he said :
"Yes, because they have read a page or two of some German
rationalist, they think to overturn the teachings of all the

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Fathers of the Church,-quelli sapientini !" I thought of
St. Paul's "sollicitudo ecclesiarum !"
When the talk was over, I pulled out a large photograph
of the Holy Father, which I had stowed away under my
cassock. The Monsignore take away such photographs, if
they see them. The Holy Father laughed as I tugged away
at the smuggled treasure, and most willingly wrote upon the
precious souvenir. He blessed everything I presented.
Then I began to ask for personal blessings. First came
blessings for the province and Fr. Provincial, Woodstock
and the novitiate ; the blessings were granted each with a
hearty consent. I then asked a special blessing for my poor
old mother. Pius the Tenth showed he is a Man's man, a
Pope with the feelings of a man. He leaned toward me, and
in the kindliest way said : ''Tell your dear old mother, I
bless her with all my heart; tell her how I thank her for
giving you to the Church and to the Society of Jesus."
My heart was full of enthusiasm, and my eyes were more
than moist.
He gave Fr. Carroll and me the privilege of the crozierblessing for life and of ·the apostolic blessing to twenty-five
individuals, one at a time.
After he had blessed me, as I knelt before the dear old
man, he got deep down into my heart by one more human
incident. "And now," said he, "let us make the intention
by which each of us gives the other a share in all his future
Masses." I bent down to show my humble thanks by kissing the feet of Our Lord's Vicar. He drew back a bit, and
I, in ignorance of the authority of my words, insisted :
"Voglio, Santo Padre." The supreme jurisdiction of the
Church yielded to the whim of a lowly follower; I was
satisfied. One more blessing was received, and I made for
the door. As I looked back to say good-bye, the Holy Father hit his desk and urged: "Remember, stand by the traditional doctrines of the Church." "Holy Father, I made
answer, ''if ever any argument of a rationalist seems to me
strong, the memory of my talk with Your Holiness will by
God's grace give me strength to hold my ground and fight
for the traditional teaching of the Church." The dear old
man stood at his desk in kindly smiles, and we left the room.
~he ~nthusiasm of that day, I shall never forget. Pius
X tnsptres one with the old crusader spirit.
SPAIN. The Flood at Tortosa.-The overflow of the Ebro
on the 22d-25thof March last was among the greatest that
has ever occurred here both in volume and duration. The
m~ximum depth in the house was 1.72 metres and at one
potnt 1.75 metres falling only 50 centimetres below the flood
of 1787, which was the greatest registered in the history of
Tortosa. But although in our house it did not reach the alII

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titude of that celebrated flood, yet taking into account the
faCt that in Tortosa the present flood rose more than a palm
above the mark of the former one, and considering the
changes which the surface of the ground has undergone in
the interval of more than a century; we may well conclude
that this year's flood has equalled if riot surpassed that of
the gth of OCtober 1787.
During the flood our church was filled with water up to
the top of the side altars, all the shops and offices of the
lower floors were ruined, and some of the garden walls
thrown down. Telephone conneCtions with Tortosa were
·cut off, the whole valley of Ebro was a roaring torrent, which
came so suddenly upon the towns and villages that many
people could only save themselves by breaking through their
roofs and running over neighboring housetops to a place of
safety. Fr. Cirera, Fr. Llussa and others rendered generous
assistance in the work of saving and direCting the terrified
inhabitants, and the brothers were kept busy supplying the
needs of externs whose stores were ruined and who were
occupied in the work of saving their neighbors. The destruCtion and misery in Tortosa were very great and the loss
to faCtories, orchards and gardens deplorable.
After the flood was over everyone set to work with a will
cleaning up the house, which was soon rendered sufficiently
habitable for us to take our meals at home instead of going
up to San Jose, as we were forced to do several times during
the flood.
HoME. NEWS. Public Disputafion.-On Monday Feb. 17,
Rev. John T. Langan, s. J., and Rev. Richard H. Tierney,
s. J., defendedtheentiretreatises "'De Ecclesia" and "De
Deo Uno et Trino" respeCtively.
A large gathering of clergy from Washington, Baltimore
and New York was present for the occasion. Conspicuous
among the visitors were His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons ; His Excellency Dioq~ede Falconio, Apostolic Delegate; Very Rev. Joseph F. Hanselman, s. J., Provincial;
Mgr. Ceretti, Washington D. C., M!!r. O'Hare, Brooklyn;
Rev. Fr. Kennedy, o. P. Washington, D. C., Rev. Fr. Vieban
s. s., St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore; Rev. Fr. Tierney, St.
Mary's, Emmittsburg; Rev. Fr. McCabe, Overbrook, Phila.,
Rev. James De Potter, s. J.,:socius of New Orleans Province; Rev. Fr. McGrath, s. J., Rector of St. Peter's College,
Jersey City; Rev. Fr. Himmel, s. J., Rector of Gonzaga
College, Washington.
The disputations began at 9 A. M. and continued until 1.30
P. M. with an half hour intermission at I 1.00 A. M.
Each
defender was allowed two hours.
Fr. Langan had as objectors Very Rev. D. J. Kennedy,
o. P., s. T. L., ofWashington, D. C., Rev. LukeV. McCabe,
'D. D., L. L. D., of Overbrook; Rev. A. Brosnan, s. J., and
Rev. Charles Macksey, s. J., of Georgetown University.

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163

Against Fr. Tierney were Mgr. Bonaventure Ceretti, Auditor of the Apostolic Delegation, Washington ; Rev. Anthony Vieban, s. s., J. C; D., ·Professor of Theology and Canon Law at St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore; Rev. John J.
Tierney, D. D., Professor of Dogmatic Theology at Mt. St.
Mary's, Emmittsburg, and Rev. JaiD:es De Potter, s. J., of
the New Orleans Province.
Th~ Fall Disputations took place Nov. 29 and 30. D~
Eccl~sia, Father Geoghau, defender, Father O'Loughlinand Mr. Hurley, objeCtors. D~ Deo Uno, Father Conniff,
defender, Fr. Crowley and Mr. Grima!, objeCtors. Ex Sacra
Scriptura, "The Jewish Canon at the beginning of the
Christian Era," Fr. Davey, leCturer. Ex Jure Canonico,
"The Legal Status of Liturgies in the Church," Fr. Hogan,
leCturer. Ecclesiastical History, "The Unigenitus and the
J ansenists," Mr. Kelly, leCturer.
Ex Ethica, Mr. Hogan, defender, Mr. McGovern and Mr.
M. Fitzpatrick, objeCtors. Ex Psychologia, Mr. Fox, defender, Mr. McEvoy and Mr. Glover, objeCtors. Ex Cosmologia, Mr. Schieswohl, defender, Mr. Robb and Mr. Clark,
objeCtors. Physics, "Airships," Mr. Corcoran, leCturer.
Very Rev. Father Gen~ral' s Golden Jubilee.- On the Feast
of St. Francis Xavier an academy in honor of Very Rev.
Father General on the occasion the fiftieth year of his entrance into the Socidy, was held in the domestic library.
The following very appropriate musical and literary program was rendered.
'' SANCTIFICABISQUE ANNUM QUINQU2\.GESIMUM ''
AN ACADEMY

Held at Woodstock College Maryland
On the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
1907
in honor
OF VERY REVEREND FATHER GENERAL,
FRANCIS XAVIER WERNZ,

Who was enrolled among the Followers of
St. Ignatius Loyola
. in 1857,
Was eleCted General of the Society of Jesus
On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
1906,
And will complete the fiftieth year of his Religious Life
On third day of the OCtave of St. Francis Xavier
1907.

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164

PART I.
OVERTURE .

The Bridal Rose
Lavallee
Orchestra
To FATHER GENERAL
A Sonnet
SAMUEL J. ROBB
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
The Apostle of the Cross: the Apostle of Love
JOHN H. FISHER
DAS KREUZ, DAS SIEGF;SPFAND DER G. J.
Gedicht . .
HERMAN ADELMAN
QuARTETTE: Messrs. Donlan, Gaynor, McEvoy, Coveney
Dudley Buck.
(a) Lead, Kindly Light
(b) Berceuse
. . Barnby.
VERY REVEREND FATHER FRANCIS XAVI1!:R WERNZ
Jubilarian-" Hie mag-nos potius lriumphos,
Hie ames dici pater atque princeps.''
jOHN J. CASSIDY.
'H TOY llPIN .JJNHJ!Il

'Yrmu; . .

FRANCIS p. LEBUFFE.

PART II.
SELECTION . . La Cinquantaine
Gabn"el-ilfan·e
Orchestra
EL GENERAL DE LA COMPANIA
Soneto ·
VINCENT GIMENEZ
jAPAN:
A Future Field for Jesuit Education.
WILLIAM M. STINSON.
I DuE FRANCESCHI
SONETTO . .
. ATTILIUS H. RAINES.
CHORUS-(a) Hymn of Pi~ise
Beethoven
(b) Idyl . .
. . Parks
}APAN:
The Postulate of Pius X-" Accingere glttdio tuo
super femur tuum, Potentissime ''
DENNIS]. KAVANAGH.
PATRIS FILII CELEBRANT HONOREM
Carmen
. ROBERT H. JoHNSON.
MARCH
La Sorella . .
Borel-Clerc.
Orchestra
"Per Verbum Domini :figebant tentoria, et per
Verbum illius pro:ficiscebantur; erantque in excubiis
Domini juxta imperium ejus per manum Moysi."

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DE NOVA PROVINCIARUM ET MISSIONUM
CONSTITUTIONE IN AMERICA SEPTENTRIONAL!
IS AUGUSTI-I SEPTEMBRIS

[RR. PP. Prrepositis Provinciarum.]
REVERENDE IN XTO. PATER.

P. X.
Postea, qure die 2I Junii cum Provinciarum Prrepositis
communicanda et apud Nostros divulganda curavi, alia modo_ suppetunt a me significanda non minus scitu digna, qure
Nostrorum cuique multam procul dubio afferent consolationem.
Agitur nempe: I de tribus novis Provinciis, Mexicana:
Canadensi et Neo-Aurelianensi in America Septentrionali
eredis ; 2• de unione Missionum, Californire, Montium Saxosorum et Alaskre Australis; 3" de Missione Buffalensi a Provincia Germanire disjunda et cum vicinioribus Provinciis
conjunda.
Qure tria, postquam Societas universa Sando Joseph se
consecravit, perada sunt; et duo quidem primo ipso die
festo SSmi. Cordis Jesu, 7 Junii, fuerunt decreta, promulgata vero die IS Augusti, Bmre. Virgini sacro, quo die Societatis nostrre primordia commemorantur. Tertium denique,
die festo Pretiosissimi Sanguinis D. N. J. Ch., 7 J ulii decretum, ineunte proximo mense Septembri promulgatum est.
Ut autem ab omnibus resci::ttur, quonam reapse modo hrec
fada sint, operre pretium visum est ea .pariter documenta
cum hisce litteris vulgare, qure de ereda Domo Professa Valentina vulgata fuere, Decretum videlicet de re editum et
Epistola ad Patres et Fratres a me scripta.
Pn"mum igitur, quod ad R"'. vm. mittitur, est exemplum
Decreti de ereda Provincia Mexicana cum Epistola mea ad
PP. et FF. ejusdem Provincire.
Alia vero ejusmodi documenta. qure Provinciam Canadensem et Neo-A urelianensem spectant, equidem integra etiam
a me vulgata voluissem, ne tamen prresens fasculus pluribus
iisque sibi valde similibus prolixior evaderet, satius duxi ea
aliis vulganda permittere, et unius tantum Provincire Mexicanre documenta proferre, ex qui bus intelligi facillime possit,
quid pro duabus aliis Provinciis fuerit peradum .
.' Accedit deinde exemplum Decreti de unitis Missionibus
Californire, Mont~um Saxosorum et Alaskre Australis, cum
0

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Epistola mea ad PP. et FF .. novre Missionis, CalifomitZ d
Montium Saxosorum, denommandre.
Tertio demum copia fit Decreti de Missione Buffalensi a Provincia Germanire separanda, aliterque ordinanda ; addita
etiam Epistola mea ad PP. et FF. ejusdem Missionis.
Ad calcem vero prostant nomina eorum Patrum, qui tribus
Provinciis de novo ereCl:is, et Missionibus meliorem in ordinem redactis prreficiuntur.
Et hrec sunt prrecipua, qure apud nos acta sunt post erectam Domum Professam Valentinam in Provincia Aragonire.
Utinam nova hrec Provinciarum ac Missionum constitutio
Divinre Bonitati adeo accepta probetur, quemadmodum jam
pluries ostendere dignata est sibi acceptissimam fuisse Domus Professre Valentinre ereCl:ionem.
Pergat etiam Beatissimus Patriarcha Joseph, uti adhuc
fecit, Societatem nostram sibi penitus devotam sollicita sua
custodia tueri, et multiplici beneficiorum genere cumulare.
Commendo me SS. SS. SS.
Romre, die 8 Septembris 1907.

R••. V ...
Servus in Xto,
FRANCISCUS XAV. WitRnZ

PrtZp. Gen. Soc. jesu.
I.
D!tCR!tTUM ERitCTIONIS PROVINCI.ilt MitXICANllt
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WitRNZ

PrtZpositus Generalis Soc. jesu
Universis, quorum interest, salutem in Domino
sempiternam.
Q~um postremre Congregationes nostrre Generales, ut
Provmciarum votis facerint satis, ac prrecipua Societatis
?Jembra lange inter se dissita arCl:iori charitatis vinculo conJungerent, suis suffragiis aperte siguificaverint Missiones
nostras transmarinas, qure justos Provincire numeros fuissent
adsecutre, non solum in Provincias erigi posse, sed etiam,
muta.ta :erum temporumque conditione, ad ceteras Europre
Pro':m~tas magis magisque conformari oportere; eodem Nos
studto mduCl:i, eodemque incitati exemplo, sedulo investigan~um curavimus, numquid obstaret, quomin'us Provincia
Mex~cat;~a, qu~ adhuc transmarinre potius Missionis quam
~rovmc~arum Jure regitur, tandem in veri nominis Provinc;am en&eretur; quippe qure prreter Domum Probationis
r~te const;tutam Collegia habet quatuor, Residentias duodectm, Statwnes apud Tharahumaras sex, bonamque copiam

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Juvenum, qui aliis in Provinciis probe informantur; neque
caret reliquis vitrenostrre religiosre rei que familiaris prresidiis,
quibus optimam faciat sui expectationem. Habita igitur de
gravi hoc negotio debita cum PP. Assistentibus deliberatione,
rogatisque Superioris Provincire Mexicanre ejusqueConsultorum sententiis, quum eorum nemo quidquam obstare putaverit, ne optata erectio, quanto citius atque opportunius fieri
posset, perageretur; Nos unanimi hacjudiciorum consensione firmati, nostrique Officii auctoritate ·muniti, post multas
ad Deum preces, Mexicanam Provinciam, qure ad hoc usque
tempus nomine tenus Provincia nuncupata est, iisdem cum
ditione Mexicana finibus circumscriptam, prresentium tenore
in veram Societatis nostrre Provinciam erigimus et constituimus, eamque per Nos legitime erectam et constitutam decernimus ac declaramus in Domino, cum omnibus juribus,
facultatibus et privilegiis, qure Provinciis transmarinis ex Instituti nostri prrescripto conceduntur; servata tamen norma
a Congregatione Generali XXV, decreto octavo, proposita.
·Insuper Decreta hrec nostra, postquam die 15 proximi mensis Augusti, Beatissimre Virgini Marire in Crelos Assumptre
sacro, in prrecipuis saltern Provincire Domibus more consueto publice ad mensam lecta fuerint, plenum vigorem habitura pronuntiamus.
Quod reliquum est, Deum ac Dominum nostrum enixe
precamur, ut omnia qure a Nobis per hasce litteras decreta
et sancita sunt, firma prorsus et rata de Crelo habere dignetur, ac redivivam Provinciam Mexicanam divina sua ope ac
tutela adeo foveat et provehat, ut Antiqure Provincire Mexicanre, et Sociorum numero et omnium virtutum laude florentissimre, quam maxime possit, veram in dies imaginem
referat.-Datum Romre, die festo SSmi. Cordis Jesu, 7 Junii an. 1907.
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ,

• Pra:p. Gen. Soc. Jesu.
EPISTOLA AD P ATRRS. ET FRATRES PROVINCilE
MEXICAN£

Legitimam Provincire Mexicanre erectionem, qure a restitutre Societatis exordio jam meis Prredecessoribus in votis
erat, quamque diuturno unius fere sreculi lahore prreparare
ac promovere conati sunt plures Societatis filii, hodierno
tandem die secundum Instituti nostri normam perficere benigna Dei Providentia concessum est.
Omnibus profecto Societatis filiis gratissimus hie eventus
est; sed vobis, RR. PP. et FF. carissimi, qui Mexicanre
Provincire quacumque ratione adscripti estis, vobis inquam
prresertim faustus et felix hie dies illuxit.
Quapropter vobis paterni animi effusione gratulor, vosque
hortor ut in primis humillimas bonorum omnium Auctori
Deo gratias mecum agatis. Nee sane paucre sunt gaudii

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gratique animi ~ausre, si nost:re Societatis in M.exicana ditione resurgentls gesta et vanam fortun~m.brevtte: rec<?rdemur. Inveniemus profeCto ab anno ulttmt srecuh dectmosexto earn maximis semper difficultatibus periculisque ac
frequentibus inseCtationibus confl.ietatam esse, ita ut bonis
spoliata, sedibus suis expulsa •. per varia loca dispersa. et ad
minimum numerum redaCta, vttam regre traheret et altquando pene exstinCta videretur. Sustentabatur nihilominus
paucorum Patrum, qui residui erant, prudentia, constanti ac
plerumque obscuro lahore et spe magnanima; cujus spd
participes erant Prrepositi Generales Societatis, qui noluerunt ut Mexicanre Provincire nomen e nostris catalogis deleretur. Sustentabatur paterna et vigilanti Dei Providentia,
qui afllietis et periclitantibus sociis animos viresque spirituales addebat, ac simul Mexicanre gentis pietatem et ingenitam liberalitatem excitabat, ut Nostros favore, auxilio, copiosis vitre subsidiis omnique beneficiorum genere prosequerentur: denique, quando tempus ab ipso prrestitutum adfuit, novorum filiorum copiam advocavit, quibus auCta potuit hodierna Societas quatuor ad externre juventutis educationem collegia instituere, plures ad sacra ministeria residentias habere, ac Montanos ludorum traCtus excolendos repetere.
Jucundum profeCto et non parum utile esse debet prresentem prosperitatem considerantibus oculos retro convertere,
ut ante omnia, Dei beneficia grato animo recolamus et confiteamur; ut debitam gratiam benefaetoribus Mexicanis referamus, ut promeritum landis testimonium iis Patribus reddamns, qui inter maximas difficultates divinre glorire et Societatis incremento strenuam operam in Mexicana ditione
navarunt. Maxima eorum pars jam hujus vitre molestias
cum reterna requie commutavit; sed illi seminarunt, et vos
nunc messem colligitis : illi agrum prrepararunt et excoluerunt; et vos in eorum labores introistis.
H.rec igitur commemorantes in vestris bonis gaudemus et
~ratlas Deo agimus, quia, ejus adspirante benignitate, jam
tllorum laborum diu speratus fruCtus obtinetur, dum Mexicana Provincia ita ad Instituti nostri normam constituitur,
u~ n?n solum nomen Provincire habeat, sed omnia sibi jura
vtndtcet qure transmarinis Provinciis nostris legibus assignantur; Omnes alire Provincire, in quarum consortium vacatur, tstam recens creatam seu potius restitutam cum gaudio
~alutabunt, et acclamantes dicent : " Soror nostra es crescas
tn mille millia !"
'
Ego ve~o Deum rogo ut hoc confirmare dignetur quod operatus est tn vobis, et novam Provinciam Divinre Bonitatis
~ux?liis ita fovere pergat, ut pristinre a S. Francisco Borgia
tnstttut:;e florentissimum statum et prreclare faCta in dies
rem?lan vtdeatur. Hrec enim eo prosperitatis aliquando dev.emt ut quadraginta fere Collegia et Seminaria, Residenttas vero et Stationes amplius centum numeraret; plures

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Indorum tribus assiduo filiorum suorum sudore multoque
sanguine ad vitam civil em et christian am tradudas excoluit,
ac denique nulla sive dodrinre sive insignioris virtutis laude
caruit. Quod srepe alias, tum vero prresertim omnibus apparuit, quum tristissima sreculi XVIII procella complures e
Mexicanis Sociis in Italiam ejecit, quorum memoria adhuc
habetur.
Hujusmodi prosperitatis gradum attingere perdifficile quidem est, mutata rerum conditione ; sed neque Deus a vobis
exigit ut Provinciam habeatis redificiis, opibus et magno Sodalium numero florentem, neque futuri temporis tranquillitas et felix rerum cursus a nostra solum voluntate et industria pendet. At vero quidquid evenerit et quocumque res
vertent, nemo impedire poterit, quominus bona Majorum exempla imitantes, iis consiliis respondeatis qure Deus habuit
in Mexicana Provincia restituenda. Jamvero Dei consilium
et voluntas certissime sunt, ut nova Provincia non frustra
hac dignitate honestetur; sed ut filiorum suorum virtutibus,
sdentia, laboribus et egregie fadis tanti nominis amplitudinem adrequet. Quod quidem obtinebitur, si apud nos vigere
pergat et in dies perfedior evadat nostri Instituti observantia, siquidem in ea tota Societatis vita, robur et honor continentur; si unusquisque Sociorum pro virili studeat ad normam se conformare quam S. Ignatius ad instituendam Societatem proposuit et Apostolic::t Sedes approbavit, "curetque, ut verbis S. Parentis utar, primo Deum deinde hujus
sui Instituti rationem, qure via quredam est ad ilium, semper
ante oculos habere, et finem sibi a Deo propositum totis viribus assequi: unusquisque tamen secundum gratiam sibi
ab Spiritu Sando subministratam et vocationissure·gradum. ''
Si "omnes quemadmodum in Constitutionibus jubet, constanti animo incumbamus ut nihil perfedionis, quod divina
gratia assequi possimus in absoluta omnium Constitutionum
observatione nostrique Instituti peculiari ratione adimplenda, prreteream us.''
Sed quam vis ad bonum Provincire statum singuli privatim
Socii conspirare debeant per accuratam nostri Instituti observantiam ; peculiarem tamen hujus rei curam et sollicitudinem pro suo officio genere debent Superiores, eorumque
in gubernatione et formatione Nostrorum Auxiliares: Ministri, inquam, Consultores, rerum spiritualium Prrefedi et
prresertim Novitiorum Magistri: necnon illi quibus nostri
juvenes litteris vel scientiis instituendi committuntur. Etenim si omnes hi secundum regulas suorum officiorum proprias, diligentem et constantem operam prrestiterint, facile,
Dei adspirante gratia, eveniet, ut singulis in domibus religiosa disciplina et orationis ac perfedionis studiuin vigeant;
paupertas ut mater ametur et tamquam Religionis munus
custodiatur ; prrescripta ad angelicre castitatis nitorem ob, serventur, et omnes in sanda obedientia excellere ac insig• nes evadere conentur.

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Ex hac interna hominis formatione ad spiritualem vitam
et ad solidas virtutes, qure instrumentum cum Deo conjungunt derivabitur in nostris studiis serius labor et constantia;
in Collegiis indefessa ad juventutis institutionem diligentia
et in sacris ministeriis apostolicus zelus, sincerus et fortis,
qui magna pro Dei gloria aggrediatur, et acerba pati non
recuset.
Oh ! quam Deo accepta et coram hominibus gloriosa erit
Mexicana Provincia, si hisce sancl:is nostri Instituti documentis ejus filii totam vitam et agendi rationem semper studiose accommodent! Quam fortis etiam ut obstantes diffi.cultates superet, atque inter pericula et inimicorum insectaHones quam minimum detrimentum patiatur. Nam, qurecumque institerit temporum acerbitas, prresens vobis semper
aderit Dux et Auctor nostrre Societatis Jesus, qui strenuos
milites, fidem sibi datam servantes et bonum certamen certantes, non deseret ; sed robur et auxilium pugnantibus afferet, pericula avertet, hostium machinationes disjiciet, et, si
calamitatem ingruere permittat, in amantissimo suo Corde
perfugium dabit et arcem munitissimam. Ejus fidelissimum
auxilium experta est Mexicana Societas, qure inter multiplices difficultates adolevit et ad prresentem statum provecta
est ; idem auxilium spero vobis non defuturum ut "crescatis in illo per omnia, qui est caput Christus."
Huic ego vos, PP. et FF. CC., suppliciter commendo, ut
de thesauro Cordis sui Sanctissimi super vos gratire sure divitias benignus effundat, qu"ibus recreati charismata in dies
meliora remulemini. Beatissimam ejus Matrem. in ccelum
hodie Assumptam, simul deprecor, ut sicut in Monte Mar!yrum nascentem Societatem Jesu in suam tutelam recepit,
tta Mexicanam Provinciam, eodem festo die renascentem,
peculiari maternre pietatis sollicitudine foveat. Denique
Sacrre Familire prresidi S. Josepho cui se tota Societas recenter consecravit, vos confidenter commendo et committo,
ut sub ejus potentissimo patrocinio Mexicana Jesu familia
augeatur et incolumis conservetur.
9mnibus et singulis novre Provincire Sociis, tam Superi~>nbus. quam subditis, paternam benedictionem peramanter
tmpertto, et commendo me vestris ss. ss. et oo.
Romre, 7 Junii 1907-0mnium in Chto. Servus
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

PrO!p. Gen. Soc. Jesu.
II
DECERNITUR UNIO MISSIONUM CALIPORNI.IE ET
MONTIUM SAXOSORUM.

Jamdu~u~ erat in omnium votis, ut per novam aptioremque Provtnctarum ac Missionum distributionem in America
Septentrionali quibusdam incommodis afferetur remedium

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simulque provideretur ut Nostrorum labores minori vmum
dispendio fruduosiores existerent ; iamque ad negotium tanti momenti ipse prredecessor meus P. Lud. Martin serio animum appulerat, cum morte interceptus rem ad exitum perducere non potuit. Nunc itaque, post multas interrogationes
et responsiones ultro citroque missas, adhibitis consuetis
consultationibus, id tandem constitutum est, quod omnium
iudicio opportunius videbatur, quemadmodum etiam fadis
brevi manifestum fiet.
Inter hrec pari quoque sollicitudine agendum fuit de Missionibus, qure in America Septentrionali ad istam Provinciam Taurinensem spedant, uti R ... v••. notum est; circa quas
juxta postremas concordesque R. v••. suorumque Consultorum sententias, ex judicio quoque Superiorum singularum
Missionum eorumque Consultorum, re cum PP. Assistentibus communicata et probata, post multas preces, hrec in Domino decernenda censui. prouti prresentibus litteris decerno:
-, I•) Ut Missiones Californire et Montium Saxosorum una
cum parte australi Missionis Alaskanre et duobus Statibus
-Dakota septentrionali ac meridonali, ad Missionem Buffalensem Provincire Germanire hucusque addidis, coalescant in
posterum in unam Missionem, cui nomen esto Missi'o Cali.fornill! et Monfium Saxosorum, qureque sub regimine unius
Superioris ad Provinciam Taurinensem pertineat ;
2•.) Ut pars borealis Missionis Alaskanre a Missione Montium Saxosorum sejungatur et ad novam Provinciam Canadensem applicata existat una cum omnibus suis domiciliis,
personis, bonis temporalibus, ac debitorum obligationibus;
3•) Ut bini Dakotre Status septentrionalis ac meridionalis,
qui hucusque ad Missionem Buffalensem spedabant, ab ea
Missione et Provincia Germanica sejungantur et applicentur
ad novam Missionem Californire et Montium Saxosorum,
atque adeo ad Provinciam Taurinensem, una cum domiciliis, personis, bonis temporalibus et debitorum obligationibus·
·
4•) Ut hre dispositiones-pro mensa legantur et promulgentur in singulis novre Missionis domibus, ita ut I" et 2• die IS
Augusti hujusce anni effedum sortiantur 3•, vero die I Septembris anni ejusdem.
s") Denique R••. V... committo ut has dispositiones cum
singulis trium Missionum Superioribus communicet, curetque sive per se sive per novum Superiorem unitarum Missionum ut collatis consiliis cum novo Provinciali Canadensi
necnon cum Superiore adualis -Missionis Buffalensis, omnia
opportuno modo et tempore executioni mandentur.
Interim enixis precibus Deum rogo ut novis his dispositionibus benedicere dignetur, quo ad maiorem ipsius gloriam
evadant, itemque ad majorem utilitatem et frudum illarum
Missionum, omniumque Nostrorum, qui iisdem incumbunt,
uti sperare licet, in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sandi.
Amen.

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9

Datum Romre, die festo SS. Cordis Jesu, 7 Junii 1907.
R. P. JOSEPHO CHIAUDANO
Prcep. Prov. Taur.

R··. v··.

Servus in Xto.
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

Prcep. Gen. Soc. jesu.
EPIS'l'OLA AD PA'l'RES E't FRA'l'RES MISSIONIS
CALIFORNIJE E'l' MoNTIUM SAxosoRuM.

Paterna caritas ac sollicitudo qua vos omnes et singulos
in Domino complector, qureque jam ab exordio suscepti mei
muneris me efficaciter impulit ad consilium antea increptum
perficiendum de istis Missionibus in unam colligendis ; eadem mihi auctrix est, Reverendi Patres ac Fratres in Christo
carissimi, ut propitiam hanc solemnemque vobis occasionem
vos alloquendi penitus non prretermittam.
Acre quidem vera, hrec eadem trium Missionum, Californiensis scilicet et Montium Saxosorum et Alaskre Australis
in unam amplioremque Missionem collectio, quam hac ipsa
die tam secundis ominibus cernimus auspicatam, quemadmodum vobis omnibus iusti gaudii novreque spei argumentum merito prrebet, ita mihi quoque verba suppeditat, quibus
vos potissimum adhortatione simul et consolatione prosequar.
Etenim perspicuum vobis esse reor, Patres Fratresque optatissimi, in tam gravi uniendarum istarum Missionum negotio me eo prrecipue spectasse ut unica per id exorta Missio, optimis quibusque singularum Missionum commodis opportunissime aucta, unitate regiminis donata sociorumque
mutua virium conspiratione validior effecta, alacriori quoque cursu contendere posset ad nobilissimam illam assequendam metam, qure hominibus Societatis nostrre in tam am~lis arduisque regionibus non sine magna omnium expectattone proposita est; sicque ut ad prrestantiorem stabilioremque formam transmitti possit sese pedetentim compararet.
At quo id certius faciliusque consequamini, maxime opus
est ut omnes pro sua quisque parte sedulam conferatis opem,
ex qua spectabilis hrec atque exterior in unum Missionis
corpus coagmentatio magis magisque solidetur et ultimo
perficiatur per ipsorum animorum intimam arctissimamque
consensionem; atque adeo quemadmodum, ut verbis utar
Apostoli, unum corpus estis effecti, ita vigeat in vobis omnibu~ un_us atque idem spiritus, cum eadem sit quoque spes vocatzo?!zs vestrce, nimirum peculiaris finis toti Missioni communtter propositus, ad quem collatis viribus prosequendum
~ate.rna Superiorum providentia prresentibus hisce dispositw~ub.us v.os advocat et instruit. Itaque, Patres ac Fratres
met ~tlectt~simi, tametsi explorata vestra virtus novis aculeis
exsttmulan non egeat, mihi tamen deesse nolo quin illud

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prrecipua. cura intentisque animis per bane prresertim occasionem prosequendumcommemorem, quod ceteroquin semper
et ab omnibus observandum SanCl:us Parens Ignatius gravissimis Constitutionibus inculcavit ; ut scilicet " Idem sentiamus, idem, quoad ejus fieri potest, dicamus omnes, juxta
Apostulum." Qure quidem prrescriptio, uti probe nos tis
atque ex ipsius SanCl:i Fundatoris constitutis perspicue patet,
non modo ad sententiarum diversitatem in doCl:rinis speculativis propulsandam speCl:at, verum etiam ad judiciorum de
rebus agendis discrepantiam avertendam extenditur, utpote
qure mater esse solet discordire et inimica unionis voluntatum. Neque enim admodum difficile est ut inter ipsius Societatis nostrre sodales, quamquam ad unum omnes (quod
Dei beneficium est) uno eodemque impellantur maioris divinre glorire promovendre desiderio, nihilominus sive ob ingeniorum variam naturam, sive ob contraCl:as vi peculiaris
institutionis consuetudines, sive ob alias quasvis rationes,
_non satis conveniat quoad restimationem aliquorum medio·rum eorumque usum, itemque quoad peculiares quasdam
- procedendi agendique rationes ceteraque id genus varia, quibus ad finem ipsum sit pertingendum, atque adeo in varia
scindantur studia dum scilicet alii exempli causa plus tribuunt alieni ministeriorum generi, alii vero alteri; quidam
plus huic systemati fidunt, quidam vero illi. Usuvenit enim
quandoque ut qui ad perditorum hominum ac prresertim infidelium animas lucrandas multum afficiuntur eo quod etiam
prreclaros inde fructus referre soleant, non reque deferant
diuturnis improbisque laboribus erudiendre in Collegiis juventuti insumptis, tantasque Nostrorum operas vix non deperditas conquerantur; aliis e contra opinantibus atque in
tantum id genus ministeriorum extollentibus, ut pauperum
rudiumque Indorum curam minoris facere videantur quam
par est. Jam quis non videat quam foret hujusmodi sentiendi diversitas ac studiorum varietas non modo a genuino Societatis spiritu longe remota,. sed ipsis quoque ministeriis nostris multum infesta atque-·perniciosa? Quicumque enim vel
leviter Instituti nostri rationem perspeCl:am habet, probe novit quanta animorum magnitudo reque ac promptitudo
requiratur a Nostris ad quodlibet ministeriorum genus ampleCl:endum, quanta quoque voluntatis indifferentia ad eorum
unumquodque adeundum, vel seponendum, itemque ad ea
aut his aut illis modis provehenda, prouti ex Superiorum
prrescripto injungitur. Unde nil mirum quod SanCl:us Societatis Fundator gravissimis verbis mandaverit ut ea quam
dixi animorum conjunCl:io ac mutua judiciorum conformitas
et diligentissime curaretur a singulis, et pari diligentia ea
qure ei adversantur per Superiores non permitterentur; noverat enim providentissimus Parens quanta esse soleat hac
in re humana fragilitas, aliunde vero sive ob naturam et
multiplicitatem operum prosequendorum, sive ob ingeniorum varietatem prresentiebat nee raras nee leves nostris quo-

SUPPLEMENT

H

que occasiones ejusmodi non defuturas: idcirco non qualibet
cura contentos nos esse voluit, sed ad magnam nos excitavit
diligentiam et sollici~udinem, _apost<;lic~ memor ~e~~enti<e:
" solliciti servare umtatem sptntus m vmculo pacts.
Quo faeto, uti animadvertit idem S. Parens Ignatius, ~~­
plex idque non ~inimum assequem~r ~om~odum : u~ sclltcet "juneti invtcem f~a~ern<e cha~ttatls vmcu_lo mehus et
efficacius possimus et dtvmo,?bsequ~o nos mancwar~ et .a~x­
ilio proximorum i~pendere. . Mel~us et efficactus m ~hvmo
proficiemus obseqmo, tum qma plunmum ad conservahon~m
spiritus atque ad ipsius augmentum prodest perspeeta Socwrum virtus, qu<e numquam elucet magis et comprobatur
certius, quam ex sincer<e charitatis operibus ; tum maxime
quia Deus Auetor pacis ac dileetionis pr<eclarioribus sure
grati<e donis eos cumulare gestit, quos viderit toto corde pacem et charitatem seetare. Melius etiam et efficacius in
proximorum auxilium incumbemus, quippe salida inter nos
pace et charitate fundati promptiores erimus ad magnos
adeundos labores pro gloria Dei, quibus pr<eterea et levius
sustinendis et magis strenue provehendis, ac de mum ad felicem
exitum certius perducendis multum accedet virtutis ac roboris ex mutua virium collatione animorumque consensione,
juxta illud divinum testimonium: "Frater qui adjuvatur
a fratre quasi civitas firma." Neque id tantummodo, rerum
etiam l<etitia accedet, qua mirum in moduin in ipsis laboribus et levantur animi et ad perseverandum redduntur aptiores, quemadmodum de Machab<eis eorumque Sociis eadem
testatur Scriptura, quod sese invicem adjuvabant et "pr<eliabantur pr<elium Israel cum l<etitia."
Atque hrec habebam, fratres mei dileetissimi, non tam
commendanda aut inculcanda animis vestris, q11am in memoriam revocanda, ut dum hac ipsa die in unius Missionis corpu~ convenitis, unus etiam vos omnes et suscipiat fraternitahs ~mor, et ubique contineat et in finem usque augeat et
conservet. Quod quidem ut pro voto succedat, amplissimam paterni animi mei bcnedietionem vobis omnibus impert~or ; in primis novo totius Missionis Superiori, ut in gravisstmo onere suo sentiat se vestra benevolentia et docilitate
leva tum ; singulis deinde localibus Superioribus, ut in partem
· sollicitudinis vocati pari consolationis munere lretentur · om~i~us ~enique ac singulis Patribus ac Fratribus sive Scbolashcts stve Coadjutoribus, ut in suis quisque laboribus magnum experiatur animum magnosque consequatur fruetus.
';'os. omnes in Domino compleetor, et me SS. SS. et Oratlombus vestris commendo.
Rom<e, die 7 Iunii 1907
Omnium Servus in Xto.
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

Pr(Ep. Gen. Soc. jesu.

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III.
DECRETUM
DE MISSIONIS BUFFALENSIS SEPARATIONE A PROVINCIA
GERMANIM EJUSQUE UNIONE CUM PROVINCIIS AMERICM
FcEDERATM.

Attente in Domino consideratis, qure de separatione Missionis Buffalensis a Provincia Germanire diu et mature ab
omnibus in hoc negotio partem habentibus fuerunt disceptata, post sedulam rei cum PP. Assistentibus deliberationem
et assiduas ad Deum preces multasque in bonorem Sacratissimi Cordis Jesu atque crelestium nostrorum Patronorum
oblatas Missas hoc decretum condendum atque promulgandum esse censeo:
I. Missio Buffalensis a die I Septembris anni I907 a Provincia Germanire penitus separata sit et babeatur, sublata
qualibet jurisdictione Prrepositi Provincire Germanire in
- eandem Mission em et fin ita pariter omni bonorum temporalium communione inter Provinciam Germanire et Missionem
Buffalensem.
II. Unaqureque domus Missionis Buffalensis cum omnibus suis bonis et debitis inde a die I Septembris anni I907,
illi Provincire vel Missioni Americre Septentrionalis unita sit
et babeatur, in cujus Provincire vel Missionis territorio sita
est:
Qua ratione uniantur :
I) Collegium et ConviCl:us B. Petri Canisii et Residentia
S. Annre in civitate Buffalensi cum Provincia Marylandire
N eo-Eboracensis.
2) Collegium S. Ignatii Clevelandire, Domus probationis
S. Stanislai prope Clevelandiam, Collegium incboatum S.
Joannis Bercbmans Toletanum, Residentia Markatensis,
Collegium SS. Cordis in Prairie du Chien, cum Provincia
Missouriana.
~- .
3) Residentia S. Francisci et Residentia SS. Rosarii in
Statu South-Dakota cum Missione Californire et Montium
Saxosorum a Provincia Taurinensi dependente.
III. In divisione Sociorum, qui bucusque in Missione
. Buffalensi ad Provinciam Germanire pertinebant, hisce normis standum est:
I) Omnes sacerdotes post finitum tertium annum probationis ( Patres domus) et Fratres Coadjutores sive in America
Septentrionali nati vel naturalizati sh·e non, a prima die
Septembris anni I907, pertineant ad illam Provinciam vel
Missionem, ad quam ex numero II. hujus decreti speCl:at
domus, cui die I Septembris anni I907 legitime fuerint adscripti, exceptis duobus Patribus a P. Provinciali Germanire
ante diem 1 Septembris anni I907, approbante P. Generali,
in Europam vel Brasiliam vocatis.

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2) Omnes Magistri et ~rrefeCti Schol~stici et P~tr~s juniores qui studiis absolutts, tamen terttre Probatwms anno
nondum peraCto die I Septembris anni 1907legitime adscripti aetu degunt in C_ollegiis. et ~esidentiis Missioni;; Buffalen:
sis eidem normre smt subjeCtt, qure n. III. 1 hujus decrett
de Patribus domus statuta est exceptis quatuor Scholasticis
a P. Provinciali Germanire ante diem I Septembris anni
I907 approbante P. Generali in Indiam vel Brasiliain vocatis.
3) Omnes Missionis Buffalensis Philosophi, Theologi, Patres, qui anno Scholastico I9o6-I907 tertiam probationem
egerunt, a die I Septembris anno I907, pertineant ad illam
Provinciam vel Missionem Americanam, ad quam ratione
loci nativitatis vel naturalizationis in America Septentrionali
pertinent salvis exceptionibus, quas Superior Missionis Buffalensis pro tempore e:x:istens tanquam in hoc a P. Generali
specialiter delegatus prresertim in favorem Provincire Missourianre, utpote majoribus oneribus gravatre 'ex caritate et
requitate statuerit.
4) Demum omnes N ovitii Scholastici et Juniores Missionis
Buffalensis in Domo Probationis die I Septembris anni I907,
degentes ad Provinciam Missourianam pertineant sine respeCtu ad locum nativitatis vel naturalizationis salvis iterum
exceptionibus, quas Superior Missionis Buffalensis pro tempore existens tanquam in hoc a P. Generali specialiter delegatus forte in favorem Provincire Marylandire Neo-Eboracensis ex caritate vel requitate statuendus esse existimaverit.
IV. Quoad divisionem et communionem bonorum temporalium prreter ea, qure supra n. II. hujus decreti statuta
sunt, hrec in specie sunt servanda :
I) Area Seminarii Missionis Buffalensis die I Septembris
anni I907, transit in Arcam Seminarii Provincire Missourianre cum onere Ioo,ooo, Marcarum intra quinque subsequentes annos a die I Septembris anni I907, computandos ita Arcre
Seminarii Provincire Germanire restituendi, ut singulis annis
20,000 Marcarum absque fcenore solvantur.
2) Scholastici qui nunc in Collegio Valkenburgensi !'tudent etpost separation em faCtam, inter Mission em Buffalensem
e~ Prov~nciam Germanire, a die I Septembris 1907, pertinent
stve rattone nativitatis sive naturalizationis ad Provinciam
Marylandire Neo-Eboracensem vel Missourianam vel ad Missionem Californire et Montium Saxosorum, aut in suam novam ~rovinciam redeant, aut pro ipsis inde a die prima Septembns solvantur consuetre pensiones Scholasticorum aliarum Provinciarum.
"\!· :Provincia Germanire in gratam memoriam et signum
~ant~tt~ etiam post separationem faCtam omnibus sociis, qui
tn M~sst.one Buffalensi ante diem I Septembris anni I907 ad
Provmctam Germanire pertinebant, solita concedet suffragia
p~reter_ea, qure ab illa Provincia vel Missione Americre Septnot?-ahs accipiunt, ad quam inde a die I Septembris I907
perttnent.

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VI. Si qu::e in posteru.m superveniat difficultas in casibus
particularibus quoad hujus decreti executionem, ad P. Generalem erit recurrendum.
Datum Rom::e, die 7 Iulii 1907.
In Festa Pretiosissimi Sanguinis D. N. J. Ch.
FRANCISCUS.XAvEiuus WERNZ

·

Prcep. Gen. Soc. Jesu.

EPISTOLA AD P ATRES ET FRATRES MISSIONIS BUFFALENSIS
PROVINCilE GERl'IIANilE.

Paterno meo officio me defuisse putarem, Patres Fratresque in Christo diledissimi, si una cum decreta Missionis
Buffalensis a Provincia Germani::e divisione, nihil ego ad
vos mitterem litterarum, unde aliqua vobis accederet consolatio. Atque imprimis illud vobis omnibus persuasum sit
me neutiquam latere, nee nisi justas agnoscc:>re pr::ecipuas
doloris vestri causas. Disjungitur nimirum carissima vestra
~Iissio a carissima vestra Provincia, cujus cur::e ac sollicitudini vos ipsos in Societatem vocatis vestraque omnia penitus
debetis. Nee disjungitur solum, sed dissolvitur quodammodo pulcherrima vestra l'tiissio Buffalensis, qu::e vobis tanto
extitit carior, quanta earn studiosius ac laboriosius excoluistis, majoremque in modum amplificastis ac perfecistis.
Pusilla sane initio, tribus tantum constabat domiciliis, qu::e
unum et viginti Socios excipiebant. Nunc vero post annos
fere sex et triginta adeo florentem conspicitis, ut magnis
quatuor Collegiis, ampla Probationis Domo, Residentiis quatuor valde magnis instruda sit. Sociosque numeret propemodum trecentos. Nihil igitur mirum, Patres Fratresque
diledissimi, si a vestra Provincia vestraque Missione, quibus
tam ardo veri amoris vinculo eratis conjundi, non sine intima pii doloris sensu disssociamimi, vosque pr::esertim, venerandi Patres Fratresque an!iquiores, qui in Missione longiori
tempore versati estis; nihil enim acerbius amittitur, quam
quod diutius sandiusque ailigitur. Atqui h::ec pr::ecipua
vestra laus esto, quod B. Parentis N. Ignatii monitis edodi
atque i11;1buti, etiam piissima vestra vota ac desideria, quibus nihil vobis potius cordi erat, volenti ac jubenti Deo per
Societatis Superiores, prompto ad mod urn animo offerre atque
immolare non dubitastis. Quin etiam, quod perfed::e nostr::e
obedienti::e proprium est, Superiorum jussa apud vosmetipsos probare ac defendere diligenter curastis.
Et jure quidem merito, nisi enim caus::e valde graves adfuissent, cur ita decerneretur, nullo unquam pado de Missione separanda aut eliminanda cogitatum fuisset. Jam dudum enim vero exoptabatur, ut in· tota, qua late patet,
America Frederata Missiones ac Provinci::e nostr::e, magnis
paulatim incrementis aud::e, aptiori atque stabiliori modo
ordinarentur, quo singul::e, intra certos justosque suos fines

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constitutre, vires ac facultates suas omnes multo utilius ac
fruduosius per se ips~s ~volvere at9ue exe:ce;e vale:e?t..
Accedit quod Provmc1~ Ger?I~mre gravtsstm_o sm tpsn~s
onere jam oppressa, sustmendts m posterum tnbu~ !llagms
Missionibus imparem se prorsus agnoscebat, nee ms1 dolenter postulabat, ut saltern a procuranda dileda sua Missione
Buffalensi quantocius liberaretur.
Aliunde vero Missio Buffalensis, suis tantummodo viribus
relida, vix sibi adeo sufficere poterat, ut de ea sui juris facienda, nedum in Provinciam erigenda, spes ulla conciperetur.
Quare consultius visum est Missionem Buffalensem non uni
tan tum Provincire vel Missioni annedere, sed viciniores inter
Provincias vel Missiones pro locorum opportunitate dispertire, eisdemque ita conjungere, ut egregia Missionis opera
non modo null urn caperent detrimentum, sed alia rum Provinciarum vel Missionum subsidio commodius curarentur ac
proveherentur; quo vicissime fieret, ut finitimre Provincire
vel Missiones, tam validas nadre suppetias, magnopere juvarentur. In primis vero Provincia Missouriana, qure Japonicre Missionis aS. Sede nobis commissre prrecipuam fortasse curam susceptura est.
Quum igitur his aliisque non levis momenti causis tandem
faCtum sit, quod jamdiu commune Societatis bonum omnino
postulare videbatur, reliquum est, Patres Fratresque diledissimi, ut mutata Missionis Buffalensis, non vero vocationis
vestrre c;onditione, in salutem sanetificationemque vestram
non minus quam in alienam omni qua fieri potest ope ac diligenti~ incumbere pergatis. Summum etiani studium cujusque stt, quocumque fuerit a Superiore vocatis, cuicumque
munere addidus, ut in omnibus se exhibeat verum Societatis
fi~ium, c~jus est vitam agere in quavis mundi plaga, in quayts Soct~tatis Provincia, in quavis Provincire Domo,
1n quovts Domus ministerio, ubi majus Dei obsequium
s:per~tur. Et quoniam ex vobis alii adscripti estis Provmctre Missourianre, alii Provincire Marylandire NeoEboracensi, alii Missioni Californire cum Missione Montium Saxosorum recens conjunetre, sic in sua quisque nova Provincia vel Missione convivere studeat, non
ta?lq~am adoptivus in alienam domum assumptus, sed uti
fihus 1n ~omo sua natus, quem ubique terrarum amantissime
c?mpleCtttur Mater nostra Societas, qure una eademque ommum. nostrum familia est. Optimos Provincire et Missionis
Pra;st~es, Fr~tresque suavissimos amisistis, optimos alios invemehs Prrestdes, paternre in vos benevolentireplenos, aliosque Fratre~ concordissimos, quibuscum tanta intercedet fraternre chan.tatis conjundio, tanta superni amoris necessitudo, ut ommum cor unum, unaque anima esse videatur. Atque hrec firmis.sima mea spes est, hrec mea maxima vota atque optata, qmbus neminem vestrum defuturum confido .
.Ne9-~e aliud _restat, Patres Fratresque in Christo diledissimt, mst ut vobts omnibus et singulis, quod de Societate nos-

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tra tam bene merita est Missio Buffalensis, non meo solum
nomine sed etiam Provincire Germanire, cui vos perinde
atque ego ipse tot tantaque beneficia accepta referimus, ex
animo gratulatus gratias et agam et habeam maximas, paternamque meam benediClionem peramanter impertiar.
Commendo me nostris SS. SS. et 00.
Romre, 7 Julii 1907
Omnium Servus in Christo,
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ

Prap. Gen. Soc. J~su.
REVERENDE IN XTO. PATER,

P. X.
Quum Ireta semper nobis redeat septima Augusti dies, secum fert faustissimas Societati nostrre recordationes ; his
temporibus hrec dies multo lretior nobis revolvitur. Monet
enim, baud ita multo post, idest die 7 Augusti anni 1914,
centesimum adventurum, quo Societas, per totum pene terrarum orbem deleta, e suis veluti cineribus, Deo bene favente, excitata est. Si igitur quotannis septimam Augusti diem
lreti nanciscimur, summasque imo ex animo gratias Deo
solvimus; multo magis decet baud imparatos nos illi ternpori occurrere, quo centesimus restitutre Societatis annus absolvetur. Si enim magnus fuit antiquorum Patrum ardor in
centesimi conditre Societatis anni solemniis celebrandis ; eodem, ne dicam maiore, nos officio devincimur. Si enim prima Societatis nostrre institutio fuit maximum Dei et Sanctre
Sedis beneficium, non infra saltern communeranda est eiusdem Societatis restitutio. Ut gratum igitur animum impensamque voluntatem nostram Deo summoque Pontifici testemur ; ad tantum eventum ut par est celebrandum, decet
illum ita opperiri, ut eorum voluntati optatisque in revocanda ad vitam Societate aptius in dies et fidelius obsequamur.
Neque diutius expectanduth.duxi, ut parandis omnibus manum apponamus; si velimus ea exequi, qure his meis litteris
indicanda indicavi.
Duo enim necessaria sunt, ut accommodatam diligentemque prreparationem adhibeamus; prim urn nempe, ut beneficii
magnitudinem probe cognoscamus et iuste restimemus; deinde vero ut simus magno animo atque liberali, sicut loquitur
SanClus Pater noster, prompti scilicet ac parati, ut Dei ac
Sanctre Sedis expeClationi non modo vitre ratione, sed etiam
prreclare factis satisfaciamus. Ita enim fiet, ut centesimo
anno vertente, omnes istius Provincire alumni non modo sint
renovati spiritu, sed sint revera primitia spiritus. N am germanum hunc Ignatii parentis spiritum revocatum voluit
Pius VII, qnum prreclaro benevolentire testimonio Societatem nostram ad vitam revocavit. Voluit nempe Summus
Pontifex, ut nova hrec acies primre illius virtutem vitreque

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sanCl:itatem referret : et novi socii, primos illos remulati,
Ecclesire prresto es~ent ut str~nui _levis ~rmaturre milites,
quocumque mittendt, quo glona Det et ammarum salus postularet; semper prompti ac parati animus ad omn~m P<;mtificis nutum; quibus certum esset pu~nare. ac J?Orl; qu~ denique mira ilia renovar.ent! qure pnmts Soct_et!ltls temponbt;s
Summi Ponttfices admtratl fuerant. Hue tgttur prreparatto
nostra speCl:are debet : viresque nostrre summa contentione
dirigendre, ut Provincire istius Socii ~mnes, cen~esimo anno
vertente, primitice spiritus et revera SlUt et mamfesto appareant.
I. Primum igitur, ut beneficii magnitude, quod nobis
Societatis instauratione colla tum est, reCl:e restimetur: alteque
defigatur animo, beneficium illud fuisse veluti fontem, ex
quo innumera alia in nospromanarunt; prreter librum singu·
larem, qui ad centenarium annum celebrandum vulgabitur,
et Societatis restitutionem, progressum, ac faCl:a prrecipua
primi hujus sreculi summatim describet, cuius liberi exarandi curam ipse iam peritissimo Patri commisi ; decere
existimo, unamquamque Provinciam et Missionem parare
Compendium historicum, quo prima sua origo a restituta
Societate, incrementum et status prresens narretur ; et qure
prreclariora sunt scitu de sequentibus argumentis breviter
perstringantur:
1) Institutio spiritualis et religiosa sociorum ; scil. Tirocinium et 3" Probatio:
2) Eorundem in litteris et scientiis institutio; scil. Iunioratus, Collegia philosoph ire et theologire, studia particularia :
3) Ministeria spiritualia ; scil. Missiones exterre, Missiones
urbanre, Missiones per pagos. Exercitia S. Patris Ignatii,
Cathecheses, Congregationes B. Marire V. et Bonre Mortis,
Congregationes opificum, valetudinaria, carceres etc ;
. 4! Ministeria litteraria; scil. Collegia externorum, ConvtCl:us, Collegia Scriptorum, prrecipui e libris editis:
S) Demum aliqui e sociis magis illustribus vita funCl:is,
fundatores, viri beneficientiores et melius de Societate meriti.
Hrec si diligenter exarentur et per universam Societatem
vulgentur, primum facile et maximum consequetur bonum.
Omnes e~im ~ocii primo statum conspeCl:u intelligent, qurenat? fuer.tt pnmo hoc sreculo nova Societas, et quantum ad
~et glona_m egerit. Sentient omnes, quanta ubique fuerit
Vlt<.e sanCl:ttas ; quam impensum religiosre perfeCl:ionis studium; qu?turbessacrisministeriisexcultre; quotjuvenesad pietatem htterasque informati: quot homines a vitiis ad virtutis
amorem ~ra?uCl:i; quot populi ad Christi religionem vocati
et ad c~~tsttanos mores excitati. Ex quo magnam concipien~ lrehham, quod ad hanc Societatem et ipsi delecti fuerint,
et 1 ~ tantam bonorum operum partem vocati · et maximos
grat~ t!rga Deum animi sensus, summumque erga Societatem
studmm concipient.
II.-Ex eodem conspeCl:u maximum alterum consequetur

18

SUPPLEJJfENT

bonum, quod magnopere exopto; ut scilicet Dei et Sanche
Sedis votis optatisque plene obsequamur. Fieri enim nequit, ut a reCta beneficii restimatione et a grato animo seiungatur sincera voluntas et efficax desiderium amorem amore
rependendi, et par pari, prout vires suppetant, referendi. ..,
Deinde vero unaqureque Provincia et Missio e conspeCl:u eorum, qure supra attigimus, consideret, quid ad majorem Dei
gloriam et animarum salutem fecerit ad bane usque diem ;
quid nunc faciat; quid pro suis viribus facere insuper possit;
ut hoc generosre voluntatis testimonium Christo et Sandre
Sedi offerat, uti singulare srecularis anni monumentum.
Quibus bene perpensis, novas sumat vires magnosque sensus
ad ea ministeria et opera, qure desint, alacriter suscipienda;
strenue perficienda ex. gr. tirocinii domos; Collegia maxima;
Collegia Scriptorum ; Missiones in ipsa urbe, ubi degunt Nostri et per pagos ; Exercitiorum domos ; Congregationes Marianas et Bonre Mortis, sive novas condendo, sive languentes excitando; Missiones ex teras, si iis Provincia careat. Potissimum
~autem ministeria spiritualia promovenda sunt in Residentiis,
qure prresertim independentes vocantur, et reguntur ad instar
Domus Professre. Eas enim prre primis decet ministeria
spiritualia libenter ampleCl:i et strenue persequi, eaque omnia
studiose aggredi, qure in Regulis Prrepositi Domus Professre
tantopere commendantur. Atque utinam plures ex his Residentiis independentibus, et prresertim ex iis qure multa iam
habent, quibus Domus Professa constituitur, valentinorum
Patrum exemplum imitatre, omnia paullatim componant, ut
quamprimur Domus Professre erigantur. Hrec mea spes est,
hoc votum, quod sreculari anno impletum confido.
Nee parum hujus temporis solemnitati conferret, si scriptores Societatis, doCl:is gravibusque editis libris, varia pertractarent, qure tam lretum eventum illustriorem redderent.
Hanc autem, qure sese opportunissimam offert, arripiat
occasionem, qua nostris scriptoribus magnum addat animum
ad qurestiones, qure nunc;." temporis agitare solent, aggrediendas scriptis libris, easque doCl:e et solide pertraCl:andas.
Quin immo, ut eiusmodi libri et majori vertant bonre Societatis existimationi, et illam offerant populis utilitatem, ad
quam Societas nostra speCl:at, et quam SanCl:a Sedes merito
sibi a nobis pollicetur; jucundissimum mihi et gratissimum
accidet, si R. V., pro virium conditione, vel scriptorum Collegium si opus sit in ista Provincia constituat juxta normas
traditas a Congr. Gen. XXIV. Deer. 19; vel saltem scriptores istius Provincire firmo stabilique modo designandos et
ordinandos curet. Ita enim ex altera parte omnia evenient
magis ordinate et opportune pro re nata et qurestionum gravitate, et in ephemeridum et commentariorum lucubrationibus,
et in conscribendis libris, et in opusculis exarandis ; ex
altera vero R. V. magnum sibi levamen et solatium gratulabitur.

19

SUPPLEMENt'

Hrec sunt, qure pro temporis opportunitate magis necessaria existimavi, ut nos ad srecularem novre Societatis annum
digne celebrandum paremus. Adsit vero benignissimus
Deus inceptis nostris, ac proximis soleminiis coronam imponat, bonus annuens, ut V. P. Josephus M. Pignatelli beatorum Crelitum honoribus hoc tempore augeatur. Ipso enim
administro usus est Deus ad Societatem restituendum ; ipse
omnem dedit operam, ut novre Societati intemeratum Ignatii Conditoris spiritum transmitteret. Si igitur optatis nostris, Deo bene juvante, satisfiat, et novus nobis addetur animus, quo illius vestigiis fidelius insistamus, eodemque spiritu
Dei gloriam provehamus; et licebit novre Societati novum
hunc Beatum, uti primitias suas, Deo et Sanctre Ecclesire
offerre.
Curet R. V., ut hre litterre cum Nostris omnibus istius
Provincire communicentur.
Commendo me SS. SS. SS.
Romre, die 8 Septembris 1907.
R ...

v··.

Servus in Xto.
FRANCISCUS XAV. WERNZ

Prcep. Gen. Soc. Jesu.

--

TH:Ji'

WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XXXVII. No.2
THE MAKERS OF WOODSTOCK

To tell the story of the "Makers of Woodstock'' is
and must be a "Labor of Love" to one, who, to both
owes so much of substantial interest and happiness as
does the present writer.
On the roll of "the makers" one name, like that of
Abou Ben Adhem, leading all the rest is that of Rev.
Angelo M. Paresce, "Woodstock's Founder ", who, as
his modest tombstone in the College Cemetery testifies,
magna ni'su built the College.
Father Paresce was by birth a Neapolitan, with an
English strain in his make-up.
His father or grandfather was an Englishman of the not unusual name of
Parish, who settled in Naples, there married and founded a family of the Italianized name Paresce. The future
founder of Woodstock entered the Society in his native
city, a few years before the outbreak of the Revolution
of 1848, and, with other Jesuit exiles, came to this country, was.stationed at <;ieorgetown, where he COJ?pleted
his studies of the Society, and in 1851 was ordamed to
the priesthood. In what esteem he was held, is evidenced
by the fact, that although a foreigner, and quite young,
he was chosen elector for the Province of Maryland, as
socius to Father James Ryder to the Congregation that
elected Father Peter Beckx, General of the Society in
I8S.3· In this Congregation, the first, we believe, in
;vh~ch Maryland had its own representatives, occured an
~?Cident worth recording. In the course of the discusSIOns, . some of the electors from European provinces
smarting, probably, under the blows inflicted by Revolu(165)

1116

THE MAkERS OF WOODSTOCK

tionists in the name of Republicanism, were disposed to
question the loyalty of this new Province, with its home
in the Great Republic of the West, and did not withhold
some aspersions on its spirit, which, they feared did not
measure up to the standard of Ignatian obedience.
Father Paresce rose promptly to the vindication of the
fair name of his adopted Province, and in his fluent La·
tinity proved eloquently that in no Province of the Society, were its members, by political environment and
national character so ready to appreciate and embrace
the whole teaching of St. Ignatius, as natives of a country, in which authority as a principle, not an attribute
of person claiming hereditary right, was held in reverence and obeyed. So splendid was the young elector's
defense of his Province that his Senior, Father Ryder,
at the close of his address went to Father Paresce's desk
and in presence of the whole congregation gave him the
Jesuit amplexus.
··Shortly after his return to Maryland, Father Paresce
was made, first, Socius to the Master of Novices at Frederick, and later, Rector and Master of Novices-and
beyond question an ideal Master, he made.
Dominant in his teaching and personal life was his
love for the Society, the embodiment, I had almost said
the incarnation of charity, prudent in a remarkable degree, pains-taking, he lived for his novices, for them
spared himself in nothing and loved them with such a
love as filled the heart of our Holy Father himself for
his first companions.
Until April 1861, nearly ten years, Father Paresce held
his charge at Frederick. On April 19th he was proclaimed Provincial as successor to Father Villiger, and
retained this office until ..September 1869.
The monumental work 'of Father Paresce's administration, beyond all compare, was the foundation of
Woodstock College. From his own experience as a
student of Philosophy and Theology, and his observation
for years of the insufficient provisions made for the formation of our Scholastics, who as a rule were forced to
combine study of philosophy and theology with the exacting work of prefecting, in the boarding colleges of
the Province, when prefecting had a meaning, since
lost, and imposed labor, demanded sacrifice of time and
convenience unthought of in our day, Father Paresce
realized, that ~t any cost such unfavorable conditions
must be eliminated, if our Society was to prosper in the
United States.

THE MAKERS OF WOODSTOCK

167

With little encouragement from the patres gravz"ores
of the Province, indeed in face of unconcealed opposition chiefly from the rectors of Colleges, Father Paresce
set ~bout the realization of his project. It may be worth
recording here, that the one Father of influence in the
province, who warmly_ espoused and openly encouraged
his scheme of foundmg vVoodstock, was the former
bishop of Pittsburg, Rev. Michael B. O'Connor, who had
changed Episcopal purple for Jesuit black.
Next to Father Paresce should rank among Woodstock's makers, Rev. Benedict Sestini, another exile
from Italy; in his day, an astronomer of repute and a
distinguished mathematician. To him was entrusted
the work of drafting the plans for the new scholasticate
and, as architect, superintending its erection.
Before accepting the freely-expressed and, mayhap,
justly deserved criticisms of his plan and its defects, it
may be only just to advert to the slender purse and
meagre funds the makers of Woodstock had to draw
upon. For years previous to the opening of Woodstock
Father Paresce had utilized hours spent on rail-road
trains in consulting catalogues for the formation of the
Library, an essential requisite of a House of Studies.
Of the educational makers of Woodstock, of course
the name of Rev. Camillus Mazzella towers over all
others-a man afterwards recognized in the Church and
at its centre in the Eternal City, as a giant of intellect
and a mine of theological erudition, but withal a man
of greatest simplicity, of most profound humility, a lover
of poverty and obedience after the heart of St. Ignatius,
a man who resigned the pleasure and the benefit to
health of a vacation trip by sea to Boston, because it
entailed a loss for one or two days of. his daily Mass.
Worthy of association with so distinguished a chief were
the Rev. Charles Maldonado, who had won laurels in
Alcala and Salamanca in his native Spain; De Augustinis,
a consummate dialectician, who could unravel the most
tangled knot of logic offered ; Pantanella, the clearminded, painstaking student, long Professor of Metaphysics; Franchini- a saint- who surrendered the
class of moral theology to Father Sabetti, who spread
far and wide the reputation of Woodstock.
To Father
Pantanella, Rev. Arthur Jones and Brother Mattingly is
due the credit of having inaugurated the transformation
of W <;>odstoc~ grounds from the dreary wilderness, which
the piOneers m September, r869, entered, into the garden
of beauty it to-day is.

168

AN ORDINATION

To the present generation in quest of evidence of
ideals, of noble conceptions, self-sacrificing-labors and
unselfish devotion to the great Ignatian motto, A.M. D.G.
I should say station yourself before the statue of the
Sacred Heart which stands in front of the main entrance
at 'iN oodstock. Si testimonium qzueris, circumspice.
This meagre tribute to the "Makers of Woodstock"
would be more incomplete than it already is-without
mention of Woodstock's first minister, Rev. Frederick
Wm. Gockeln of theN. Y. and CanadaMission.Verily we may say and with exultation, "The glory
of children is tQ.eir Fathers".
jAMES A. DOONAN, S. ].

·,AN ORDINATION AMONG THE IROQUOIS

Cauglmawaga, August, I907.

REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
You ask me for a few details regarding my ordination at the Iroquois Mission here, with the assurance
that this incident, almost the only one of its kind, will
not fail to edify and interest the readers of the WooDSTOCK LETTERS As a matter of fact, such in word and
deed was the spirit of faith and piety, of love and reverence for their priests shown by the Iroquois on this
occasion, that the strangers present were much struck
by it. So much so that tpe account of it in one of the
great Montreal dailies was. headed "The Reign of Faith
among the Iroquois", a proof that the simple faith of
these good people, true and solid, if a little artless, was
what had most impressed the reporter.
The ordination of a missionary is not an every-day occurrence in a retired hamlet such as Caughnawaga, and
so it was the chief topic of conversation six months
ahead. Accordingly, whenever I could snatch a day or
two from my studies to visit my Indians, the question
that invariably greeted me was, "When will you receive the blessing, Father? When will you be made a
black-robe?" To my answer, this was not mine to decide but the bishop's, they would only say, ''All right
then! We shall send him a delegation and he cannot
refuse us".

AMONG THE INDIANS

169

However we got along without the delegation; for as
soon as Mgr. Raci~ot, Co-adjuto~ Bishop of M~ntr~al,
heard that his servtces were requtred for the ordmahon
of an Iroquois missionary he promptly offered himself:
"Certainly, I shall come ~ith pleasure, and a~y day
that suits. I am even deltghted to be able to obhge my
own tribe, since I too am an Iroquois, having been
solemnly adopted three years ago ".(1>
Accordingly July the 7th was set as the day of the
ordination. On the evening of the sth I left Montreal
accompanied by Frs. Gravel and Leon Lebel, two
young aspirants for the Iroquois mission. We took the
tramway for Lachine, intending to cross from there to
Caughnawaga by boat. But although we were on the
spot half an hour too early, the boat was already gone.
There was nothing for it but to make a long round on
foot by way of the railroad bridge, an hour's walk, and
it was already past seven. Starting bravely on our way,
then, we had spanned the St. Lawrence, and were approaching the first houses of the village by eight o'clock.
Once within the limits it was quite clear, that the coming celebration was engrossing the minds of all. The
Indians greeted us with even more ceremony than
usual; every few yards I was stopped and questioned,
while the mothers pointed me out to their little ones.
I even heard afterwards that among some who had seen
us pass, but from a distance too great to distinguish the
faces, a lively discussion bad arisen as to which of the
three was to be ordained priest.
Just before reaching the church we met the sacristan
Aronbiaritha. As soon as he caught sight of us he ran
up unable to contain himself: "Just come and see the
church, father! Come on! All the decorations for the
feast ~re finished ! " "How is that?" I asked, "Why
all thts hurry? To-morrow is only the eve, and yet
everything is ready, you say?" "Yes, father, hut just
c?me and see how well it looks ! The women of the
vtllage came to help me several times and each brought
the best she had in the way of decoration. Nothing is
left but .to touch up the outside a little"· I hinted that
I was tn a hurry, that it was late and getting dark.
"That makes no difference father come and take a
glimpse at it anyhow". There was' no way out of it, I
had. t;> g-o; and in spite of the gloom I could not help
nohcmg that the church was lavishly adorned. I con(1)

Cfr, WOODSTOCK LETTERS,

I<)OS

170

AN ORDINATION

gratulated the sacristan accordingly. "During the past
four years I never saw the church so well decorated".
"Even.in many, many years," he returned, "it has not
appeared so fine".
A few moments later Fr. Granger, missionary at Caughnawaga, received us with open arms. Br. Bashnagel,
too, recognizing the voices, came to give us a hearty
hand-shake, and .then hastened to relight his fire, for
the unexpected walk and the fresh evening air had furnished me and my companions with a keen appetite.
During supper Fr. Granger told us of the general interest, liberality and good-will shown by· the whole tribe
in its endeavor to prepare as splendid a celebration as
possible. "All are waiting for the day with the greatest concern", he said;'' this evening the men will meet
to consider the best way of proceeding. The chief has
been here already to have my opinion and put. himself
at my disposal, assuring me that he is only too glad to
do anything that may help to make the day a success''.
Soon after supper we retired to our rooms, pondering
all these good tidings. The cool breezes from the St.
Lawrence and Lac Saint-Louis invited slumber, and the
last sounds we heard were the strains of the band near
by, practicing for the coming feast.
Early the next morning I went to the church to study
the decorations at my leisure and in broad daylight.
Everyone knows how fond the Indians are of flashy
colors; scarlet red, bright yellow and deep green are
their favorites, and certainly the squaws did not forego
their usual predilections in this particular case. Still
I do not mean to belittle their efforts, and taken all in
all, the little church had a holiday air in which there
was nothing unseemly
outlandish. The materials
were poor, it is true, but then the best had been made of
them. Streamers of many hues hung from the arched
roof and terminated symetrically at various points, where
they were held by huge dolls, real dolls at that, to whom
temporary wings of gilt-paper had lent something of the
appearance of angels.
Wreaths and brilliant paper
flowers, banners and oriflammes adorned the walls, the
pillars, the organ-loft, the chandeliers,-they were everywhere. Abundance certainly compensated for whatever was wanting in elegance. One old woman, I am
told, when she came into the church and beheld all
these marvels was so overcome that she could not help
exclaiming aloud, "Ioianere! Ioianere!" (How lovely!
How lovely!) With this she let herself sink upon one

or·

AMONG THE INDIANS

171

of the benches and in wide-eyed astonishment began to
contemplate all, as if wrapped in ecstacy. Many of
the old people admitted that never before had they seen
anything so splendid at Caughnawaga.
.
Taking a walk that same afternoon ~ notlced an unusual stir in the village-street; men stahoned at regular
distances on each side of the way were busy digging
holes while wagons arrived from the woods loaded with
ever~reens from t~n to fifteen feet high. "~hat,, are
you going to do wtth these?" I asked an Indtan. We
are going to deck the road", was his answer, ''from the
church to the quay where the bishop will land." ''That's
right", I remarked, "His Lordship deserves it all." ''It
is not for him", he corrected with some liveliness; "'tis
for you, 'tis for you ! " And soon a row of beautiful
evergreens graced each side of the way, and three hundred trees gave up their young lives for the occasion.
But the street was not alone in holiday attire; the Indian cottages soon followed the good example. The little hospital of the Sacred Heart was one of the first to
fall in line with its gayest decorations. And when I expressed my gratification to Madam Peronno, the superior, she replied; "But you are not the first to compliment me, father. Only a moment ago, Satekaienton,
the old ex-chief, came to see me. He saluted me,
straightened himself to his full height, and then eying
me with an air of authority, began:" Madam I am pleased, and proud of you". "And it is no small pleasure to
me", I answered, "to know that such a man as Satekaienton is proud of me; it is a great honor indeed. But
what have I done to earn such a favor?" "I shall tell you,
was the old chieftain's reply. "It is because you love us,
and this I know because you have decorated your house.
For thus you show that vou feel for us. When we are
gl.ad you are glad, and ~hen we are sad, you can be sad
wtth us. To-day you saw that we Indians were doing
all we could to beautify our little village and did your
share.. That is why I am proud of you".
But tn the midst of such rejoicing there is one anxious
f~ce, ~h~t of our devoted sacristan, Aronhiaritha. In his
stmphctty the good fellow had almost imagined that the
o:der. of the ceremonies and even the validity of the ordmatton greatly, if not entirely, depended on him. Pers?aded then.ofthe grandeur and sublimity of his functions as. s~c_nstan on the morrow, he faltered before such
responstbthty and could not help complaining. "What
shall I do at all? I never even saw an ordination. If it

172

AN ORDINATION

were a mere confirmation I should be at no loss what to
do and prepare, for I could almost give confirmation
myself. But an ordination!! Perhaps it will be a failure on my account! " When he was told that the
bishop and his assistants would hold themselves responsible for everything, the poor fellow felt a great load
lifted from his shoulders.
This good-will and generosity had soon to undergo a
harder proof. For on the morning of the 7th, the day
of the ordination, the rain began to fall in torrents as
early as three o'clock. Great was the disappointment
everywhere; the sky was overcast and it looked like an
all day's downpour. The triumphal arch in front of
the church was abandoned; the willing workers, who had
promised to be on hand bright and early, were kept within doors by the rain. But suddenly about half past
seven the sky began to clear and a light breeze rolled
t4.e clouds away. A few more scattered showers caused
a little uneasiness, but hope was high again. About
eight o'clock the band passed through the village on its
way to the wharf; the gay music and the roll of the bassdrum restored the spirits of all, and the work was soon
under way once more.
The first discharge of cannon about nine o'clock announced the approach of the boat bearing Mgr. Racicot,
and a great crowd made its way toward the quay. A
little later His Lordship landed, gave his blessing as he
passed through the respectful gathering and went on to
the hospital of the Sacred Heart nearby. Here he paid
a short visit to the sick, ·put on his pontifical robes, crosier, mitre and cope, then took his place under a canopy
borne by four chieftains, and the procession set out for
the church.
-·
At the head of the file Martin Double-Axe, full of
gravity and majesty, led the way on horseback. He
was clothed in his finest suit of chamois, figured here
and there with colored beads; his head was decked with
his proudest plumes and his feet encased in fancy moccasins; his hair, ordinarily tied up, fell freely on his
shoulders; tomahawk in hand, he was a very emperor
making a triumphal entry into his capital. Round
about him followed the other braves in full national
dress, forming a guard of honor for their chief; next
came the band, next His Lordship surrounded by the
visiting priests, then a group of young squaws carrying
: flags and banners, and pell-mell after them the unnumbered throng. Thus the procession arrived at the church-

AMONG THE INDIANS

173

door toward ten o'clock; there is a peal from the belfry,
another discharge of cannon, the last harmonies of the
band are heard; then all crush into the church, too small
for such a number, and Mass begins in deepest silence.
The ordination proceeded as usual, the only exception
being that the litanies, the Te Deum and the Veni Creator were sung in Iroquois, just as their Mass is, according to the Iroquois custom. After the gospel Fr. Forbes,
a secular priest and former Iroquois missionary, explained all the ceremonies likely to interest the onlookersthe litanies, the prostration, the folded chasuble, the
anointing and imposition of hands.
In spite of the
stifling heat the whole ceremony was followed with the
utmost attention.
In the afternoon there was another ceremony, in honor
of the bishop and the newly-ordained priest. Soon after
dinner the Indians began to gather in front of the presbytery where the demonstration was to take place. And
when His Lordship and the priests were seated a cannon
as usual prefaced matters, causing, as usual too, a contented smile from the btaves, a start among the women,
and the most gleeful outcry on the part of the children.
First of all the chief and his council with all the
aristocracy of the village shook hands with the bishop
and the priests. Then in a short address in Iroquois,
translated into French by Fr. Forbes, the chief welcomed His Lordship, who in turn congratulated the Iroquois
on the magnificent reception they had prepared for him
and their new missionary; he then encouraged them to
persevere in their spirit of faith, and their love and reverence for their missionaries.
After this came what is called an Iroquois baptism,
that is, the ceremony by which the Iroquois adopt a person into their tribe and look upon him as one. of their
own. This favor is accorded to their missionaries and
sometimes to a distinguished·visitor. It consists of various war-dances and the bestowal of an Iroquois name
on the adopted. The Iroquois who take part are always
dressed in full regimentals, with their finest feathers on.
The number engaged depends on the circumstances; in
the present case it was as follows: First, two warriors
came to meet me, one called Deep Sky and the other
Double-Axe. The former carried a tomahawk, the other
a horn bound with bright ribbons; in this horn were
small stones or other hard materials intended, when
shaken, to mark the measure in the war-dance.
These
two warriors were my god-fathers, charged with the of-

174

AN ORDINATION

fice of presenting me to the tribe; taking one my right
hand and the other my left, they first led me far and
wide, dancing the while and singing in a tone nasal· and
monotonus, but varied from time to time by sharp cries.
Finally Deep Sky introduced me to the audience in these
flattering terms: " We, poor savages that we are, have no
intelligence: but here is a black-robe who has enough to
supply all the Iroquois. (Laughter in the crowd). I
move then, that we adopt him in our tribe, and give
him the name of Tekaronhioken! "< 1>
Then the
speaker repeated my name in three ear-splitting shouts,
throwing his arms in the air; the crowd echoing it, applauding, waving their arms, and tossing their hats.
"Tekaronhioken! Tekaronhioken! Hooray! Hooray!!"
When the uproar had ceased the· war-dance began.
The warriors jumped and whirled about me, twisting
themselves in every direction, backward and forward,
.l?.randishing their weapons around my head with the
most savage threats and gestures, making believe that
they were going to scalp me, as their ancestors wonld
have done. Then they scowled at me savagely, ~tood
their hair on end in rage, and shouted horribly, while a
drum beat time for the whole wild show. During this
scene I simply smiled and remained impassive, when
suddenly the chiefs, ceasing their manceuvres, stretched
to me the hand of friendship: "We have tried to frighten
you", they said, "but as we have utterly failed, we are
sure you will make a brav:e Iroquois".
The war-dance was succeeded by speeches; for a celebration at Caughnawaga without a harangue or two
would be out of the question, the Iroquois of to-day hav,ing the same rage for eloquence as their ancestors had.
The first speaker, a brave named Stacy, thanked Mgr.
Racicot for his kindness in coming to visit them and
give them a new missionary; he then pointed out the
sublimity of the priesthood, proclaimed the reverence
with which the Iroquois always treated their blackrobes,
and concluded almost in these words: "To-day we pay
all honor to our young and newly-anointed missionary,
and this reminds me that once the Jews also made a
grand reception for our Lord. Like ourselves they too
adorned the streets of their big village of Jerusalem,
they shouted for joy, they even threw their garments

•

(I)
Literally Tekaronhioken means "Between two heavens", i. e. according to some, "He who is elevated so high above the clouds, that he is
between the first and second heaven"; according to others, "The one that
leads us to heaven"

I
l

I
I

AMONG THE INDIANS

175

under Jesus' feet. But alas! a few days later the men
who had been loudest in the praise of our Lord loudly
demanded his death, and the chiefs of the Jews were even
more relentless than the rest. But we Iroquois will not
imitate those Jews. And you, 0 chiefs of this tribe, beware of ever acting like the chiefs of the great village,
Jerusalem! No, hono~ the pries~ that is given you, lov_e
him and try to help h1m to do h1s duty. And he on h1s
part will love us and stay with us always to teach us
how to pray. We shall make him happy by obeying
him, he will make us happy by leading us to heaven".
'I'he speakers who followed developed the same ideas,
thanked His Lordship for his visit, testified their joy and
satisfaction at having witnessed the ordination, and insisted on their love for the black-robe. At the end Mgr.
Racicot blessed the kneeling throng, and shortly afterwards left for Montreal delighted and deeply touched,
as he said, by all he had seen and heard.
'I'he following day was that of the first Mass. As the
philosophers, then spending their vacations at Boucherville, were to be present, the Mass did not begin until
half-past-nine. But in spite of this delay the congregation was that of a Sunday, and the women of the Holy
Family <I> waited until that hour "to receive Holy
Communion from the hand of the new priest". And
not only women but men were there in good numbers.
"I shall lose half-a-day", said one young workman, "and
half-a-day's pay, but that's nothing, I must be at your
Mass to see you and to pray".
Here is a last striking trait. , During the afternoon a
good old man, aged eighty-seven, made his way to the
presbytery. "Where is the young priest?" he asked on
entering, "I have come for his blessing". I happened
~o be out for the moment. "Never mind", he said, seatlUg himself without further ceremony, Indian fashion,
"I shall wait for him". I returned a few moments later,
and as soon as he saw me he fell on his knees. "Bless
me father, bless me!" I gave him my blessing and then
helped him to his feet. "Father", he said, and his eyes
were f~ll of tears, ''I am old and have been ailing for
some hme. I have not left home for several weeks, and
could not come to your ordination yesterday. But to~ay I said to myself, 'you must go and be blessed by the
httle black-robe; it will do you good'. So I set out.
(I)
Pious association founded of old by Fr Chaumonot and still flourishing at Caughnawaga
·

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THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES

Often I had to rest on the way, I was so weak, but at
last by sheer courage I got here. Now I have your
blessing and I am happy".
I bring this to an end bere, Reverend and Dear Fa.
ther, for it is already a little long. May these few traits
of the faith of our Iroquois be of interest to you, and in.
spire your readers to pray now and then for these good
souls and those who work in the midst of them.
Yours truly in Xt.,
JoSEPH GRAS, s. J.

THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES IN THE CONGO

A valuable and interesting work has been recently
'publisbed at Brussels, which gives an account of the
-.Iabors of the Jesuit Missionaries in the Congo, Ceylon
and Bengal. The part about the Congo, in view of the
recent attacks upon that mission, is timely and serves
to give a true idea of the apostolic and educational work
done there by the Belgian Fathers. It is for this reason
that an abstract of this part has been made for the
readers of "THE LETTERS," and is presented below.
Those who wish for fuller information are referred to
the book itself, which is elegantly gotten up, ·and is pro·
fusely illustrated with half-tones and four large maps,
indicating in detail all the towns and districts evangel·
ized by the MissionariesY>
Prior to the coming of the Belgian Fathers three different attempts were made by the Portuguese priests to
establish the Catholic religion in this inhospitable land.
In 1498 some secular priests set foot on African soil and
founded the mission of Angola. . Zeal, good will, and
the spirit of sacrifice were not wanting in these first
apostles, but difficulties arose with which neither they
nor their immediate successors were able to cope. 'fhe
attempt to convert the natives had therefore to be abandoned.
Fifty years later, in 1548, at the request of John III,
King of Portugal, four Portuguese Jesuits resumed tlte
work, but were not more successful.
In 1553, after an existence of four years, the Mission
was closed, and the few surviving Fathers, on the death
of their Superior, returned to Europe. At the end of
fll

Au Congo et aux Indes, Bruxelles; Chas. Bulens, 19o6, pp. 315

IN THE CONGO

177

that same year 1553, the Jesuit Fathers reopened the
Mission; they penetrated into the_ interior of the cou~try
and established missions on the nver Congo; but stckness and death ill-will on the part of the tribes, constant interfere~ce and persecution from the Native
Rulers besides the slow process of communication and
transp~rtation of those days, wit~ the impossibility of
obtaining assistance from the Kmg of Portugal, compelled the Fathers to abandon the idea of staying in
the country. Let it not be thought, however, that the
labors of these early pioneers were altogether barren of
results. Even at this distant time, the Fathers now in
the Congo have met natives with Portuguese names, such
as, Don Paolo, Dona Maria, etc. Success far more encouraging was to answer the efforts of the Belgian Fathers in our own days. In 1885, the independent state
of the Congo was recognized at Berlin. The King of
the Belgians, Leopold II, applied to Rome to obtain the
cooperation of the Society of Jesus in the work of evangelizing the natives. At his request, the late Pontiff,
Leo XIII, entrusted the Mission of K wan go to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus of the Belgian Province. In
March and in April, 1893, the first Missionaries, seven
in number, set out for the new land; others followed, but
before five years had passed, six of the missionaries had
fallen victims to the terrible fevers and to the climatic
conditions of the country. They had died in the prime
of life, men whose virtue, talents and bodily strength
seemed to have destined them to do great work for God
and for souls. We may believe that to the sacrifice of
the lives of men such as these is to be attributed, in
large measure, the success of the Mission in subsequent
years, even as in the early ages of the Church, the blood
of the martyrs had been the seed of Christianity. Father Emile Van Henxthoven was superior of that chosen
band, an_? during the few years of his life spent in the
Co~go dtd heroic work, not only in evangelizing the
nat.tves and ~n organizing the missions, but also in refutmg the VIle calumnies, which in these latter years
h~ve been spread against the conduct of the missionanes towards the natives. Father Van Henxthoven died
at ~he ag~ of fifty-four. His death is a great loss and a
senous tnal for the Mission .
. T~e Congo Free State is divided into twelve
d~str~cts. The Mission of K wan go includes the
dtstnct of _that name and the district of Stanley Pool,
thus covenng nearly one tenth the area of the entire

178

THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES

state; that is about four times the area of Belgium, or as
compared with territory more familiar to us, four times
the area of Maryland_<!>
The Mission of Kwango was founded in 1893, and after its thirteen years of existence it may boast of results
truly marvellous. From the very outset the Missionaries had a twofold object in view: to civilize the natives
and to convert them. They conceived the ideal plan
not only of baptising and instructing the poor negroes,
but also of raising them from their fallen condition; of
transforming these poor creatures who were given over
to idleness and habits of vice, into laborious and industrios men and women.
To succeed in a plan such as
this it was useless to work on the adults, in whom habits
of idleness were ingrained, with the deplorable consequences which idleness brings with it. Th~ adult, in
the Lower Congo at least, is, generally speaking, unfit
.t.9 learn anything. His instincts and his aspirations are
those of the animal. He fails to grasp the most elementary notions of Christianity.
To ask of him to
remember is to exact too much. From the age of fifteen
or twenty, the storehouse of his memory seems to be filled; not an inch of it is left to receive an additional supply of images. What, then, does the work of the Missionary with the adults amount to? He induces them
to be present at the public prayers and to frequent the
Catechism classes. By dint of repetition some sort of
idea is imparted of God and Religion. Hence in case of
mortal sickness it is enough to call to his mind the great
truths heard frequently before. A few short questions assure the priest of the good dispositions of the dying man,
who, as the familiar phrase has it, "gets home by the last
train". It is a fact of common occurence in many stations for these poor savages to call the priest when one
of their fellows, even an infidel, falls sick; if the priest
cannot be found the catechist is called instead.
Formerly the Sorcerer was the only one allowed near the bedside of. the dying.
The work of the Fathers would, therefore, be almost
fruitless were it devoted exclusively or chiefly to the
conversion of adults or of the older people.
Hence the
Missionaries, to obtain sure and lasting results, give
most of their care to the children. The education of
the little ones has been and is their chief solicitude.
They try to instil into these tender minds religious prin(1)

Area of Belgium II400 square miles
Area of Maryland r22ro square miles

r
r

IN THE CONGO

179

ciples and love for work; they show them by slight and
easy tasks how comfor~ can be had a.t the: cost ~fa little
trouble. This system IS more practical In Afnca as the
relations of children towards their parents are peculiar.
By the laws or customs existing in the Congo, children
do not belong to their father, but to their maternal uncle.
Children, in return, have little concern for their parents,
and the uncle is willing to clue for the child only in so
far as he can expect from it some personal profit. Hence
the little ones become an easy prey to the love and care
of the ''White Man of God", especially if the "White
Man of God", is willing to offer presents, a few inches
of cloth, a knife or similar articles. So the children are
brought to the mission, where they are taught the catechism, reading, writing, arithme6c and different trades.
All are instructed according to their different degrees of
intelligence and aptitude. From among the children
thus trained, the best are chosen to act as catechists, and
those whom their talents recommend for the work are
put in charge of secondary stations. These secondary
stations are the creation of Father Van Henxthoven.
They are institutions of a peculiar nature, not schools,
not churches, not houses, not workshops, but something
which partakes of the nature of all these. ''Christian
Farm"l1l is the only English equivalent that we can
find for the French name, coined by the founder, to designate this new and singular sort of abode. These farms
give the Mission of Kwango its peculiar feature.
Scattered all over the Mission, about three hundred in
all, they are so many centres from which radiate among
the native villages the benign influences of the Catholic
Church. They are frequently visited by some one of
the Fathers, who remains a few days among the flock.
He examines the children, takes note of the progress
made, advises. encourages, reprimands and by his presence and his instructions gives a new stimulus to piety
and to Faith.
What the Fathers are doing for the boys, the Sisters
are accomplishing for the girls. The devoted Sisters of
Notre Dame, whose cooperation Father Van Henxthov.e~ secured from the very start, are not outdone in activity and zeal by the priests. To them is due the credit
of preparing Christian wives and mothers for the coming
generation. Thus the training of the young being in
the hands of priests and Sisters, one may look to the near
(ll

The original French word is "ferme-chapelle", chapel-farm

180

THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES

future for a civilized and Christian community, which
will spring up in that land that only yesterday lay
buried in the night of barbarism and savagery.
Let us now look into the work of the Missionaries
more in detail and study the system they have adopted.
This system has a twofold aspect; rst, the work in the
six main stations or residences of the Fathers; secondly,
the work carried on bv them in the Christian Farms.
Of each we shall say a'few words, so as to give an adequate idea of the organization which has cost the Missionaries so much sacrifice, but which has finally secured for them permanent success.
WORK IN THE RESIDENCES

,,

Not counting the establishments which the Missionaries have been compelled to abandon on account of
_f~ver, and especially, on account of the terrible sleeping
sickness, the Kwango Mission possesses to-day six main
stations or residences. The foremost of them all, not
in the order of time but of importance, is Kisantu, the
heart of the Mission, the residence of the Prefect Apostolic. We shall give the history and description of Kisantu only; for the other stations are all similar. Places
and environments differ, methods and work are the same.
The Fathers arrived in Kisantu in 1894. At that time
it was a wild country, thickly set with weeds, briars and
brushwood, ten and twelve feet high. With axe and
hoe in hand, the Fathers cleared a place, and in N ovember that year completed some sort of a dwelling. Modest
indeed that dwelling was. The walls were low and
made of clay. Mattings nailed to wooden frames served
as doors.
Four posts; _driven in the ground and
joined by cross-pieces, over which was fastened a piece
of canvas, did for a bed; boards taken from cracker boxes
were transformed into tables, and the entire outfit ofthe
Community was thus placed on African soil. The chapel
corresponded to the house; yet, says, Father Liagre, "I
have prayed with more devotion in this little temple
than in the richest basilicas of Europe". The porch of
the house was used as a class-room, and there the A B
C, and Catechism were taught twice a week. This temporary structure has given way to a more comfortable
home. Kisantu to-day is a little village of twenty-six
buildings. In the house of the Fathers there are eigh- ,
teen rooms, including chapel, refectory, library and recreation room. Close by the house are the kitchen, the

181

IN THE CONGO

baker's shop, the store-house, the blacksmith shop, the
carpenter shop, the workshops, the tannery, the house
for· the children, the school and an enclosure for cattle.
Four Fathers five Scholastics and seven Brothers have
some sao children in training.
Since the time the
government of the Congo entrusted the education ofthese
little ones to the Jesuit Fathers the number of chilciren
has increased considerably. At Mpse, another station
of the Mission, there are at present Sao children under
eight years of age. To understand the work of the Fathers better let us consider it from the material, the
spiritual and the intellectual point of view.
When the Fathers settled at Kisantu the work that
lay before them was to clear the land inch by inch of
the African brushwood which covered it. The Fathers
and Brothers, directing and working with the children,
set themselves manfully to the task. Bushes and weeds
and trees were cut down, left on the ground to dry, and
then set on fire. When the site was thus cleared it was
necessary to wait for the rainy season; to work the
ground before that time is out of the question, one might
as well try to plow a field of rock and iron. But with
the first heavy showers the work of cultivation begins.
On level land the implement used is a large plow
drawn by a team of eight or ten oxen; on the hills groups
of children turn up the soil by means of hoes, and moving among them, the Jesuit Father or Brother in white
cassock, the sweat rolling from his brow. In this manner sao acres have been cleared of brushwood. Where
less than ten years ago the explorer would have found
nothing but wild growth, there he now meets
with well tilled fields and gardens, yielding rice, beans,
sweet potatoes, bananas and all the products of the tropical climate. The visitor is surprised to see oxen, cows,
goats, hogs, chickens, "raised on the farm"; surprised to
see Kisantu not only supplying the entire colony with
~he necessaries of life, but also shipping the surplus of
1ts products to the neighboring farms and villages.
All this work is under the control of the Fathers, yet
the boys are not slaves, nor are they mere workmen;
ther are trained to become men capable of carrying on
agncultural work by themselves and for their own profit ... What is done in the way of tilling the field and
ratsmg the crops is done also along other lines.
Under the name of workshops, mentioned above, must
be ranked the buildings in which carpenters, bricklayers, shoemakers and printers are instructed in their re-

14

182

THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES

spective trades. In every one of these departments results have been obtained that far surpass the most
sanguine expectations.
Praiseworthy as all this labor is, it becomes doubly so
when animated and supernaturalized by the high ideals
of Christian Faith.
The interests of the body are not
neglected, but they are made subservient to the welfare
of the soul. The following is the order of the day mapped out for the little Congolese by their spiritual directors.
5-25· Rise-Mass-After the elevation, morning prayers-Beads-Laudate Dominum, sung in Congolese.
6.r5. Work-Special class for Catechists.
8.30. Work in the fields.
9·45· Rest.
IO.OO. Sacred History and Class.
I'I.45· Dinner, then free for 2 hours.
2.00. Catechism, Class and singing lessons.
4·30. Work in the gardens.
5·45· Meeting of the Colony in the Church-hymns
-evening prayer-Laudate.
On Sundays those who wish to go to Holy Communion are in the Church at 5·45· Before Mass the prayers
preparatory to Holy Communion are recited in common.
During Mass hymns are sung and a sermon is given. At
8 A. M., there is Sunday School, then free time all day,
and the day closes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 5·45 P. M.
A description of the Feast of the Assumption will
speak more eloquently than anything else of the simple
and child-like faith of these children of the Church in
Africa. The account is taken from a letter of Father
Butage. In 1902, the feast of :Mary's entrance into heaven fell on a Friday. The new Christians wished to celebrate their Mother's triumph by a pilgrimage in her
honor and by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament.
August r5th, all the Christians of the neighboring stations gathered at the Mission of "Marie Louise Boma''.
The distance of thirty miles was nothing, and some
walked three davs.
On Saturday,· August r6th, at 5.30 A. M., all set out
in order for Kisantu about five miles away. The Christians of each station were grouped about a standard
,bearing the name of their village. They sang and pray. ed and talked in turns. Near Kisantu there was a halt.
The lin.es were formed and the Pilgrims began the beads.

IN THE CONGO

183

When they came in sight of the Mission all the children,
singing in unison, made the neighboring woods re-echo
with the beautiful invocations of the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin. And so they advanced, slowly and solemnly
towards the statue of the Immaculate Conception. Here
they formed' into two circles, and the immense crowd of
people knelt on the ground under the folds of ~heir waving banners. All eyes were fixed on the beautiful statue
standinO' out from among the flowers and evergreens as
a vision"' from on high, asking the blessings of God upon
the poor Africans kneeling at her feet.
Then the
school-children entoned the MAGNIFICAT in Congolese
to which the entire multitude responded.
Sunday, the 17th, was the day set for the great procession. At 5 o'clock in the morning the Church was
·opened.
Groups of people twenty to twenty-five in
number, entered to receive Holy Communion, make
their thanksgiving, and leave the Church to make room
for others. When all had approached the Holy Table,
Mass was said in the open air, and after Mass the procession of the Blessed Sacrament took place. It was
here that the labors of the Sisters of Notre Dame were
manifest. They had organized groups of little children,
boys and girls, dressed in white and blue.
A touching
sight it was to see these black children in snow-white
dress, scattering leaves and flowers before the Blessed
Sacrament, and young damsels with white veils, forming the guard of honor around the statue of the Blessed
Virgin. Little ones, dressed in red, escorted the image.
of the Infant Jesus, and directly before the Blessed Sacrament, the members of the brass band played the music
of the sacred hymns.
We can easily picture to ourselves the enthusiasm of
the natives; but who shall tell the emotion of the priest,
when, with the ostensorium raised on high he made the
great sign of the Cross over the multitude, kneeling before him. Gazing at that multitude, who would ever
thit;tk, that ten years ago many of them had little higher
aspuations than the wild beasts roaming in the jungles.
But if the material. and the spiritual are thus cared for,
the training of the mind is not overlooked. Here, however, let no one imagine that the Missionary goes out
there to teach Cosmology, or problems in integral Calculus. The Fathers had to begin at the beginning and
t?e task was not a light one. What have they accomplished? Bv THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM.
We subjoin two letters written by natives to Fathers

184

THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES

in Belgium. They were composed without any assistance whatever. Let the reader see and judge for himself.
Louis Mambu to the Prefect o/ Studies in the
College of Gltent:
"You ask me how many baptized children we have at
the Mission. We have twenty-four and there are eighteen others not yet baptized. Perhaps on Easter Sunday some will be baptized together with two grown
women. Father Prefect, pray to God for me that I may
faithfully keep the Commandments of God until I die.
Many children would like to come to catechism, but
their parents will not allow them. Pray to God that the
parents may let them come. Tell your pupils to pray
for them, for the people are crazy, they know not God.
I pray to God for you, and may you serve God faithfully
till· the hour of your death."

A young pupil of Fr. Hendrickx writes to him as follows:
Kisa1ltzt 1 March roth, I905.
REV. FATHER ANDREKISI.

Good day.
Now for a little chat with you.
I have
seen much grief because you returned to Europe. Now
I pray to God. May He take care of you.
And then
you come back here, to take care of us with all the other
things, the body with the soul.
Your child,
HUBERE NSIUGI,

Your

fri~nd

a long time at Naembo.

-·

THE WORK ON THE CHRISTIAN FARMS.

We said above that at the residences of the Fathers
the children were taught to labor and to pray; and that
from among them the most promising were picked out
to act as directors or supervisors at the secondary stations. It remains now for us to see how this work is related to the other occupations of the Missionaries. Let
us follow, then, the Father in one ofhis expeditions. He
sets out for Kisantu, Womboli or any one of the Residences of the Mission, in the company of the catechist
and a few young men, well provided with tools, presents
and food.
He penetrates into the interior of the country in search of the native villages. After two or three

~

1

~

IN THE CONGO

185.

days tramp, the travellers comt; to a settled district.
These villages, as a r~le, are nothmg more than a group
of wretched huts bmlt of reeds under the palm-trees;
they shelter two, three or four hundred inhabitants. The
Father asks to see the "Mfumu'', Chief, and begs of him
to be allowed to put up a shack in the village.
Sometimes this permission is readily granted, sometimes it is
positively refus~d. . In this latter case the Father ha~ to
win over the chtef etther by argument or by presentmg
him with some pieces of cloth of gaudy color; generally
he gets what he wants.
He begins his work at once
with the help of the men who come with him, and of the
children of the village, whom he calls to his assistance.
The site given is cleared of rubbish and fenced in.
A
chapel of clay is put up, a house is erected, a stable
built and the Christian Farm is ready. The Father, who
in the mean time, has not lost the opportunity of winning the confidence and love of the natives, gathers all
the children of the neighborhood and puts them under
the care of the catechist, who has been specially trained
for this work at the Residence.
He knows what to do
and how to do it.
All this is the work of less than a
week. The Father takes leave of his Catechist and of
the new flock, gives them his blessing, and goes further
on, trying to repeat the same work in the next village.
Word is sent to the Residence, and a few days later there
arrive at the new colony chickens, goats, hogs, oxen,
etc. The colony is supported by the Residence for eighteen months at least, that is to say up to the time of the
first harvest. After that time it is generally able to provide for itself.
The cost of establishing a Christian
Farm is $400. The supply of the garden is greater than
the demand.
The colonists sell of their abundance to
their neighbors, to the agents of the State and to the
Missionaries.
Presided over by the catechist the community of fifty
children or more follow an order of the day left them by
the Father. After rising they go to the chapel to pray,
and then during the day there are fixed hours set for
class, for work, for catechism and for meals.
In the
e":ening they all gather for prayers, and the day closes
wtth the ''Laudate Dominum", sung in Congolese by
a~ I. . The catechist presides over all these exercises; he
dtstnbutes the food, teaches class, recites the prayers, directs the work. Though managed by him the farms are
not excluded from the control of the Fathers.
On the
contrary, the supervision exercised is close and constant.

186

THE JESUIT MiSSiONARIES

The Missionary visits the colony frequently and regularly; praises the good done and rectifies what he finds to
need correction.
Do these catechists know their business?
The following story will convince the most prejudiced mind.
Zimbu was a young Catechist at the residence of Kisantu. Falling a victim to the sleeping sickness, he lost
his mind and became violent, so much so, that it was
necessary to separate him from his companions.
The
Father had often tried to hear his confession, but alas,
for poor Zimbu, his mental faculties seemed to be irretrievably lost. One morning, one of the little boys was
attacked by the same deadly disease.
For fear of communicating the plague to the others, he was separated
from them and given a special hut at some distance from
the one occupied by Zimbu. That same day the Father
was obliged to go to the railroad depot to meet a party
of white men.
He had scarcely reached the spot when
a ybung negro came running up to him: "Father", he
said, "return at once, the sick boy is dying".
The Father hastened back at full speed, but only to find the
child dead. He severely reprimanded and scolded the
inmates of the colony for not having called him sooner.
''Through your fault'', he added, "this boy died without baptism".
"No, Father", interrupted Zimbu, "he was baptized".
"How so? By whom"?
"By me".
"By you? When? How? Explain!
"Listen Father. The little felJow came to me, and
sat down right here. It was then I noticed he was dying.
I asked him if he loved God, and he said, yes.
And then I asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ
was God, and died for us, ana he said, yes. And then I
asked him if he wished to be baptized and go to heaven,
and he said, yes. And then I took water, and I poured
it over his head, and I said: "I baptize the in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost''.
Zimbu retained his mental powers during the day and
made his confession.
From that time until he died he
gave no other sign of intelligence.
Once upon a time, a Father was on his way to the
Christian Farm.
Evening had come and the darkness
began to fall on the river and in the woods. There was
silence all around him, that deep and solemn silence of
the wide and trackless solitudes of Africa.
Suddenly
from the chapel, where the children had gathered for

IN THE CONGO

187

prayer rose in the sweet and melodious tones of the
Congolese tongue, the anthem to the Creator of the Universe:
Praise the Lord all ye nations,
Praise the name of the Lord.
The Father's heart throbbed with emotion.
He fell
upon his knees and with the children he repeated the
sacred song:
Praise the I ord all ye nations,
Praise the name of the Lord.

* * * *

With these incidents we shall bring to a close the
study of the labors of the Jesuit Fathers in the Congo.
Much more might be added.
We might tell of the obstacles they found in their way, of disappointments they
had to encounter, of the dangers they had to face; but
what we have said will give the· reader a fair idea
who those thirty-seven Jesuits are, who spend themselves on that African continent, and what their brothers have been who have fallen victims of the fever and
sleeping sickness; worthy followers of Him Who said:
"Greater love than this no man hath, tban that a man
lay down his life for his friends". We do not doubt that
many a time in reading this account, the thoughts of our
readers have turned to the reductions of Paraguay and
recognized in the Belgian Fathers worthy emulators of
those great Apostles of the land of the Southern Cross.
HENRY R. FLEUREN, S. J.

MISSIONARY LABORS
September to Christmas; 1907
(continued)
AUBURN, N. Y., St. Aloysius' Church, Oct. 20 to
Nov. ]-Fr. O'Donovan and myself were to be companions-in-arms again at Auburn. But the mission opened
the day on which that at Potsdam closed, so it became
necessarv to divide our forces.
I left Potsdam on the
11.30 A. 'l\L train and arrived in Auburn at 7·45 that
evening.
St. Aloysius' is a new parish, established only 6 years
ago. The pastor, Fr. J. McGrath, is an energetic worker and has done marvels since his coming.
Besides the
rectory and convent, he has put up a fine hall and club
rooms, and an excellent building, which is a combination
church and school. There are several sodalities for the
different grades of the congregation, and practically
every member oflhe parish receives Holy Communion
monthly.
While arranging the details of the mission Saturday
night, I spoke, of course, of a special mission for the
children which it is our custom to give.
The pastor
seemed surprised and said: "That's fine, but others don't
have it".
I spoke at all the Masses on Sunday. Among the announcements ofthe pastor, was one calling on all the
men of the parish, to meet in the hall in the afternoon
~for the purpose of organizing a Holy Name Society. A
good number responded and the pastor asked me to address them. In the evening, the mission formerly opened, and the church was filled to suffocation.
Next morning the pastor told me he had promised the
catechists in an outlying station, under his charge, that
one of the Missioners would go there Sunday night to
preach and give them the benefits of the mission. Here
was a difficulty. Fr. O'Donovan had told me he would
leave Potsdam on the 11.30 A. M. train Sunday, and I
knew, of course, that he could not arrive in Auburn till
7·45 P. M., possibly later. But the services here were to
begin at 7-30, so I 'phoned my Superior at Potsdam, 169
miles away. I made known the difficulty and asked if he
could come on the early morning train.
The welcome
reply came back: "I shall be there". A great anxiety
was lifted from my mind, and I thought some long
thoughts on the benefits of modern inventions.
(188)

MISSIONARY LABORS

189

Monday morning was spent by the pastor and myself
· in visiting some of God's afflicted.
I jot down a few
items. · The first call was to a man suffering from locomotor ataxia for 5 years.
There were several children,
and the wife was obliged to go out to work every day.
Very sad case. Next, to a blind man. Then a paralytic,
a man of 8o, called Gladstone, on account of his striking
resemblance to the great Commoner.
The poor man
weeps almost continually.
A most pathetic case some
doors distant. A boy of 20, with curvature of the spine.
He was in constant pain and was reduced to a skeleton,
but very patient through it all. His gentle, sweet-faced
mother, with tears in her eyes, said she was so grateful
. to us for coming to see her "saintly boy". All very edifying, truly.
The last call of the morning was not so consoling. A
man lay near his death in the last stages of consumption.
He had married outside the Church,and there were 5 small
children.
What would become of them when he was
gone? True, he had not done much for them up to this,
for he was a shiftless fellow, still he had made some pretense of rearing them as Catholics; but at his death the
protestant wife would have control.
But the future of
his children did not appear to worry him much. He was
a careless, slipshod sort of an apology for a man, and his
one desire appeared to be to avoid trouble and to slide
out of life with the same easy gracelessness that had
characterized him all his days.
Of course this was no
time to scold. I did what I could for him, prepared him
for the end and tried to make him realize his position.
It. was a painful scene. The pastor, a good, zealous man,
wtll keep an eye on the children, and do everything possible to save them.
Fr. O'Donovan arrived at 3 o'clock, to assume command, and I .was commissioned to go on the one-nightstand mission, spoken of above.
It was at a place called Cayuga, on Lake Cayuga, 9 miles away. The curate
and I started towards evening, and took supper with a
fine Catholic family named Mansfield, who keep a hotel
there.
In the parlor I was surprised to see the Fordh~m colors displayed profusely.
There were several
ptctures of the Fordham B. B. team, and one large photograph of a fine group of young men in cap and gown,
and in the front row were Frs. D. Quinn, O'Reilly, J. F.
X. O'Conor and Mr. Miley. Under the picture in bold
letters was: "Fordham 'o6". Young Mansfield had been
a popular student of Fordham, manager of the team and
had graduated a year before.

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MISSIONARY LABORS

There is a fine church here, over-looking the Lake.
I began to hear confessions at 7i the curate said the
beads, and at 8 I gave the mission sermons in condensed form-"homoeopathic doses",-some one said. There
are only So Catholics in Cayuga, but they were all there
and went to confession.
Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament was given, and pious articles were blessed. I
left at ro, the curate remaining to say Mass next morning
and to give Communion, so that the people might gain
the indulgence of the mission.
The Auburn State prison is a few blocks distant from
St. Aloysius'.
Several of the chief officials are Catholics, and one is a trustee of the church.
Two Masses
are said in the prison every Sunday by a priest from the
neighboring parish.
There is a resident chaplain-a
protestant of course-with a salary of $2,400.00 a year.
The prison officials despise this chaplain and the prisoners have no respect for him.
He is a bit of a fop, and,
as they. say of him, "wears a pink necktie".
He does
practically nothing during the week, and is sometimes
absent on Sunday, but one said to me, "he has influence
at Albany."
We received a cordial invitation to visit the prison.
Of the convicts roso are men, 82 women.
Every part
of the place was visited, work-shops, refectory, kitchen,
chapel.
An object of gloomy interest was the room of
execution and the electric chair, which last was explained minutely.
The prisoners are well cared for, have
c;_onsiderable comfort, neat cells with electric lights,
plenty of reading matter.
They are also allowed to
smoke-the men I mean.
A life prisoner showed us
some marvellous cabinet work he had done. It was made
up of 2863 minute pieces ofwo_od. We were impressed
by the neatness of one cell, ana stopped to talk with the
man, "a lifer".
He was a remarkable looking man,
keen eye and fine countenance, pictures of his wife and
children hung on the wall, and other reminders of home.
When we left the keeper told us he had been Chief of
Police in one of the large cities of the state, and had
killed his man.
It is likely he will be pardoned soon.
The children's mission here was a joy.
Every child
in the parish attends the parochial school, and of course
is well trained.
I found them a particularly bright
set too, and it was a pleasure to talk to them. Of course
everyone knows that it is a reserved case in the Rochester diocese, for a parent to send his children to the pu~
lie school.

l

'

MJSSIONAR Y LABORS

191

A girl of J4, died during the mission-a member of
the Children of Mary. Her fellow sodalists went to the
house before the funeral and recited the office. At this
Mass there was a touching scene.
The coffin was carried by six children, and as they moved up the church,
the aisle was lined on either side with little girls dressed
in white, and singing very sweetly, "Hail! Queen of
Heaven''.
Before the body walked others carrying the
banners of the Sodality, while the church bell tolled 14
strokes-one for each year of the child's life. There was
scarcely a dry eye in the church.
At the time of our mission, Auburn was on fire with
political excitement.
One of the candidates for Mayor
was a brewer, the proprietor of thirty-five liquor saloons
in the city, and he was a democrat.
I heard that one
wealthy woman donated $Ioo,ooo. to be used in defeating him.
The Presbyterian ministers, and one in particular, started a crusade against him.
For many Sundays nothing was heard from their pulpits but denounciations of the liquor traffic in general. and of the brewer
in particular. A young man told me of an argument he
had heard between two protestants. One condemned the
ministers for their action, said that they should stick to
the Gospel; the other was loud in their praise. The argument ended thus: "Well, anyway, there is one thing
to be said for the Episcopalian ministers; they never
meddle with politics or religion".
·
We gave some vigorous talks on the vice of intemperance during the men's week.
Drunkenness is one of
the capital sins of Auburn. I heard some heart-rending
tales of men who earn $4.00 a day, while their children
are starving, their wives heart-broken, and their homes
denuded of every bit of furniture, except a chair and a
table.
What was the cause?
Money gone for drink.
The pastor told me of some who gave as an excuse for
not attevtling Mass on Sunday, that they did not have
decent clothes.
Of course, because Saturday nights
were spent in drinking and gambling.
A painful incident happened on Thursday of the first
week of the mission.
A hurry call came at 9.30 p. m.,
from Cayuga.
The curate went, and found that a man
had committed suicide.
He was dead when the priest
arrived.
This poor man had been to the mission on
Monday night, and had received Holy Communion on
Tuesday morning. The pastor told me he was the best
Catholic in the place, and his right hand man in every
undertaking.
He was a prosperous farmer, had a good

192

MISSIONARY LABORS

home, a devoted wife and beautiful children.
It was
evidently a case of temporary insanity. It seems he was
called upon to testify in Court against a lifelong friend,
and the prospect so preyed upon his mind that reason
gave way. A few hours before his dreadful deed he had
said to his wife:
"Oh, pray that something may happen that I may not be compelled to give that damaging
testimony.
If I could only go away where no one could
find me"!
A very consoling conversation took place about this
time.
A young lady, a protestant, was engaged to a
Catholic, and the marriage was to take place soon. She
had several talks with the pastor and was convinced of
the truth of the Church, but hesitated to embrace the
Faith.
It seems that she had some sad memories of
Catholics,-of one in particular,-who had led scandalous lives. "I would like to be a Catholic",she said, "but
fe.ar I could not be a good one; so much is required".
She was induced to attend the mission, was deeply impressed, and yielding to the workings of grace was baptized. The marriage was celebrated in a few days-and
she insisted on a nuptial Mass.
A protestant school teacher came to the mission with
a friend on Tuesday night.
The sermon was on hell.
She called on the pastor afterwards and said to him: "I
have read the Bible from cover to cover, heard it quoted
often, but was never so impressed with the awfulness of
the Scriptures before". "Do you believe in hell now"?
said the pastor. "Indeed I do. There was no mincing
matters to-night. That man hit straight from the shoulder and brought conviction to me.
I never heard the
like before.
In my churcp that subject is seldom mentioned. I shall speak to my minister on Sunday".
The proper ventilation of the church is an important
factor during a mission. If the people cannot listen with
comfort, they cannot listen well. A stifling atmosphere
is conducive to sleep, and a mission service is not a time
for sleeping.
Besides some may be inclined to stay
away. The sexton is master of the situation here. But
some sextons are worse than others. During the Auburn
mission we had to deal with a sexton who was of an order apart. He was a young Irishman, William by name,
very good natured, always smiling, but he did not know·
much about the laws of hygiene, nor did he appear capable of learning.
His predominant passion during the
· entire mission seemed to be an inordinate love for high
· temperatures and vitiated air.
He kept the windows

llfiSSIONAR Y LABORS

193

closed tight, making ventiliation an impossibility. Fancy
preaching a mission sermon with the thermometer at
90"!
It is something like talking in a turkish bath.
"William", I said to him, "do you think you could get a
little oxygen in this church?"
"What's that, Father?"
"It is a gas".
"Sure we don't want any gas here; the
church is lighted by electricity". ''Oxygen is a component part of fresh air, William,'. "Fresh air, is it? Sure
the church is no place for fresh air; plenty outside".
"William, we don't want much, all we ask is to breathe
God's pure air''.
If by any chance William found the windows open, he
would immediately close them again.
Nor could he
seem to get into his head that pure air is essential to
one's well being.
His business in life just then was to
keep the church warm, and he apparently thought that
the one way to accomplish that was to keep the boilers
going at full blast and to bar all the windows.
One
evening just before supper time, I went around the
church, and turned off all the heaters, as the place was
suffocating.
On leaving, I looked back and saw Wiliam stealing around the church and turning on all the
heaters. , But one could not become angry with the
young man, he was doing his best according to his lights.
Besides he really worked very hard.
Up in the morning at 4, to bed at night at rr, with all the intervening
hours occupied, this was his day. He did his best.
There is a certain man in this parish, whom we tried
to catch in our net, but failed. He is a Canadian. His
children are unbaptized, and he never attends church,
though he calls himself a Catholic. The pastor told me
this man visits his home every year in Canada, and
while there receives Communion to please his mother.
He calls it his Easter duty.
The man's son, a boy of
14, wished to become a Catholic, and his playmates gave
him a catechism. The father saw the lad studying it at
night, beat him and compelled him to throw the catechism in the fire. The boy said: "Father, when I am
21 you will not make me burn my catechism".
It is the custom with ns now to have the Holy Hour
on Saturday night, during the mission. In former years,
Saturday night was given up entirely to hearing confessions, but experience has shown that the time given to
the Holy Hour is a positive gain in many ways, and this
especially in the men's week. Saturday night is a dangerous occasion; the men or many of them, have been
tuned up to concert pitch during the week, and when

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MISSIONARY LAlJORS

Saturday night comes, if there is nothing to do, they are
apt to celebrate and thus lose the fruits of the mission.
It has been surprising to us, and consoling, too, to see
how readily all take to this beautiful devotion.
Many
times men have said to me:
"Father, this is the best
thing in the whole week.
I enjoyed it more than any
other service".
·
Here is the program I followed at Fr. O'Donovan,s
suggestion:
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. ''0 Salutaris".
Sermon-Agony in the Garden-ro minutes.
Litany of the Sacred Heart.
Hymn to the Sacred Heart.
Sermon-Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. "He is
here".-ro minutes.
Litany ofthe Holy Name.
Hymn to the Holy N arne.
Sermon-Christ in Holy Communion. "He is here
for us".-ro minutes.
Litany of the Blessed Virgin.
Tantum Ergo. Benediction.
One of those painful incidents which so often happen
at missions, and which strike a note of warning in the
heartsofmany,occured here. At r.3oa.m.,the 'phone rang
iu Fr. O'Donovan's room. It was a hurry call from the
hospital.
Fr. O'Donovan awoke the pastor, who prepared quickly to answer the call, but before he left the
house, the 'phone rang again; the patient was dead. The
pastor knew him well.
He had for many years led a
reckless life, and had not.been to confession for a long
time. He had promised; )10wever, to make the mission
and died calling for the priest. The news of this event
spread throughout the parish, and no doubt quickened
many a sluggard's conscience.
A remarkable conversion brought about by the mission deserves recording. It was of a man, 41 years away
from the church. He had drifted on the tide of godlessness and brought his children up as protestants.
His
son lay dying some years ago, and he brought in a High
Church clergyman to give him the last sacraments. The
minister came, and when he had finished his functions,
a brother of this man, a fervent Catholic, said to the
minister- "I am ashamed of you, sir. Why do you persist in perpetuating the sin of Henry VIII?. If you want
to give Sacraments, why don't you come to the Church
which has true Sacraments"? This was said with such

MISSIONARY LAJJORS

195

earnestness and scorn, that it induced the minister to
exa!lline his position, and, as he declared later, was the
beginning of his conversion.
He is now a Catholic
priest; doing good work in a certain diocese of this country.
Although Auburn is looked on as a bigoted town, yet
we saw some evidences of good will manifested. Many
protestants came to the mission, and seemed deeply ·impressed. They said that the things they heard were entirely new to them and did them good.
One man declared: "Our minister would not dare talk like that from
his pulpit; his resignation would be quickly asked for".
The protestant employees of a large factory had arranged for a grand bowling tournament.
It happened to
fall during the men's week of our mission.
So they
postponed it to the following week, lest the Catholics
might be drawn away from their mission.
There was brought to our notice here a curious case
of combined stupidity and weakness.
It was of a man
and his wife, who were continually drunk and always
quarreling, and ever proclaiming that they were loyal
members of the Catholic Church. They were a scandal
to the neighborhood, a source of shame to the Catholics,
and an object of scorn to the protestants. Matters went
on from bad to worse, and they were becoming a nuisance. The hand of the law descended and they were
sentenced to prison. Immediately repentance came, and
they pleaded so hard that a pardon was granted on
promise of good behavior.
A new start was made, and
they began the Nine First Fridays.
But soon the old
life began again in the same old way. Off they went to
prison again, this time to serve the full term.
On the
eve of the next First Friday, they sent for the pastor to
hear their confessions and give them Communion next
day, for, they said, ''We didn't like to break our Novena".
A word about the men's week.
It was a week of almost contiQual rain, culminating Saturday night with a
most terrific downpour. At first we were filled with apprehensive forebodings about the success of the mission.
The pastor told us to have no fear; he knew his men
and their devotion.
But we wanted evidence, and we
got it shortly.
Neither rain, nor storm had terrors for
those gallant sons of Mother Church. It was consoling
and inspiring to see them. They came in undiminished
numbers. The majority, of course, were hard working
men, many employed in places particularly trying. I

MISSIONARY LAbORS

196

knew of some who came direct from the shop, supperless.
It was not hard to work for such men.
But
Saturday night was the supreme test; the rain came
down in torrents,-who could or would endure it? The
mission was almost over, and the only thing to attract
these men to church was the Holy. Hour. . But they
came.
I was at the rear of the church from 7 to 7.30,
and watched in. admiring astonishment.
Many, very
many, of the men came without umbrellas, (they had
none, poor fellows), and of course were wet through.
When Fr. O'Donovan began the Holy Hour at 7.30,
there was a large crowd of men in the church. It was a
splendid manifestation of faith, and good to see.
.,
As I said above, the pastor of St. Aloysius' Church· is
Heart
a very zealous priest and an energetic worker.
a~d soul he is devoted to his flock, every one of which
i.? known to him personally. And the people love him,
fot they see and appreciate the great good he has done.
He guides them with a firm, but gentle hand; they are
open to every suggestion, obedient to every wish, and
young and old look to him as father and friend. Needless to say that there is an excellent Catholic spirit in the
parish and that the church societies are in a flourishing
condition. Hence a word of advice and encouragement
from us to persevere in their good works was all that
was needed.
The mission was an edifying one, the pastor was pleased, and we felt that our work was not in vain.
RESULTS.

Confessions,
Baptisms,
First Commuiuns,
Marriage Cases, - -

I,579
4
I
I

PHILADELPHIA, PA., St. Columba's Church, Nov. I024.-The fathers conducting this mission were O'Donovan, Coyle, Casey and Brown.
The church property of St. C<;>lumba's is very large,
comprising a whole block on Lehigh Avenue, from 23rd
There is-the fine parochial residence,
to 24th streets.
the church, -only the basement of which is completed,-and a beautiful parish school. All these buildings
have been erected by Father Gough, the pastor, since
his coming, ten years ago. The parish at present numbers about 7,ooo souls, but is increasing rapidly.
'"M:any new buildings are now in course of erection
and many more in contemplation. Property is valuable

197

MISSIONARY LABORS

and rents are high, they say, and hence the better class
are expected to swell the numbers. The one drawback
to the parish is the Municipal Hospital or Pest House,
as it is sometimes called, but that is soon to be removed.
Father O'Donovan and myself began the mission
here, Frs. Casey and Brown being obliged to remain at
Irvington-on-Hudson, to close the mission in that place.
Sunday was a full day for Fr. O'Donovan and his companion, as we were obliged to speak at seven Masses,
open the mission in the evening, and look after the class
of instruction.
Of course this was one of the big missions; and we
knew at the start that plenty of work lay ahead.
The
basement seats I,ooo, but there were at least I,6oo in the
church at the opening of. the women's week.
Every
available space was made use of, aisles, side chapels,
and even the sanctuary, were packed with the eager
throng. The place was really too crowded for comfort.
Fr. O'Donovan wished to make it a double decker, that
is, two missions running at once, but for that five missionaries are needed, and we had but four, with no possibility of obtaining another.
Besides there was no
place to put the people. So we had to content ourselves
with an overcrowded church and pray that no panic
might occur.
Philadelphians, are as a rule, zealous churchgoers, always eager for the Exercises.
I have taken part in
preaching many missions in the great city, and the story
has always been the same. This congregation we found
clung firmly to tradition; the attendance at all the services was kept up with undiminished numbers to the
end. Indeed, the church could not possibly accomodate
more; no doubt if it could, more would have come.
The weather, during the first week, was delightful; the
traditional stormy period of November had not set in,
and we were blessed with one continuous succession of
bright, clear days, and moonlight nights.
On Sunday afternoon it was found necessary to have
a double closing of the mission, one at 2 for the unmarried women, the other at 4, for the matrons.
The wisdom of this arrangement was evident, for at both services the church was filled.
The women's mission had come to an end, and so had
the fine weather, for before the services began that evening, a downpour of rain came on, and the rest of the
week was a dismal, dreary time, an almost continuous
succession of dark days, and at night no moon was seen.
IS

198

MISSIONARY LABORS

The men were getting the worst of it; but perhaps men
find it less hard to face bad weather than women. Anybow, these men did not seem to mind, for on Sunday
evening, we certainly bad 1,8oo of them in the
church. "Fine,! said the pastor, "Fine! What do you
think of that crowd? Does not that sight do your heart
good? These are my pets, solid men, every one of
them".
Yes, they were good to see.
There is plenty of faith
among the men of St. Columba's. Of course they have
their failings like the rest of mankind, but they are loyal to their church, and were giving practical evidence of
it to-night.
Every one was out, ready to do his duty,
and take his medicine.
Some of the men I knew; the
great majority of course, were strangers to me.
_Among those with whom I had acquaintance, I noticed one of the staunchest champions of the faith in the
parish, and he is a liquor dealer.
Now, please do not
condemn him without a trial.
This man is an exceptional kind of liquor dealer.
True, he runs a saloon,
but he has never sold a glass of liquor himself, a hired
man does that, nor will he allow any drunkenness in his
place, nor disorderly persons.
And I know for a fact,
that this man receives Holy Communion every month.
The "Big Four" were there, or the Four Macs as they
are sometimes called.
These men are near neighbors,
all living in the same block, McManus, M. D., McGuire,
druggist, McGinnis, dentist, McCarron, undertaker.
They stand ready to supply all your needs, whether m
life or death.
Many, too, were there who had been bad boys, or as
some expressed it, "Yes, they are Catholics, but they are
not working at it". Evidently the male portion of the
parish was aroused. All came; the good to obtain grace
to persevere in well doing; the lukewarm to be quickened to fervor; and the bad to make a new start in the
right direction.
One of the most beautiful and edifying services of the
mission, took place during the men's week, the blessing
of the babies. Announcements were made at all the
Masses on Sunday, calling on the mothers of the parish,
to bring the little ones to the church on Tuesday afternoon for this solemn function. It took the people by surprise. They never before had seev anything of the kind
in the parish. Monday dawned blustering; the rain fell
all day, and we were apprehensive.
But on Tuesday
the sun appeared, and the. most perfect weather prevail-

MISSIONARY LABORS

199

ed till evening. As early as 2 o'clock the procession of
the Innocents began,· and at 3.30 there were r,ooo mothers in the church, each carrying a child in her arms,
with two or three dragging at her skirts.
There were
certainly r,soo babies in that church, all decked out in
the most gorgeous attire, and all yelling out in unison,
. but not in harmony.
Before the blessing, Fr. O'Donovan ascended the pulpit to deliver a short instruction on
the nature of the ceremony, but he might as well have
tried to speak against the roaring of an ocean tempest;
not a word was heard.
The blessing was given; then
the missioner, accompanied by acolytes, went through
all the aisles and sprinkled the assembled host with holy
water. It was a consoling sight, and one to be remembered,-a splendid manifestation of faith on the part of
good women of the parish.
The prolonged wailing of
the babies did not mak:e any difference; indeed that
made the event all the more impressive.
The smiling
faces of the mothers, showed how happy they were, now
that the church had imparted her solemn blessing to
their offspring.
There were some notable cases of reformation brought
about by the grace of the mission. A young couple had
been leading a bad life, to the scandal of the neighborhood. The woman was induced to mend her ways, and
persuaded her partner to seek for the blessing of the
Church on their union.
The pastor applied for a dis-.
pensation from the banns, and they were to be married
at 5 o'clock, on Thursday afternoon. At 3 o'clock that
day, the young woman called on the pastor to tell him
they would have to postpone the marriage. "Why?"
''He has been out of work, has been around to all his
friends and can't borrow 50 cents to pay for a marriage
license".
The pastor supplied the necessary money,
and they were united in lawful wedlock.
A more remarkable case occurred on Friday night, of
: the men's week. An old and notorious sinner, who had
been forty years away from the Sacraments, came to the
services, "just to please a friend". The sermon was on
God's Mercy, and the preacher was eloquent.
He pictured in burning language Christ's love for men, and
His eager desire for. the return of the wanderer. Little
by little the man's heart was touched, till towards the
end tears were seen to flow down his cheeks. "Ob!" he
exclaimed afterwards, "I never thought I'd feel this way,
but I couldn't stand that appeal".
The last Sunday of the mission was a record breaker.

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MISSIONARY LABORS

You will remember that on November 24th, a terrific
storm swept along the Atlantic coast. Philadelphia on
that day received a most awful buffeting.
The wind
blew a gale all day long, accompanied with terrific sheets
of rain.
Towards evening snow began to fall, making
walking difficult and dangerous.
Here was a stormy
outlook for the closing of the men's mission.
Would
they come? They did come, and we had two closings,
one in the church, the other in the school hall.
Gratifying, indeed, beyond our expectations.
RESULTS:

Confessions - - - - - 4,5oo
Confirmations of adults
32
Baptisms of adults 9
First Communions
25
Matrimony cases
5

.

NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y., St. Jl1"ary's oft/ze Cataract,
December I-Is.-This was to be the last trip before
Christmas. Fr. Casey and myself were appointed. There
were many causes operating to make this the most remarkable mission it has been my happiness to participate in.
It was an entirely new field; the Society's
methods had never been tried there before.
We were
absolute strangers.
Again, it had been several years
since the last mission, and the field was ripe for the harvest.
I may safely say, that in my few years' experience on the missions, I cannot recall anything like the
scenes witnessed within the walls of St. Mary's of the
cataract, during those twq· short weeks.
The mission
was indeed a remarkable~spiritual demonstration, an awakening, an upheave!, and the 3o,ooo denizens of Niagara Falls, Catholics and protestants, yea, even infidels
too, are not likely soon to forget the red letter dates,
December rst to 15th. Niagara Falls is famous now for
the generating of electricity.
Well, there was a large
supply of electricity of a different order, generated during those days of grace. The people were taken by surprise; they awoke from their lethargy of years; they sat
up and took notice; and when St. Ignatius got through
with them, they began to realize that the end-all of existence is not sordid gain, nor forbidden fruit, that each
had an immortal.soul to save, and it was worth the saving, that their true home lies beyond where Christ dwells
with His immortalized heroes.

MISSIONARY LABORS

201

Yes, St. Ignatius came to the town, opened the book
of the Spiritual Exercises and revealed a horizon never
dreamt of before. The people were hungry for the Word
of God, and when it was put before them, they eagerly
partook of the proffered food.
.
There are many fine Catholics in Niagara Falls, leading exemplary lives: Catholics who are daily giving
glory to God and reflecting honor on His Church. But
tbe city has the reputation of being a "hard town".
In the first place it is a border town; but the principal
reason why sin abounds is that over 6oo,ooo visitors
pass through the city every year.
It is a sight-seeing,
pleasure-seeking place. There are numerous hotels and
many resorts,-some high, some low,-to supply material for past-time to the pleasure-loving.
Of course, the vast majority of the visitors come during the warmer months, and it was now winter.
Still,
the summer visitor leaves his impress on the place, and
that is not always for good.
Fr. Casey and I left Philadelphia at 8.30 on Friday
night, November 29th, and arrived in Niagara Falls
Sunday morning about 9·
After saying Mass we immediately began to arrange the details of the mission.
The pastor here has been in the place only a year, and
hence does not know the people thoroughly; but since
his coming he has kept his eyes open, and from the results of his experience, gave us a somewhat gloomy outlook for a big mission. One of the curates said; that in
his opinion 8oo confessions was about the highest number that could be expected.
·
These, then, were the conditions we were called upon
to face.
Not very inspiring, let us admit, but we said,
''wait and see".
It seems that the news of our arrival had travelled, for
we had not been in the house three hours, when two reporters from the city papers called and begged for an interview. One of the young men is a Catholic, the other
a protestant, but both were anxious to obtain all we
were willing- to give. Of course we supplied them with
information about the nature of the work in hand, gave
the order of time, and the different details of the mission.
That evening, three papers came out with firstpage notices describing the two Jesuits from New York,
and what they hoped to accomplish "here in our beautiful city". They were partly right in the accounts they
gave that evening; but the impression left from some of
the reports, was, that the reporters had vivid imagina-

202

.MISSIONARY LABORS

tions, and the proof-readers had not learned their trade;
for some of the statements were untrue and some of the
details were printed wrong.
However, the reporters
'phoned us, that all this would be corrected in the next
.issue of the papers. For several evenings the three papers
published accounts of the mission.
But towards the
middle of the week, the reporters stopped calling, and
the notices ceased. No explanation was given, nor did
we GLSk for one. More of this matter later on.
We waited Sunday night with anxiety, hoping for the
best, determined not to be discouraged if the the gloomy
forebodings held out to us became a reality.
The services began at 7.30, and to the pastor's surprise and our
joy, there was a fairly good crowd of women in the
church.
Next morning, too, at the Masses the attendance was quite satisfactory.
But we felt that the num·
her should be greater, and so we made use of every means
knqwn to us, to corral the absent ones of the flock. As
the days wore on, our hopes seemed to be realized, for
the attendance increased every evening, and when Friday night came the church was packed. People had begun to talk about the mission, the news spread, enthusiasm ran high, and those women who began with us Sunday, became each an aspostle, with the message, "Come
and see".
But the first week of a mission is in great part only
preparatory for what is to follow.
It is comparatively
easy to rouse women to fervor; sometimes, and oftentimes, hard to stir men. And we are told, it would be a
particularly hard task, if not an impossible one, to stir
these particular men.
.
One day, during the women's week, I was walking
through the State Reservation grounds, when a police
officer met me.
"Father", he said, "I am glad I met
you; let me say a few words.
I have been a resident of
Niagara Falls for many years, and I know the place.
Don't be disappointed if you fail next week. You have
a hard proposition before you.
You have to deal here
with a set of case-hardened men, who have neglected
their religion for a long time, and I don't think you will
be able to do much with them".
Well thi~ was naturally a bit depressing. Very well,
let us trust to God; it was His work.
Let us pray and
hope. But ah! happy conscience! the second week was
to open ·on th~ Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and
we committed the men to her care, and placed the mission under her protection.
But, fainthearted creatures,

.MISSIONARY LABORS

203

that we are, I must confess, that if we looked forward to
the first Sunday night with anxiety, it was with fear and
trembling we waited for the second.
It came, and, let me record it with joy, there were by
actual count, more men in the church on that second
Sunday night, than there had been women on the same
night a week before. . The pastor's astonishment knew
no bounds, and his cup of joy was full.
What was the
reason of it all?
What had happened to cause such a
marvel? Why, an earthquake had happened, or, better
still, a shaft from a clear sky had fallen, and had shattered the long-existing prejudices, and apathy in the
souls of men who called themselves Catholics, and others
who ~ad joined the ranks of the Church's antagonizing
enemtes.
It was all very good to see, very encouraging and inspiring, and a harbinger of great good to be accomplished.
The little children and the women had done their
duty well, for we had asked them to cooperate in the
good work by their prayers and zeal, and we found many
cases where their prayers and zeal had brought men to
the mission who before had no intention of coming.
Now for a little matter of interest. I said above, that
the accounts of the mission in the daily papers had suddenly ceased. During the instruction Sunday evening,
Fr. Casey mentioned this fact to the men, and asked the
reason why. He said we were not looking for advertisment, but that we wanted fair play.
The Salvation
Army and a meeting on Pure Food had received lengthy
notices, and why were we Catholics ignored? It looked
as though some people thought the mission was getting
too much prominence, and had persuaded the editors
to ignore it. Was this an A. P. A. town? Had protestant ministers the upper hand?
Could bigoted editors
afford to slight Catholics here?
Fr. Casey talked for a
few minutes in this strain, and it was seen that the men
were impressed. Next day, the whole city talked about
the affair, and some must have said a word or two to the
~ditors, for that evening, and every evening after, glowmg accounts appeared in the papers. And not only that,
but the place of prominence was given to the mission;
there were glaring headlines, striking comments, and
the editors seemed to be anxious to make amends. All
this was a bit sensational, perhaps, but the Catholics
said they wanted justice,-and they got it.
But a Sunday night attendance is not the ultimate
criterion of the success of a mission, especially of a men's

20!

MISSIONARY LABORS

m1ss10n. The real test is the 5 o'clock Mass during the
week.
However, we felt no anxiety here.
We knew
that men who had made such a surprising beginning,
were in earnest, and would carry on the good work in
proper fashion.
During all that week, there were 500
men at the early Mass, and a goodly number at the other
Masses as well.
Father Casey and myself met a protestant on Monday
morning, who said: "I bear you had a big crowd up at
your church last night and this morning. Say, bow do
you do it? How do you get those men to come? I don't
understand it; never expected such a thing in this town".
A fine Catholic gentleman, an agent of one of the
railroads, came to me on Wednesday.
I give his own
words: "Let me tell you, Father, that you and Father
Casey deserve great credit for what you have done. This
is the biggest thing that has happened in Niagara Falls
for- ,1nany a year. You have got these men on the jump
and nothing can stop them now".
The pastor and his two curates did noble work during
the mission.
Every day they visited some part of the
parish, looking up delinquents, and many a man was
brought to make the mission through their efforts.
Many protestants were noticed at the evening services,
and I was told of a bigoted Methodist who went to 5
o'clock Mass one morning,-not for devotion's sake, but
for proof positive.
He had heard that those Catholics
were coming out to Mass in the early morning hours,
and refused to believe it.
So he came to see for himself.
I was told also, that several protestant ministers from
Canada, came to the exercises every night. They were
noticed taking notes of the-sermons.
On coming to Niagara Falls, we found that the only
church society existing in the parish, was the League
of the Sacred Heart, composed principally of women,
and absolutely no association for the men. This would
never do. We determined to establish sodalities for all.
Accordingly, during the early part of the first week, the
subject was put before the women.
The nature of sodalities was explained, their advantages and vital necessity as a means of perseverance in the good resolutions
of the mission. Every night something was said on this
theme, till we felt assured they had grasped the idea.
On Thursday evening-, cards were issued, to be signed
)md brought back Friday, or sometime before the close
of the mission.
The result of our exhortation, reason-

.~fiSSIONARY

LABORS

205

ing and appeal, was, that there was organized a sodality
of young ladies, 350 in number, and a Rosary and Altar
Society for the married women of 300.
New members
of the League 6oo, with 47 new promotors.
During· the men's week, the same methods were employed to start a Holy Name Society, and by Sunday
night 450 men had registered their names.
We feel sure that these societies will not die thr!Jugh
neglect, for the pastor and his curates were enthusiastic
in the matter, and will devote themselves to the good
cause.
In the meantime the Spiritual Exercises were working marvellous changes in the hearts of the men. The
pastor said to me one day: ''Father, the protestant ele. ment of this town is not laughing at our mission.
I
hear reports on every side, and I assure you the city is
taken by surprise.
There were some sneers in the beginning, but the sneers have given place to unwilling
admiration.
I like the methods of the Jesuits; there is
nothing exaggerated about your talks.
You speak the
truth, you strike out from the shoulder, and you are hitting the men hard-but they like it".
A man began the mission;-·every one was surprised
to see him begin.
Next morning a fellow workman
said to him: "Well, what did you think of the sermon
last night"? "Oh, I didn't sleep a wink all night.
I
couldn't get it out of my mind. That man seemed tope
speaking straight at me. I wonder who told him what
kind of life I have been -leading"?
Nobody told him.
The missioner simply pleaded for God's rights, and told
of the creatures' duties.
A protestant woman called on Fr. Casey, and said she
wished to become a Catholic, and on being asked the
cause of her conversion, replied: ''I saw Black Jack
T
going to the mission and heard he made his
confession, and I said, 'the Church that is able to change
a man like that must be the true Church'.
So here I
am".
A very fine Catholic of the parish induced an old sinner to return to the fold; he had been leading a bad life
for 31 years. This man became an apostle, for before the
mission closed he brought in 7 more worse than himself.
Towards the end of the week, a prominent politician
of the city was seen coming to the mission.
Everyone
was surprised, for he had given up all practice of religion. A friend asked, "Say, Jim, what hit you"? ''My
little girl hit me.
She pleaded so bard that I couldn't

:.206

MISSIONARY LABORS

stay away.
Had it not been for that child I would not
be here to-night.
Let's go to confession".
And they
did.
.
Fr. Casey had a good deal of difficulty with a young
man, who was a Free Mason.
He was of course told
that in order to make the mission he must give up the
society. The young man was well meaning enough and
very good, but he had wrong ideas of things. "Father"
he said, ''I want to receive my Lord in Holy Communion
and I can't see why I am forbidden. What harm is there
in belonging to the Free Masons? Tell me what wrong
they do"? He was told again that the Church condemns
secret societies and that he must submit to her authority, or be excommunicated. Grace triumphed, and the
young man submitted.
_ Another conversion was brought about in a very
simple way.
Out of curiosity a protestant attended the
class of instruction. The Father happened to be speaking about the veneration of images and gave the clear
doctrine of the Church in the matter. "Why", said the
protestant, "all my life I believed Catholics worshipped
these things, and that is why I never entered the
Church". The man immediately placed himself under
instruction for baptism.
A short conversation with a man ofthe city about this
time, brought before my mind the impression the mission was making.
The man called to see me about
some difficulty. Before leaving he said: ''Father, I have
not been able to attend the mission exercises on account
of my work, but .I have heard the men in the shop talking about the mission; they told me what you Fathers
have been saying during_the week. My eyes have been
opened. I have gone far-enough. I must stop and reform my life. I shall be around Saturday night for confession''.
It is not usual to have a class of instruction when
there are only two Fathers conducting the mission. But
conditions here required a class. We could not conduct
it ourselves, for all our time was occupied with other
matters.
So one of the curates consented to do the
work, and as he is a zealous priest we felt sure that the
work would be well done.
At first very few joined the
class, but as it is an important factor of our missions, we
made it one of our chief announcements every night,
speaking earnestly of its importance and urging all who
·had not made their First Communion, nor had been confirmed, to join the class.
Invitation was also extended

1UISSIONARY LABORS

20i

to non-Catholics to come, at least to listen, if not to become Catholics. Every night progress was reported.
It is our custom to have Confirmation at the end of
the mission.
The pastor did not take kindly to this at
first; he wanted more time to prepare for the Sacrament.
But I insisted, told him that if he put these people off
now, he might lose them altogether. Finally he yielded and asked Bishop Colton if he would come for Confirmation. The good Bishop was delighted and consentWhen
ed to come on the last Sunday of the mission.
the people learned that a definite day had been decided
upon, they came in numbers for instruction, so that
when the Bishop arrived we had So adults to present for
the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The function took
place at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon, due announcement
having- been made.
The church was thronged, many
present being protestants, all eager to witness the
unusual spectacle of men and women of advanced age
receiving Confirmation.
The Bishop was deeply impressed.
On Thursday of the second week, I noticed that the
housekeeper was very busy about many thing-s.
She
said she "expected company for dinner".
The good
pastor with graceful courtesy had prepared a surprise for
us. At dinner that day, there were present two Carmelite Fathers from the Hospice in Canada, Fr. Conroy,
C. M., president of Niagara University, two Polish
priests and the pastor of the neighboring parisl1.
Towards the end of the meal, Fr. Scullin arose and in a few
choice words told how glad he was to see the representatives of several different Orders gathered around his
table.
He spoke of his joy at the good work done during the mission, paid a glowing tribute to the Society,
and said he hoped she would send her sons often to the
Buffalo diocese for work of this kind.
Some one has said to me: "I suppose you will give us
a description of Niagara Falls". No, that can be obtained in any guide book.
The tourist from Kentucky,
when climbing the Alps was asked for his opinion of
them. He said: "The Alps are a success". Let a like
criticism suffice in this case. The Falls are a success.
Instead of a description of the Falls, let me describe a
man I met at the Falls. It was the last day of the mission, and; having a few moments to spare, I went down
to take a last look at this marvellous work of nature.
This man met me and said: ''Say, mister, are you one of
those revivalists from New York?''
"Not guilty", was

208

MISSIONARY LABORS

the reply.
"I am not a revivalist, but a Catholic missioner". ''Oh! no offense, but that is what we call them.
I am a Baptist".
''Why are you a Baptist?'' I said.
"Because that is what the Lord was, and I want to be
like the Lord".
I found the man to be quite ignorant,
out well intentioned and eager to learn.
I explained
briefly to him the doctrines of Christ and brought him
back to the church with me, and gave him a copy of
"Catholic Belief'.
He said he would read it carefully
and if convinced would enter the Church.
"But", he
said,. "I won't do anything without consulting the Lord,
for I lean on the Lord always. Farewell, sir, and I hope
when the angel sounds his trumpet you and I shall meet
at the great roll call beyond".
"No doubt about it", I
said, "we shall be there.
But in the meantime you
want to get in the right boat".
-)A former pupii of Fr. Casey's at St. Francis Xavier's,
l!J:ew York, is an official in the employ of the Niagara
Falls Power Company. He kindly offered to obtain permission for us to visit the place.
In the company of a
guide we visited every part of the establishment, and
got some notion of how Niagara Falls is "harnessed".
Down we went 183 feet under ground, heard the fearful
in-rushing of the waters upon the turbines, saw the governors, generators, thrust bearings and switchboards;
perceived the awful deadly power all around us, and
came out again to God's sunlight, thankful that we were
still alive.
The mission was drawing to a close. I have said that
the three evening papers of the city gave extensive accounts every day of the work being done.
We were
surprised at this.
But.surprise gave way to astonishment when on Saturday~tbe "Niagara Falls Gazette" appeared with quite a lengthy editorial about the mission.
I quote part of it: ''Two weeks of a most remarkable
mission conducted by the Jesuit Fathers at St. Mary's
church, will be brought to a close to-tporrow night.
Some idea of the unusual interest that thi's series of
meetings has awakened is afforded by the large attendance, and liberal support that the movement here has
experienced. To bring out, on an average, between 700
and Soo men a night and as many as sao to early services at 5 o'clock in the morning, bespeaks an awakening of religious fervor. that augers much for the spiritual welfare of the community. No matter what faith a
person may profess, such a manifestation as this must
have the effect of a wholesome lesson,

MISSIONARY LABORS

The Jesuit Fathers Coyle and Casey, who are conducting the mission here, have successfully devoted themselves to the conversion of God's people to his standard
for a number of years, and their efforts have been productive of great good.
Here, in Niagara Falls, the revival has no exception to the rule, and the teaching and
direction of souls will bring reward.
The particular
purpose of the mission at St. Mary's, has been the conservation of Catholic thought and education, the exhortation of man to a proper fear of the Lord, and the great
need of a life of rectitude and righteousness. Many nonCatholics have listened to the sermons and enjoyed them.
It does no one harm to listen to the word of God, no
matter whose lips may utter it or what may be the denomination of the preacher of the divine gospel".
Fr. O'Donovan had sent sao copies of the Sacred
Heart Calendar and asked me to make known to the
people this exquisite and eminently useful little work.
We did so and disposed of all.
The good folks of Niagara Falls were delighted with them.
Everything was in readiness for the closing scene of
the last act of the great drama that had been in progress
for seven days. .There was a great snowstorm all day
Sunday, but that was of no consequence, causing nouneasiness to us who had been so fearful one week before.
How different the calm of to-day from the anxiety exHow many a heart
perienced such a short while ago.
had found peace, how many a conscience set at rest,
Those men
how many a soul reconciled to its Maker.
would have faced any storm to be present at the closing
of their mission.
They began to come early, and by
7.30 the church was filled.
It was a glorious sight to
behold, these men with their serious, earnest faces, yet
so happy the while. Each man as he entered the church
approached the tables where the religious articles were
kept, and all purchased crucifixes, beads, scapulars and
prayer books to be blessed at the end of the mission services.
I happened to be there for a few minutes.
A
young fellow, with his hands filled with these articles of
devotion, said to me: ''Father, I feel happy to-night, and
I am anxious to see you, for I know it will make you
feel happy to know it. I used to be a great swearer, but
since the mission began I have 'cut it out'".
Another
said: "Say, Father, I have not committed a mortal sin
this week. Don't you think that's fine?" "Fine", I replied, "keep it up".

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MISSIONARY LABORS

These little incidents are only indicative of the spirit
that ruled the men at the closing of their mission. They
had done well, God bless them! Their fervor was warm;
their intentions were of the best, and they were there
that night to tell God, His angels and the world that
they meant to persevere in well-doing.
And so when
they stood up to renew their baptismal promises, it was
a sight to remember.
Determination written in their
faces, with hands uplifted, they uttered in loud, clear
tones, the ratification of those solemn promises made
for them years before when the saving water was poured over them. I saw tears in the eyes of many a strong
man that night. There was no doubt about the meaning of that assembly.
It was the fixed resolve of an
army on the eve of battle.
They were determined to
conquer, but they themselves had been conquered.
~ ..

RESULTS:

Confessions
- 2,r5o
Baptisms 2I
First Communions
I9
Marriage Cases
I2
Confirmation
So
Young Ladies' Sodality
350
Rosarv and Altar Society
300
League of the Sacred Heart 6oo
New Promotors
48
Holy Name Society 450
THE ASSEMBLING

The Fall term had enged, and in the good judgement
of Superiors, it was thought advisable to call a meeting
of the Mission Band. Accordingly, each Father received notice to report at Keyser Island, on the feast of the
Holy Innocents.
The object of the meeting was: rst.
The visitation of the Very Rev. Fr. Provincial: 2nd. to
give an opportunity to the Fathers of meeting one another: 3rd. an interchange of views and plans of work.
It was the first meeting of the kind in the history of
the Mission Band; nor, I am told, had it ever happened
that the whole Band had been assembled together at one
time.
It was a memorable event. Of course, such an
occasion called for the presence of Fr. Himmel; it would
be incomplete without him. He was invited and kindly consented to come.

MISSIONARY LABORS

211

At 9 o'clock, on the morning of the 28th, Very Rev.
Fr. Provincial gave the Visitation Exhortation, after
which Fr. Himmel joined us.
Then followed the con·
ference, Fr. Provincial presiding, which lasted two hours.
Topics of general interest in mission work were discussed, each one offering suggestions as seemed good to him.
Here Fr. Himmel's experience was invaluable, as no one
knows the traditions of the Mission Band, or understands
the spirit of mission work, better than he.
To him always was made the ultimate appeal.
Several new suggestions were offered: 1st. Should we
have a class of instruction when there are only two Fathers conducting a mission? 2nd. Should the blessing
of babies be given at missions? 3rd. Should we have
the Holy Hour on the Saturday night of each week of
the mission?
The last two points were decided in the
affirmative.
The first point in the affirmative also,
when there is reason to believe that one of the resident
priests will take sufficient interest in the class.
The idea of our meeting together in this fashion, was
a happy one; and I am sure it did us all good to see
each other, to hear each other, and to profit by each
others e~perience. When shall we ten meet again?
And now I am completely done.
Devotedly yours in Xt.
WM. H. COYLE, S. J.

OUR MISSION ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND
REV. AND DEAR FATHER:-

A great deal has been said and written about converting Blackwell's Island into a public park.
However
this may be, it is no immediate concern of mine, but, inas much as I am at present engaged in converting, or trying to convert the poor unfortunate members of humanity who, by force of circumstance, find their way here,
I thought it might be of interest to the members of the
society, to have an insight of the missionary work, as
carried on in the different institutions ofthis well known
Island.
''I have charge of three institutions:-the Almshouse,
the Workhouse, and the Metropolitan Hospital. In the
first mentioned institution, there are at present, over
three thousand inmates, of which number about twentyfive hundred are Catholic (?). The workhouse contains
about seventeen hundred prisoners, (r,roo men, and 6oo
women). There are about seven hundred patients in the
metropolitan hospital, and tuberculosis infirmary, which
is an adjunct of the metropolitan hospital, has a census
of seven hundred men, and about two hundred women.
With this population of unfortunates, really a city of
misery in itself, and figuring .that 75 per cent. are of the
faith, you can readily see what an immense field for missionary work is here at hand.
The consumption hospital alone is enough to Jie.ep any one priest busy. When
a sick call comes from this institution, I always realize
that now there is really "something doing".
The call
may be for one indivitiual, but when I look around me,
I generally find others who need my ministration.. On
many occasions, I have administered the last sacraments
to as niany as twenty dying persons at a time. Most all
the patients of this department are in the last stages of
consumption, and it is nothing unusual to hear of forty
or fifty dying in one week.
In the midst of all this
misery and sadness, it is consoling to see so many souls
passing into eternity, fortified by the last sacraments of
the church; the majority of whom have not been to conThey are of all nationalities:
fession in many years.

(2!2)

OVR .MISSION ON llLACKWELL'S ISLAND

213

French, German, Bohemian, Lithuanian, Greek, Italian,
and even Japanese-and Irish, or of Irish descent. They
have the faith, and that is about all.
They have all
made their first communion, but many have not been to
confession since. In my experience, in attending these
poor unfortunates, and in trying to get them to place
their trust in God, I find most of them well disposed.
There is not so much difficulty in reaching the Irish;
the German element is stubborn; but the French must
really be handled with "kid gloves", so to speak. Many
of them are out and out infidels; either bad, or very good,
and the saying, "Either Hell or Heaven for the Frenchmen", is always forcibly brought to mind, in my dealings with this race of people.
One's ingenuity, at times, is taxed to the utmost in trying to bring some of these people around to their christian sense of duty, and I think it might be well to cite
here a few cases in point.
Not long ago, 1 was called to see an inmate of the
Almshouse, an aged man.
After a little conversation on general topics of
the day, I asked him how l<;mg it was since he made his
last confession, and he told me it was fifty-seven years.
"I am so glad you have come to see me", he said: "I
have been troubled, and worrying ever since my last
confession''.
(I rather thought that this statement was
true).
I heard his confession, and gave him holy communion, and with a smile on his face that spoke wonders, he said; "Father. I am now happy",-and I am sure
he spoke the truth.
While on this subject of neglect of duty, I might mention, that last year, during the Pascal season, I made an
especial appeal from the altar, exhorting all to make
their Easter duty; that the Holy Catholic Church imposed this obligation on each and every one of us, under
pain of mortal sin.
I particularly called the attention
of these delinquents, to the happiness they would experience by living up to this obligation; and I told them, I
was sure there were many who had neglected their
duties, perhaps for years.
Why this neglect?
What
were they afraid of?
The priest is not going to scold
you, I said.
He is only here in the place of God, the
good and all merciful judge, who is ever willing, and
eager to forgive the really repentant sinner; who promised peace, and consolation, to those who lived a good and
upright christian life, and that to accomplish this end,
the frequenting of the sacrament of penance was essential.

r6

:214

OlJR MISSION ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND

The result of this appeal brought many a hardened
soul to the confessional.
Ten were there who had not
been to confession for over fifty years.
When I asked
one why he had come, he told me, he could not resist
the appeal, and the promise of that peace, and contentment which the world cannot give.
I have heard some of our missionaries relate stories of
their experiences with hardened sinners, who had remained away from confession for a long period of years;
but here on the Island, I have come across individuals
who have never even dreamt, nor much less heard of
missionary bands, going around in the different parishes
of the country, endeavoring to bring back to Holy
Mother Church, just such sinners as had become entirely indifferent to things religious, and who had been
looked upon by their pastors as non-Catholics. To give
you an instance. Now, do not think that I am exagger~~ing; nor do I wish to recall anything like the story
given by one of the missionary band, who told a large
assemblage of children, the amount of good they could
accomplish by prp.ying for their parents, brothers, etc.,
mention~ng the case of a man who had been away
from his duties for seventy years; when one of the little
girls in the first pew looked up at the good Father, and
said: "Oh, come off". But what I am going to relate is
a fact.
Not so very long ago, I was called to see a patient at
the Metropolitan Hospital, who had not been to confession in sevellty-six years.
He was an intelligent man, intensely Irish, having
taken an active part in all the public movements of his
time; the Repeal movem~nt, under Daniel O'Connell,
the Temperance moveme~t, under Father Matthew, and
the Charters, or English movement, under Fergus O'Connor.
The stories which he told me of his part in each
of these movements were very interesting and amusing,
and to be fully appreciated it would be necessary for you
to have heard him relate them in his own peculiar and
inimitable way. Of course I listened with interest, and
patience, ever recalling to mind the motto of our Holy
Father Ignatius, ''It is good to enter the door of your
patient, and then lead him into your own door". When
he was through with his narrative, I said; "Well, Mr.
N-- you have gone through many hardships, and the
object of :r,our work was to help, and to do good to others.
Don't you' think it is about time to do something for
yourself"?

OUR MiSSION ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND

215

I impressed him with the idea that he was close on the
btink of the grave, and he would soon have to give an
accounting ofhis life to the "Supreme Judge". At first
he was unwilling to make his peace with God, even going so far as to deny the very existence of a Supreme
Being; but after a few moments conversation with him,
and asking him to pray to the Holy Ghost for enlightenment, which he promised to do, he finally came to the
conclusion to do something for himself, realizing as he
now did, that his time was short in this world.
He soon made his second confession. I gave him instructions on the Blessed Sacrament, and soon thereafter he received our Lord in Holy Communion for the
first time.
I then anointed him, and bestowed the last
blessing. He seemed perfectly happy. A few days after he died. R. I. P.
Besides looking after the spiritual welfare of the patients, the prisoners, and the poor, there are seven or
eight hundred employees on the Island, who come under
my care. These also have to be looked after, and in order to keep their minds fixed on things spiritual, I
must use every means to keep them interested in the
higher life.
Last year I started a Lenten course of sermons, which were given every Thursday evening, at the
Metropolitan Hospital chapel, by the Fathers of St.
Peter's College, ] ersey City.-This year, the course
was given by the Fathers from St. Francis' Xaviers
Church, West r6th street, New York City.
These sermons were a great success; the chapel was always crowded at such times, and you cannot imagine what an immense amount of good was done in this way alone.
On the first Friday of each month, I have Mass of exposition, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, for the employees, and on these days there are as
many as eighty to one hundred, who receive holy communion.
I could go on at great length, in telling you of the
many good deeds and sacrifices, which my good people
make; how the poor cripples almost crawl to the chapel
to assist at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass; how the blind
lead the blind to be there also, and how most of them
consider it almost a sin to remain away from their
"beads" in the afternoon, which are recited in common
after supper every day of the year.
But I am certain
that on this subject you are well informed, as it has been
told to you by others before.

216

OUR MISSION ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND

These then, are the things which encourage, and stimulate, and lead one on to make greater efforts in behalf
of these poor unfortunates.
In conclusion I wish to say a few words about the new
church which is building here, and which I can assure
you is very urgently needed.
Next Fall we expect to
worship therein, and in making plans for the same, I have
given every consideration to the necessities of the aged,
and infirm. The entrance will be on a level with the sidewalk, so those who use wheel-chairs can easily enter;
this is an impossibility at the present time.
Also
there will be confessionals built in the walls, for the
convenience of the deaf or those nearly so afflicted.
An idea has gone abroad that the Municipality is
erecting this edifice. Such however is not the case. Not
one penny has the City given in connection with the
building of this house of God, and when you realize that
niy congregation is composed of the penniless, the halt,
the lame, and the blind, you can readily see that through
the effort of good, and faithful christian friends, the
church is an accomplished fact, and when completed,
will be free of debt.
I attribute this success wholly to
the earnest prayers of my poor unfortunate charges.
I
assure you they have prayed most earnestly. I sincerely
solicit your prayers also, and of those who may happen
to read these lines, and beg to remain,
Yours in Xto.,
M.A. NOEL, S. J.

~-

.·

OUR FATHERS IN THE DUNGEONS OF
SAN JULIAN

The following is a brief account of the prison life of
the Jesuits confined by Pombal, in the dungeons of San
Julian, Lisbon, at the time of the suppression of the So1
ciety in Portugal. <l
At a recent sale of books in Lisbon, our fathers purchased, among other works, some five or six Mss., one
of which is a narrative of the prison life of the Jesuits
buried by Pombal in the famousdungeonsofSanJulian,
Lisbon.
Written in a quaint, simple style, and intersperced with passages full of quaint humor, the narrative is peculiarly interesting in its description of the efforts made by the fathers, to preserve some semblance
of community life.
During the first two years of their imprisonment, the
strictness and severity with which they were guarded,
prevented any attempt at inter-communication; they did
not even know the numbers or names of their fellow
prisoners; each had his own cell and any attempt to stir
hand or foot outside its precincts, or even to linger near
the door, in the hope of hearing or seeing something of
the outer world, was enough to draw down on one the
rough treatment of the warders. After a time, however,
they began to invent means of communication with one
another, and then began a series of devices which must
have driven the poor jailers to the verge of insanity, as
they found each successive measure to keep the prisoners within bounds failed by the inventive powers of the
Jesuits.
{I)
For this interesting and valuable document, we are indebted to the
writer of'the subjoined note.
I am forwarding a manuscript containing a brief account oftheprison life
of the Jesuits, confined by Pombal, in the dungeons of San Julian, Lisbon.
J came across this document for the first time some years ago, at St. Stanislaus' College, Tullabeg, the present Novitiate of the Irish Province. Since
then I have perused more than one book dealing with the same subject,
but in none of those which I have read, do I find the interesting details contain<>d in the present account. It is owing to the kindness of the Master of
Novices, that I am able to forward it to you. Quite recently, I applied to
him for a copy ofthis document, with a view to getting it into pnnt and
thereby bringing it to the notice of a larger circle of members of the Society.
He had it copied out and sent me on the original. I send it on to
you, in the hope that, if you think it would interest and edify your readers,
you will have it published in the WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
TIMOTHY HALPIN, S. J.

(217)

218

OUR FATHERS IN THE

The first device was the obvious one of writing; they
had no pens and no ink, and bits of wood charred in the
flame of their lamps had to do duty for both; their note
paper was scraps torn from the edges of the leaves of
their books, and their postman, individuals whom our
author calls ''the boys", probably the children of the
jailers.
To the smuggling intrepidity of "the boys"
the fathers are soon indebted for "real pens"; which,
however, at first serve only to create an ardent desire for
ink.
Necessity is the mother of inven~ion, and soon a
beautiful ink is produced, made from the lampblack collected by condensation over the flame of the lamp. But
even this happiness, littleas it was, did not last long.
Some of the notes fell into the hands of the authorities,
who were all the more enraged because, being written
in-cipher, they were unable to read them.
The boys
w._ere subjected to frequent searches and prevented from
ever approaching the cells to receive or pass notes under
the doors, and thus for awhile inter-communication was,
to a great extent, suspended.
While waiting for some
"happy thought" to suggest some other postman, their
chief expedient was to conceal the notes in the cane
handles of the brooms, which were supplied for sweeping
their cells. Sooner or later came the "happy thought",
and happy thought it was.
ThP.re was a cat that eked
out a scanty subsistence on the crumbs that fell from the
Jesuits tables. Notes tied round her neck would be conveyed from one cell to another, for the doors were left
· open during the dinner hour.
In the darkness of these
underground vaults there was not much fear of detection,
but the difficulty was to make sure that the note should
be conveyed to the propet-cell. Edison has never worked harder to perfect his electric inventions than did the
Father, who discovered the latent powers of that cat.
For hours he used to sit in a brown study with his eyes
fixed on poor Puss, who sat at his feet blinking up at
him, in a vain appeal for her dinner.
At last a glad Eureka! breaks the silenceofthe Fatner's
cell; the missing link is discovered, and, like all great
inventions, it is very simple: The cat comes for ,her
dinner and receives a note instead. With this, and without her dinner, she very wisely tries elsewhere. Off she
trots to Fr. Fulano, who looks at the address ofthe note.
If it is not for him, Puss finds no dinner there, and must
apply elsewhere, until at length she hits on the right
· man and gets her dinner.
We are left to imagine the
gradual developement and perfection of the system. She

DUNGEONS OF SAN jULIAN

219

would prohably, in the course of time, have many a note
to carry, and leave before she got her dinner at the last
house of call.
But we are told of the fathers anxiety
when she disappeared for a couple of days, notes and all,
and of their joy at her return with the notes undetected.
At last she disappeared for ever.
We are told nothing
of her fate, but we may hope she died a natural death,
as the imprisonment of the fathers was long enough to
outlive even her nine lives.
·
After the decease of the cat, the prisoners for a time
had recourse to the rather hackneyed expedient of wallrapping. Of course an alphabet had to be agreed upon;
no easy matter where inter-communication was so difficult.
But at last long knocks, short knocks, a succession of knocks and combination of knocks formed a kind
of Morse telegraphic alphabet.
But as the distance between the cells was in many cases very considerable, the
knocking with large stones, had to be pretty loud and
soon led to suspicio11s that the fathers were mining their
way out under the walls.
The consequences were frequent and sudden descents of the authorities, "domiciliary visits", and searches for mining implements.' As for
reasons which we shall see later, it was desirable to sacrifice everything to avoid such visits, wall rapping came
to an untimely end.
Their next device gave them an opportunity of practicing what the nth rule says about "stulti haberi et exestimari", though perhaps not "nulla per eos data occasione". Having constructed little cane whistles or pipes,
probably out of the "above mentioned'' broom-handles,
though our author says nothing,-they substituted sound
for noise.
At first their music gave rise to no graver
suspicion, than that Pombal was succeeding, and that
the jail was fast turning into a lunatic asylum. A little
fault, however, may have grave consequences, impatience
may well be called a little fault in such a prison life,
but it brought the whistles to an end. One Father had
telegraphed, or rather had whistled to another for the
loan of a book.
A jailer consented to convey it to its
destination. Of course he did not do so, and of course
both fathers knew by telegraph of his infidelity. Though
questioned several times by the sender, be always assured him that he had delivered it, thinking that as the two
cells were very far apart, discovery was impossible. One
ay the poor father lost patience, and betrayed his knowedge of the untruth.
Of course the whistles were suspected, and taken up. This time it became known that

~

220

OUR FATHERS IN THE

the fathers had managed to hear some news of the outer
world. Like the pens already mentioned, the few items
of news they heard had been smuggled in by "the boys".
But it cost the prisoners dear.
The strictness of their
confinement was increased considerably.
Up to this,
partly with a view to ventilation, the doors of their cells
were left open during the hour dinner was being served;
from this time forward they were only open for the few
minutes necessary to pass things in or out. This set the
fathers thinking, whether means could not be found to
pick the locks. After a few trials some found that they
possessed a remarkable talent for this line of business.
With no better materials than long nails extracted from
trunks, stones for hammer and anvil, and their lamps
for a furnace, they forged substitutes for keys. Others noticed that one ofthe warders who was very expiditious in
his work,-on the more haste less speed principle-used
to turn the key and take it out so rapidly, that the spring
or latch had not time to fall, and that hence the bolt,
being only half shot, could be easily shoved back.
To
make sure that this would happen always they fastened
with wax, little slips of wood to the latch, and by means
of a string passing thence into the interior of the cell,
they could easily hold up the latch, while the warders
shot the lock.
But the manufacture of keys was by no means all that
was necessary.
To be of use they should be silent and
rapi'd in action.
For there was evidently no venturing out of one's cell, unless in case of a surprise or sudden descent of the warders one could get back again
quickly, lock one's door, and at a moments notice leave
all things as they were.· These two difficulties surmounted, at odd times b"\r-day and oftener still by night,
they could steal out and meet once more, and talk by articulated sounds and not by whistles.
Above all they
could go to confession; this was the greatest happiness
of all. What other uses they made of this hard-earned
liberty, we shall see later.
But over all their joy hung
the shadow of the fear of a surprise. How many an hour
of recreation, or class, or study, was brought to an end
as suddenly as ever the bell in olden times used to bring
them to an end. A rat, or a gust of wind, at the end of
the long dark galleries, was enough to cause the fathers
"leaving the letter unfinished", to make for their cells
at a pace that would have surprised many who knew the
dignified missioners and professors of former days. Some
· relief in this matter soon came from an unexpected

DUNGEONS OF SAN JULIAN

221

quarter-from the cats.
Several of the fathers reared
and kept cats in their cells, and these, like the poor fathers themselves. were glad of an airing.
Experience
soon taught them, however, that the advent of a jailer
was a signal for betaking themselves to their rooms, if
they did not want to be locked out, and thus the "flight
of the cats" came to be the fathers warning that a warder
was approaching. But Puss' velvet paw is noiseless, and
so the warning was of no use at night. A friend to keep
"nix" was soon found, however, or rather made with a
few bones! It was a little dog. He soon came to know
the fathers and a1low them to go their ways unchallenged, but any intruders from abroad, be they janers or be
they not, were received with "a deep mouthed welcome",
that was very welcome indeed to the fathers. But, alas!
poor doggie was no politician of the days of Pombal.
He was suspected of being a "friend of the Jesuits" and
paid the penalty of high treason at the hands of the
jailers.
Meantime, the number of those who were able
to leave their cells, grew daily greater until at last they
were surprised. Many got safely back to their cells, but
some were caught, and the result was a general visitation
of the cells, and the confiscation of all the keys and instruments. Bolts, too, on the outside of the doors were adopted, but it was all in vain. The inventive powers of
the prisoners were being developed by long practice,
and they simply laughed at each new precaution of the
warders, and set to work to see who would be the first
to perfect the next invention.
The next device after
the seizure of the keys, owes its origin to an Englishman. It was a means of so loosening one of the doorposts, that it could be taken out and be returned to its
place silently and at a moment's notice. Many who were
deterred by the consequences of previous detection-we
are not told what they had been-could at least open their
doors for ventilation and even ventured out of their cells
to go to Mass on days of 'General Communion'.
For,
about this time we find them managing to get smuggled
in the necessaries for Mass, and there were little altars
in not a few of the cells.
Mass and Communion, however, were a happiness that brightened only the last few
years of their imprisonment, in which some little comntunication with the outer world was established.
Such then were their efforts to secure some little "libertv in iail'', and opportunities of observing common
life.
The second part of the Mss. is devoted to a description of their mode of Community life.
It was, we

2~2

OUR FATHERS IN THE

are told, in everything possible, such as it had been in
the houses and colleges of the Society.
The hour of
meditation every morning, the two examens and even
Litanies-on the whistles!!-with the fixed hours for
recreation and hours of silence, all was as though the jail
had been a college. Hours of study, too, there were for
those that had books, the others giving themselves to
prayer. "They practiced", says our author, "many and
extraordinary daily penances, in fasting and mortification, seeking to suffer even more in that place where all
the scenes were a continual mortification. For in this
they found much consolation and were always cheerful
and contented by the special mercy of God". With regard to study it is most interesting to see what tl1ey were
able to do in the face of such difficulties. Some devoted
then,Iselves to writing books, others to translating, and
m<!_ny to the study of mathematics, philosophy and Theology.
For these latter, as soon as they succeeced in opening
the doors, they used to have the regular examinations,
so that their years of imprisonment might not be
lost time, if they ever got out again.
These examinations and public acts were conducted with all possible
solemnity and splendor.
One of the cells was cleaned
out and converted into an "aula"; they carried thither
their benches and stools and turned their quilts into curtains, tapestry and carpets.
One of the scholastics of a
more lively disposition, dressed himself up as beadle,
with snow-white wand, as is the custom in the Universities, and solemnly introduced the president, who was
seated in a chair, with the defendant at his feet.
All
was brilliantly illuminateQ..\~ith their little cell lamps.
It was like a comedy, but it was serious enough for the
defendant, whom the objectors did not spare.
Degrees and approbations were conferred on the deserving, in view of possible utility, if they .should ever be free to work again in the colleges. Many devoted
themselves to the study of languages, as there were
amongst the prisoners men of every country in Europe~
They tried, too, to learn the languages of the native barbarious tribes amongst whom many had been missionaries, and thus there were nearly all the "faculties" of a
University in that subterranean college. For although,
to use the words of our author, "their chief study was
·virtue and patience and the art of dying well, yet in so
'many years they managed to acquire nearly all the arts
and sciences". The faculty of medicine was not absent,

DUNGEONS OF SAN JULIAN

223

for there were doctors amongst them, and some good
apothecaries, for instance the famous Fr. John Baptist
Koffler, who for his medical skill was "so esteemed and
loved by the king of Cochin China"
We may fitly conclude in the touching words of our
author:-"And so they lived and hoped for death rather
than liberty, of which they had so little hope; for they
knew the ill will Sebastian Joseph bore them, who held
them there so many years, buried alive without ever
telling them why he kept them in those subterranean
caves.
They were never accused or examined, nor did
the minister even seek to know if they had any account
to give of themselves, or anything to complain of. There
was no one to provide for them, or to intercede for them;
for it was a crime of the first magnitude to speak or urge
any petition in favor of "The Jesuits", and in very deed
it was a matter of much danger.
PHILIPPINE

ISLANDS

1\IISSIO CASTRENSIS

At the close of schools in the middle of March, 1907,
Father Superior, (Father Mir), thought it well that two
American Fathers, should visit the soldiers' post, in
Southern Mindanao.
All the American soldiers are in
the Moro or Southern Province; which, however, intersects Misamis on the North: hence there are important
camps. northwards, between Lake Lamas and the sea.
As I was free two weeks sooner than my companion,
(Father Finegan), I started alone, having telegraphed to
him at Manila that I would wait for him in Zamboanga.
It takes two nights and a day to reach this town, the
steamer touching land only at Overton for an hour or
two on the way On the Be~r:i'ka were six or seven boys
from the Ateneo, in Manila, who came up in the most cordial manner, to kiss my hand and talk.
One of them
was the son of a wealthy Chinese merchant, named Barrios, in Zamboanga. His mother is a Filipina. One of
the first things this handsome little mestizo did on reaching home after visiting the Fathers, was to receive Holy
Communion, he being. a member of Our Lady's Sodality.
Another fellow-passenger was young Mandi, son
of the Rajah, to whom the Moros from Zamboanga to
Daysitan owe allegiance.
The Rajah, who was also
aboard, is to all appearances an ordinary Filipino planter. He pointed out, as we passed, the long, rolling hills

224

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

of his dominion; and spoke of the Subanos, or related
Moros, many of whom, he said, were baptized, but now
unfortunately abandoned. Rajah Mandi's son is a Catholic; and another son, a good-looking little fellow of
fourteen years, who will go to the Ateneo this year, will
soon be baptized.
Zamboanga, the capitol of the Moro province and of
Mindanao, is the most Americanized place I have seen
out of Manila: it is, I believe, relatively, even more
American than Manila. There is American bustle and
activity everywhere. American ''cheek", too; in hard
superciliousness it out-Herods Herod. I had been accustomed to make friends with Americans everywhere
I met them; but Zamboanga was decidedly chilly, notwithstanding its nearness to the equator. After awhile,
however, one found hearts beneath the crust.
I am indilled to think that it is the military element which gives
Zam·boanga its sternness, or insolence.
I was desirous
to make friends; but they were, decidedly, the "hardest''
lot of citizens I had yet encountered.
Individually, I
found the enlisted men good-hearted fellows.
Those
who came to see me and who came to confession gave
me a great deal of pleasure.
Of the kindness of the officers, too much cannot be said: to them, as far as I met
them, I may apply, in all sincerity, the wordfraternal.
The native people of Zamboanga all speak Spanish,
and are naturally Spanish in their ways. They are the
- most cordial of Filipinos: everybody, in the streets, and
on the roads outside the town, salutes the Padre with
reverential affection.
They are extremely good Catholics, too, I had an opportunity of noticing, during
Holy Week, for I had all tl}_e services in the church.
Owing to its central position with regard to the Moro
population, Zamboanga is a strong garrison town.
It
contains at present about 300 soldiers.
Besides these,
the population numbers a thousand Chinamen, a larve
Moro element, and probably three or four thousand Filipinos-Visayans, Tagalos, &c., and their descendants.
My first visit to the soldiers was at the spick-and-span
military hospital. This is in the old Spanish Fort Pilar,
designed, like so many others, by a Jesuit missionary.
The physicians in charge were cordial politeness. The
two American nurses were Catholics, and soon did
their Easter dutv. There were soldiers of various
races and mixed' descent, all quite approachable, as
they are always in the hospital.
Before leaving1 a
young New Yorker of the hospital corps, urged me

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

to see the cook, a soldier, too; because, he said, he
was a very good Catholic. This latter was born in Canada, of a French-Canadian mother, and brought up in
what he called "the old country" by his Irish father.
I next visited the military reservation, which is a continuation of the town.
It resembles a trim New England village.
The wide shaded lawn between the
houses, which is the drilling-ground of the soldiers, is
intersected by the canal, which supplies Zamboanga
with water, brought down by a Jesuit pioneer from the
Tumaga river in the hills. I went to see the colonel in
command of the post, who immediately promised to do
all he could to facilitate my work. Two Irish soldiers,
men advanced in years, accompanied me through the
quarters, in order to see the sergeants and talk with
some of the men.
This was unattractive work.
The
Cassock, Spanish hat, and rosary were an unusual sight,
and, apparently, not very welcome.
I had arranged to
meet the Catholic men after guard-mount, next day-about half-past nine o'clock-in their reading room. The
adjutant had the church call sounded; but only five or
six responded.
Some explained to me afterwards that
they thought this the ordinary church-call of the protestant chaplain.
I visited the rifle-range, about four or
five miles away, where a company was stationed for
practice; but I experienced as little cordiality as before.
There was, however, some consolation. A dozen young
soldiers-Irish, Irish-American, and German-American-came promptly to confession at the church when
they heard I was there.
They were delighted when I
gave them rosaries and scapulars. A number of young
Americans, also-some of them Georgetown College
men- in the employment of the government, approached the Sacraments. A lieutenant of constabulary, who
had been wounded a short time before in the fight at
Tucuran, came in four miles, fasting late in the morning, to receive Holy Communion.
He begged me to
hold a service at the prison on Sunday, because a protestant minister had been going amongst the prisoners.
The Zamboangefios, too, came to confession in crowds,
packed around the confessional in such a way that it
required much good-will to avoid hearing what was
confessed. Mrs. General Bliss, her daughter, the general's aide, and the latter's wife, after witnessing the
procession on Good Friday afternoon, paid a visit to the
Padre Americano.
A few days afterwards, General
Bliss, who is Governor of the Moro province and com-

226

PHILIPPINE iSLANDS

mander of the soldiers in Mindanao, returned from Palaman, and accorded me the favor of a most pleasant interview.
He was much pleased with Father Semmes,
but thought he would be better placed in Zamboanga;
where there is no English·speaking priest, and where
so much good could be done amongst the soldiers and
others. During his conversation, the General said that
he wished the Filipinos to continue in their religion in
which they had been brought up; he desired, he said,
.to show still more if possible than he had done this favour to the Church, and even to subsidise the Catholic
schools if we would guarantee that they would be kept
np to the standard. He proposed a formation of a committee to regulate this important matter, and asked me to
give him the address of our Father Superior, in order to
explain the matter to him. General Bliss will not allow
any 'Aglipayano propaganda throughout his Moro province.
From Zamboanga, I went to Jo16, within six degrees
of the equator. '!'he island of J ol6 has the most hostile
and fanaticall\Ioro population in the Philippines. Here
almost solely, now appear thejuramentados. '!'he dead
body of one was lying in the market on the morning I
got in.
He attempted to kill three American sold•ers
the evening before, and fell himself, pierced by fifteen
or twenty bullets.
His case was a sad one.
He had
been wronged by a Filipino in his dearest and most sacred family relations; and after futile, and probably foolish, appeals for justice, took the matter into his own
hands.
In consequence of the juramentado's appearance, everybody in Jol6 went armed.
I had to go outside the walls in a day or two to bless the graves in the
cemetery; and after passitrg·the American guard at the
gate, my Chinese host, Captain 'l'iana, called two Moro
policemen, who, with gleaming guns-very old-fashioned ones, I believe- accompanied us all the way. Later
on, I had to go out again on a sick-call on my own account; but there seemed to be no danger.
·
'!'he town of Jol6, capitol of the island, is like the republic of Andoma: you can, almost literally, stand in the
middle and breathe over the walls. It is full of American soldiers-drilling in the streets, driving military
wagons, &c.,-unapproachable, except the officers, because, perhaps, they felt they were on hostile ground.
I became acquainted with the orphan son of an Irish
· Captain, whose mother, an Episcopalian, was bringing
him up in his father's faith-little Jimmy N olau, a. real

PiiiLIPPlNE ISLANDS

227

little man and a gentleman. Jimmy volunteered to
come with me to the administration building, in order
to see the colonel. After my experience in Zamboanga,
I was convinced that the mock-modesty would never do
amongst the soldiers; so I marched up through the enlisted men, chatting with my young companion, as if I
had been the intimate friend of the commander-in-chief.
My unconcern was utterly unreal, but it had an excellent effect. I laughingly told a little knot of soldiers,
that I had come to hear their confessions; and immediately one manful young trooper said, that he wanted to
come, and would arrange to bring his companions. He
kept his word.
Here as elsewhere, the officers were
most friendly-ready to do anything possible to help us.
About fifty men and officers came to confession, and
about the same number of Filipinos. During four days
here, I had twenty-two baptisms and eight marriages.
Three couples were half-an-hour late; and my congregation was getting weary of waiting. When they appeared, the poor people knew neither Span.ish nor Visayan;
so I had to do the best I could by means of a rather unaccomplished interperter.
Father Finegan overtook me in Jol6, and we sailed together east through the Celebes Sea to Cotabato-a
long trip. The six miles up the great Pulangi river, or
Rio Grande, were terrible.
The engine of the launch
was six times too big, and the thing shook like an earthquake.
Going back, we were drenched to the skin.
Neither now nor on our return from Davao, did we stay
long in Cotabato; for there were no American soldiers
there.
Davao is two days and a night away.
Except
Zamboango, all the southern towns are miserable little
places enough, with an almost worthless population, a
mixture of various half-Christian and non-Christian
races. The bay of Davao is splendid, and over the coastwise plain rises A po, !0,300 feet. The scenery all along
the south is magnificient; but the country, inhabited by
Moros and others, apparently a desert. Before returning,
the steamer rounded Cape San Agostin, and went up to
:Mati, on the Pacific, a magical little place, where we
said Mass and spent a day.
All the soldiers we had not seen are posted on the
military road which cuts the island (and the 1\:Ioro country) by Lake Lanao, from Mala bang on the south to
Overton, near !ligan, (Cagayan) on the north.
We
reached Parang, south of Mala bang, in a Moro vinta,
from Co~abato. The artistic little thing was so well and ·

228

PHILIPPINE ISLANlJS

so lightly constructed, that when the sail hung idle, the
four rowers advanced almost as quickly as before.
The New York Catholic Colonel Houston made us most
welcome amongst his thousand soldiers at Parang. Here
Father Finegan stayed, while I went on to Malabang to
be able to spend Sunday with the soldiers.
I went in
the vinta.
We had scarcely started out, when a fierce
rain-storm drove us to the shadow of the high shore. My
four llioros set their nipa (palm) roof, and I was cozy
enough for a frugal supper, which I shared with them.
Guzman, the leader, a religious Moro, would not touch
the tinto, or red Spanish wine.
One said his stomach
ached, and showed no scruple. To another Guzman explained that he could take wine travelling.
None of
them would touch the omelet, for it appeared to contain grease.
We sailed out again and advanced slowly
in t]le moonlight.
Many were Guzman's questions, about"the studies required to become a lawyer, a priest, a
bishop: many his explanations of his own religious practices. After a couple of hours, he asked me if I wished
to sleep.
The Moros have the name of being all supremely treacherous; but I could do nothing but trust
them.
However, I proposed to Guzman to draw his
uipa roof over me: it would be a little harder to cut off
my head with one stroke of a bolo. He seemed unwillto do this at first; but there was really no danger whatever, and I felt none. About midnight we got into the
- mouth of the Malabang river, and slept more or less
soundly in the midst of the confused noise of many Moros around us evervwhere in their vintas. At five Guzman accompanied 'me to my lodgings.
I paid him his
six pesos, and the poor fellow kissed my hands in gratitude.
- -·
Malabang has a bad name, and I think it deserves it.
It is, fortunately, a small place; and fortunately, too, a
considerable part of it was burnt recently. There are about three hundred soldiers here; and although I visited
them in their quarters, saw the sergeants, and had the
usual notices read at "retreat", only two soldiers came
to confession, and only one went to Holy Communion.
This latter was a cavalry sergeant, who gave myself and
Sergeant Flynn a rather cautious reception when we
found him in the stables.
Sergeant Flynn, a big stout
man, was good-hearted like his people-at least on one
side. His mother was a protestant, and such h::j.d he
been for some years.
He studied the Catholic religion
on his own initiative and entered the Church; but sad to

229

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

say, married afterwards out of it.
He took a great interest in helping me, and came to Mass; but was not
quite ready for confession.
The road northward from Malabang to Lake Lanao,
bends like a bow, ascending through the wild mountain
country of the hostile Moros.
No one is allowed to
travel it without a military escort.
A special military
wagon, drawn by four mules, was placed at the disposal
of the two Padres.
Another carried a number of visiting officers.
We had five armed cavalrymen-two in
front, one in the middle, and two behind.
As we were
about to start at six in the morning, a troop of cavalry
filed out, and we proceded all day until we came to the
lake. They were on a "practice" march.
One of the
horses died on the way; and our driver, William Moran,
a tall good-looking negro from Texas, with all the
listless twang of the South, accommodated the horseless
rider with a seat beside him.
Ascending ever, we reached Camp Vicar, about two
in the afternoon. The camp overlooks the lake from a
height of three thousand feet; but is itself an almost level upland extending back all around the lake to a superb coronet of hills, within which it forms an empire.
Now we understood why this region became the centre
of the Moro power.
There is a sharp descent to t~e
water.
The upland view is partly lost, and from no
other point did "'e see it as before. The military launch
took about three hours to cross the lake, which is some
sixteen by twenty miles in extent. Marahin (pronounced Marowy), the northward landing place and old camping-ground of the Spaniards, has two companies of soldiers; but half-a-mile above, at the new American camp
Keithly, there are some 700 or Boo men. We were given
the quarters of an absent officer, and we ate in the officers club.
During the three or four days Father Finegan stayed, there were two little expeditions against the
Moros; and perhaps it was the fear of death which
brought fifty men to confession.
I came down (22
miles) to spend the Sunday with the soldiers at Overton
on Iligan Bay.
Major Lockett gave me his own office
to hear confessions in on Saturday evening. About six or
eight soldiers came; and two or three young protestants
took the pledge. The earnestness of the men who came
to confession and Mass made up to some extent for the
smallness of the number,
I baptised the baby of an
English (American) sergeant, married to an Irish wife.
He insisted on giving me five pesos as an offering, and is

- 17

~30

OUR ~MISSIONS IN SYIUA

likely,for stronger reasons than this, to become a Catholic.
At !ligan I found Father Cordova, returning from
missions in Leyte, and together with Father Finegan,
we reached Cayuga by steamer early on the first morn-ing in May.
·n. LYNCH, S. J.

OUR MISSION IN SYRIA

During my travels up and ·down Syria, whether in a
railway carriage, a hack, a native wagon, on horseback,
or on foot, I was invariably overjoyed at the affection
and esteem the Syrian Catholics have for Ours.
This
affection has been in evidence since the days of the old
Society, when the Fathers brought the Maronites so
near to Latin ritual and usage, and welded them into
the strongest of the oriental rites of Syria.
In tlwse
early days, there were many Italian Jesuits in the mission of Syria; and Italian was the European language
that had most vogue in·the Orient.
Hence, it came to
pass, that the Fathers were known as bedrie.
Even today, to the Syrian Catholic,the priest is huri, the religion ralzban, and the Jesuit is always bedrz:
One day, on my way from Ba'albek to the Cedars of
Lebanon, I was scudding across the broad plain of the
Beqa, upon a splendid Arabian steed, an exceptional
mount for a casual traveler in Syria.
My French clerical hat, my soutane cut in French style, my whiskers
cut i.n no style,-all mark~d me out for a bedri; the brand
is unmistakable.
The wayfarers had each and every
one a kindly word of greeting.
They were Maronites
all, the staunchest Catholics in Syria, and the most loyal
devotees of the Society. I shall never forget the heartiness with which one young man looked at my caracoling steed, and warned my mukari ( guide) to care for
me.
Die balak nuns!uin el-bedri!
"Pay heed to the
Father"! Min kull bud! "Bv all means"! came the
hearty answer o( my guide.
it was no compliment to
my rough riding, but gave me deep joy.
The expression die balak means turn your being. It and the word
daharak, meaning your back, are by-words and streetcries in the filthy, narrow, crowded suq (bazar) of Da• ritascus and Beirut. If one hears a shrill call, one knows
the camels are coming, or the asses, or the inevitable

OUR MISSIONS IN SYSIA

23i

Arabic carriers (hammal); and one cuddles up close to
the shops so as to care for back and being. For the camels and the asses and the carriers would seem to have a
right of way in Syria.
The reason of the affection the Syrians have for the
Society is evident to the casual observer,-it is the magnificient results produced by the Fathers.
A Maronite
priest at Carmel asked me if the Jesuits in America
stood so high in esteem as do the Jesuits in Syria. ''In
what esteem"? I asked. "In esteem for sanctity, and
learning, and zeal", he answered; "no body of men
stands so high in such esteem here as do the Jesuits".
This great esteem is occasioned in part by the contrast
with the native clergy, regular and secular. The Lebanon, for instance, is overstocked with native priests,wlJO
average seven or eight to the thousand inhabitants; yet,
the need of Latin missionaries is imperative.
I was in
a town of about s,ooo inhabitants, which had nearly
fifty native priests, and yet depended much upon a nearby Latin monastery for its supply of spiritual life.
In
the town ofJebeib, the Phenician Byblos, I met a clever
young medical student of our Beirut Faculte de Medicine. He was a son of a priest, and sprung from priestly generations which went back into centuries beyond the family reckoning. As an only son, he
had been educated for the priesthood.
He came into
contact with the anti.cJerical ideas that are fast overrunning the Lebanon, and these ideas worked for good in
his life. He gave up the priesthood, and will doubtless
do tnore for the church as a good Catholic doctor, than
he should have done had he followed the family rut and
kept the priesthood in the family traditions. He pnt in
a striking way the contrast I speak of.
"Our own
priests", said he, "possess the very best property in the
land and do almost nothing to educate and help the
people; the Jesuits bring money from Europe into the
land and use all they have to educate and help the
peo;Jle''.
This education of the people is woefully needed. Much
has been done by the missionaries; far. more remains to
be done. Centuries of Arabic and Turkish oppression
have had a disastrous effect upon the religious and scientific up-bringing of the people and the priest. One is simply
dttmbstricken at the ignorance of the latter. One priest
would not believe me that there were any Catholics in
America; another insisted that Bagdad was further away
than the United States; another bad never beard of the

OllR MISSIONS IN SYRIA

States nor America, and asked first if they were in Brazil, then if they were in New York. I gave many simple
lessons to these poor men,-that Germany was inhabited
by neither French nor English; that it was a screw that
made the ship go; that the produce and learning and
wealth of Syria, were really not greater than that of the
States; that there was no need to call down a bishop to
consecrate a chapel which a dog had been too free witha chapel which very likely had never been dedicated at
all, as it was only a room of a tumbled shack. It would
be unwise to mention incidents of ignorance about the
Church, its doctrines and laws.
Such ignorance, of course, is found only in the priests,
who had no seminary training. Formerly the good old
patriarchal way held; a married man was picked out, for
reason of his good repute, or for some other reason, and
was ordained priest of his village.
As St. Paul hints,
sucii··a priest is generally tied to his wife and family and
farm; only free time can go to the university and to
study.
In a town of fifty Catholics and some three
hundred Mussulmen, I found a seminary-trained priest,
a monk of the Syrian order of St. Ephrem, a most zealous little man of priestly learning and worth; his assistant was a secular priest of the old sort, a good man in
the family way, proud of his wife and children, to each
of whom I was expected to give bahshislz.
Said I to
the monk, "what is it he does''? and I pointed to the sec- ular priest. There was a shrug of the shoulders, a semitic gesture of despair that meant a world of thought,
and an answer I can never forget: Mejawas! "He's
married"! That was enough!
The majority of the native-priests now go through a
seminary course; though it•"is a saddening truth that
some of the oriental bishops still ordain untrained men.
I have met some young priests whose preparation for
the priesthood consisted of three months study with a
P.riest ?f the villag~, s~ as to l~arn ~o read Syriac lett~rs,
(in whtch the Arabtc hturgy ts pnnted), and to recetve
the traditions about the liturgy of the rite.
When the priesthood is in such a condition, what
must one expect of the laity? Well, in the first place,
the laity is simple and devoted to the faith; that faith
has been strengthened by centuries of opposition and
oppression.
Indeed, I have left Syria with a high esteem for the strong faith of its simple people.
One of
the lay professors of Beirut, a fine old Maronite, who
·ta~ght me spoken Arabic, said to me one day, "Fat~er

OUR MISSIONS IN SYRIA

233

the people have kept the faith better than the priesthood".
The statement is a paradox, but is brimful of
thought. Still, strong though the faith be in the people,
one finds tl1eir ignorance almost as extravagant as that
of an old woman, who is said to have recited the beads
daily in honor of Pontius Pilate, because his name was
in the creed, and to have asked through him a happy
wedded life; her wedded life was that of cats and dogs.
The protestants of the United States have taken advantage of this ignorance of the people to pervert the
Syrians.
An enormous influence for protestantism is
the Syrian Protestant College of Beirut, commonly called the American College. Last year it had more than
8oo students. The doctors of its medical faculty are
chiefly ministers and are among the best physicians of
the city.
The American touristsalways visit the college.
The American Consul-General is identified with
it by what is called the American Consul's Medal, and
by his presiding at the commencements of the college.
Great sums of money come every year from the States
to this college and to the other American protestant
schools in Syria. These different schools are generally
the best buildings in the town, and provide a good elementary education at the price of loss of faith.
JESUIT SCHOOLS IN SYRIA

To counteract this baneful, widespread and financed
protestant influence, the Jesuits have worked, without
great finances, but with great hearts and strong wills, to
establish a system of elementary schools.
Before the
troubles that have fallen upon the Church in France,
Jesuit schools were in almost every Syrian village that
could muster a hundred children.
The Americans no
longer had the field to themselves. The Jesuits tracked
them like bloodhounds; and were restless and relentless
in scenting their game and bagging it.
Wherever the
protestants started a "school for scandal", there the J esuits put up a school for Christ; wherever the strong wall
of Catholic faith was attacked by the wealth and education offered by proselytizers, there that wall was defended by Catholic education.
A presbyterian missionary
was once asked, if he was going to build a school in a
certain town of the Lebanon.
"Two schools"! he answered. "Yes? How is that?" "Oh, I'll put up one
for myself, and, within a week or two, the Jesuits will
be at work with another".

234

OUR

MISSIO.~.VS

IN SYRIA

Naturally enough these protestant ministers have no
special love for Jesuits.
On my way to Beirut from
Marseilles, I was placed at table near an English missionary (just graduated from U. of P. School of Medicine), who together with his Quaker City wife, was destined to heal the ills of body, if not of soul, in Arabia.
At the outset they were most cordial, as all Americans
and most English were to me en voyage; but soon they
learned I was a Jesuit. Things changed. The young
man had already done missionary work several years in
Syria; and, though not at all averse to hobnobbing with
an English secular priest, who later on was my classmate in Beirut, deemed it wiser to keep aloof from the
Jesuit.
The great pity is that the Fathers can now no longer
maintain their extensive school system. Far less money
cqmes from France than formerly was received. Moreover,
native priests used to teach in the schools and received
from the mission stipend-intentions. It is not now allowed to give European stipends to the priests of tl1e
Oriental rites.
One is saddened on every side to find
that this lack of funds has led to the closing of twothirds of the Jesuit schools.
The Superior of our residence at Hoems, a town of about two thousand inhabitants, told me that some years ago he had forty schools
in his district; he can now support only eleven.
The
good work of our Fathers is clear in Hoems. They have
made more than five hundred converts from schism, to
say nothing of several Moslems brought over to Christ
every year. Opposed to this efficient work of the Society is the American hospital. A small Jesuit infirmary
The
receives a limited number-of very sick Catholics.
Americans give first-class hospital treatment at no cost
to Catholics,-no cost at all, save the loss of the pearl
of great price.
Whether it be blindness or bigotry or
both, that hide the truth from the protestants, one cannot safely say.
That truth is, in Syria, as elsewhere,
that protestant proselytism strangles the dying faith in
many a struggling soul; makes not converts but hangers-on, who go the minister's way so far as it is the way
to wealth and no farther.
The conversion of the Moslems is a tremendous task.
· The devil has no greater help than Mohammed's laws.
The men of Islam are hemmed in by ignorance, hatred
of the christian, and lust. They are brought up on the
• Koran, which is the he-all and end-all of learning for the
bulk of the people. Those that are graduated from the

OUR llfiSSIONS IN SYRIA

235

Koran, generally keep up the form of Islam but are
atheists at heart. The hatred of the Moslem for Christ
and the faith of the christian can be realized only by
contact therewith.
The men are gradually coming
round to distinguish between a christian and his faith; ,
they will talk in friendly wise with a foreigner, but the
talk must not come near to religion.
The women are
out of reach entirely of the priest. They are chattels of
their husbands, and are watched with suspicious, revengful and licentious jealousy. Some hope for the conversion of the women rests in the schools of the Sisters.
Moslem girls are being more and more entrusted to the
religious, whose refining influence makes for a girl's
worth. But every Moslem girl is doomed to some man's
harem; the more refined and courteous and educated she
is, the more difficult it is for the poor child to escape
the inevitable lot of being a lustful man's plaything.
Every man is allowed four wives by law; whether the
rich go beyond the limit of the letter of the law, no man
can say. The harem is a sacred precinct; the law ofthe
owner is the only law that enters in; and that law may
be the law of lust or the law of whim, if the owner of
the harem be minded to follow lust or whim.
The result of this free fling of lust is that Moslem women are
not enough to meet the demands of men in a large city.
A priest told me that in one year, by the influence of
his consul, he had saved fifty christian girls who had
been got into Moslem harems by threats and gifts.
It
is not to be wondered at, that Moslems cannot safely stay
in their native towns and turn Catholic; they must migrate, at least to some other part of Turkey, and begin
life anew; otherwise life is not worth counting on.
THE

MARIAMETTES

A powerful influence for good among Moslem children, and a most important factor in the Jesuit schoolsystem of Syria is a native religious sisterhood, the Congregation of the Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
commonly called the Mariamettes.
This congregation
was founded by the French Fathers.
The Congregation of the Propaganda has arrang-ed that temporarily the
] esuit Superior of the Mission of Syria be the Superior
of the congregation.
The Superior of our residence at
Ghazir, a brother of Fr. Mattern of the New. Orleans
Province, gives spiritual direction and conferences to the
novices and younger sisters.
The teaching sisters are

:!36

OtJR MISSlOf\"S IN SYRIA

grouped according to districts and are cared for spiritually by the priest who has the schools of that district
in charge. The system works out with most consoling
results. It would be suicidal of the Jesuit school-system
in Syria to turn these poor sisters back upon their own
resources.
God's glory would be less enhanced, if the
Fathers had not these well formed.-native sisters to bear
a burden that no one else could be got to bear. In time
the Society will not be so identified with the congregation. But it will be long before the simple Syrian folk
call the sisters by the French uame Mariamette, or by
the long name Religious of the Immaculate Hearts of
Jesus and Mary. The Orientals coin short names, that
mean much and stay long. They still speak of theJ esuit
College in Smyrna. I found it was a Lazarist College
that was ours before the suppression.
In like manner,
whether we like it or no, they will call the Mariamettes
ET-Iasn'ayat,-a name which unfortunately means the
J esuitesses.
The girls who enter the congregation are all native
Syrians, mostly Maronites in rite.
By entrance they
become Latins, a fact of which they are very proud.
The novitiate is pretty much like that of the Society.
All the girls learn to cook and to do housework.
Irrespective of family and education, they are taught the
most menial work. Before they go out to teach, they
receive a good education in their own language.
Dur- ing all these years of training, they are under the spiritual guidance of a Jesuit.
As might naturally be supposed, the results of this training and. direction of Ours
are splendid. I was never so favorably impressed by the
outward deportment of sist~rs, as when I came into contact with the Mariamettes.- ··Their unobtrusive piety,
their natural simplicity, their entire freedom from exaggerated formalities and affected appearances, their hard
work and solid humility left upon me an impression I
shall not readily forget.
I met them in many Syrian
towns and always found the same magnificient zeal displayed by them.
They live for the most part in little
communities of two or three. The Superioress I generally found to be not only chief sister and teacher, but·
chief cook and housekeeper besides.
All the sisters
teach and all do housework.
The mission supplies
twenty francs a month for each sister, and builds or
hires the school; other support than this is yet difficult
to get.
The Syrians are very poor; their land is down
trodden and wasted.
Manufactories, Syria has none

OUR MISSIONS IN SYRIA

237

worth the name. Yet with this poor living, these hardworking sisters are most effectually blocking protestant
proselytism from entering in.
Many over flourishing
American schools are almost without pupils. In Ba'albek, the most substantial building is the protestant
school, which last year had only six pupils, of whom
none were christian; there were two Moslems and four
Metwali.
Several years ago the sisters came to Ba'albek; and gradually began to win not only Catholics, but
also schismatics from the protestant school.
An intervention of divine Providence helped on their good work.
A little schismatic girl wished to go to the sisters, but
could not obtain leave of her parents. One day ·a sister
imprudently may be, but openly met the little girl on
her way to school and wheedled her away to the Catholic school.
The protestant principal, a native pervert,-an American, as to my intense disgust I often
heard the Syrians call his sort,-·came to the sister's
school in great dudgeon, struck the poor sister a blow
with his fist and took away the little girl.
In a very
short time the principal's son was taken ill. As the boy
grew worse his mother begged her husband to go to the
sister and ask her pardon. He could submit to no such
humiliation. The boy died. The mother urged again,
but availed nought; and, lo, a second son of the principal was stricken down.
The man stood stubborn
against his wife's entreaties, until his second son was
near to death, and then begged the sister's pardon. His
boy came back to health and lives to-day. I have spoken
with the sister in question.
There is no doubt about
the facts of the case.
These sisters formerly spoke Arabic.
The novices
and students sisters now learn French; and this language will gradually be introduced into the elementary
schools. The teaching of French (or some such modern
language) is made necessary by the times.
The introduction of European languages into the l ebanon is much
to be regretted.
In Beirut, it would be difficult to obtain any books of clean French literature or devotion;
but one would not have far to seek for the latest antl
rankest atheistical and pornographic French literature,
nor for the veriest "reek of the rotten fens" from Parisian cafis.
The French government subsidises alike
the soeur de charite and the danseuse; they both
help to spread the French language and influence
in the Orient.
When I found sisters and priests
travelling at thegovernment's expense on the Medi-

OUR MISSIONS IN SYRIA

terranean, I thought the thing paradoxical; later I saw
there was deep purpose in the paradox.
One evening,
while in the dining room of second class, I overheard
some actresses explaining that they received third class
passage by courtesy of government, or second class accommodations by courtesy of the commi'ssaire, or purser.
That they were actresses and of a low type was
evident; they had no secrets, and voices that were loud.
It is a very great pity that French learning and
literature are bringing into the Lebanon, French freemasonry and filth; though in far, far less degree than
French devotedness and Catholicity.
One might suggest that the Catholics teach no French
in Syria. They would in this wise lose what hold they
have on the Syrians.
They must take things as they
are, if they take them at all; and things as they are demand
of the Syrian a knowledge of one or more of the three
leadi!J.g European languages-French, English and German. The betterment of economical conditions in Syria
depends largely upon money that comes from nations
that speak one of these three languages. Arabic is too
hard for foreigners to learn; and Syrians readily learn
foreign languages.
Moreover Arabic linguistic conditions are as chaotic as Grecian, and more so; the literary
Arabic is as dead as Ionic or Doric; journalistic Arabic,
as journalistic Greek, strives to reach back to the pure
language; spoken Arabic is still in the throes of labor
to produce a stable and generally accepted form.
This
- linguistic chaos, together with the difficulty of literary
Arabic, is part explanation for the Syrian's preference
to learn French or English, rather than classice Arabic,
and for the increasing vogue.to oust the language ofthe
masses from the salons of the classes.
So there's the
rub.
'Tis a pity, but we must teach French in Syria,
otherwise the American Presbyterians and German
Lutherans will have a clear field and we shall not be in
the action at all.
WALTER 1\I. DRUM 1 S.

J.

NEGRO MISSIONS IN MARYLAND

The Jesuit Fathers have been indentified with missionary work in Maryland from the earliest times, beginning indeed with the first Mass by Father Andrew White
on St. Clement's (now Blackistone) Island, in the lower
Potomac, St. Mary's County.
It was there that the
Ark and Dove first touched, March 25, 1634, though the
colony was planted farther down at St. Mary's City, on
the river of the same name.
Beyond the spiritual care of the settlers, the Fathers
went about among the Indians along the Potomac and
into the interior of the State, devoting to them their labors at the very time when the brethern of the Order
were shedding their blood for the Gospel among the
more warlike tribes of New York and Canada.
, With the migration of the Indian and the advent of
slave colonies, the task of the missionary was hardly
lightened.
In the lower counties the majority of the
masters and landlords remained Catholics; their slaves
almost all followed them into the Church; but the process of Christianizing the negroes was slow and tedious.
Time and patient toil have borne their fruit, however,so
that to-day probably four-fifths of the negroes of St.
Mary's County are Catholics.
In Charles anci Prince
George's counties, where the Jesuit Fathers still have
flourishing missions, the proportion is nearly as great.
"Befo' de wah", as they say, matters were simplified
by the fact that the slaves were concentrated in their
own quarters on the large estates and plantations. Tl:e
missionary, on the occasion of his periodical visits, would
assemble all at Mass and instruction.
His labors were
ably supplemented by the zealous catechi:?ing done by
the lady of the manor and her daughters.
In this way
the slaves were taught their prayers and prepared for
the sacraments; and tradition says that many of those devout and unlettered folk were readier with both prayers
and catechism than is the average child of to-day, with
the superior advantages of modern school education.
At evening the slaves were usually assembled with
the master's family for "loud" prayers (i.e., prayers in
common), and where the mission church was conveni239

NEGRO Af/SS/ONS

ently situated, they were sent in large detachments by
land or water to assist at Mass on the Sundays and holy
days.
One may still see evidences of the religious training
given to the slaves before the war.
The custom of a
whole family going to "early church", or going "fasting" (synonyms for going to Communion) is sometimes
carefully kept up by former slaves or their descendants.
Every Sunday one sees at Mass old men and women
above the three-score-and ten limit, who have walked,or
rather hobbled, through miles of wood and swamp to
''come near to de Lawd".
For no reason will they miss their Easter or even
their Christian duty, as they still believe that such failure would put them out of their church.
During the Paschal season, the priest learns of the
existence, in some remote corner, of many poor old cripples~ who are too infirm to come to church through the
year, but who are sure to send for "the Father" to bring
them their Easter Communion.
The simplicity and vividness of their faith when be
approaches is certainly worthy of a better age, but it is
still the product of the same blessed faith, ever fresh and
always rejuvenating the souls that it possesses.
Once
on Ascension Day the writer was called to anoint one of
these old timers.
She had lost all fear of death, and
when the sacred rites were ended she breathed a loud
- and fervent prayer to be taken to heaven on the day
when the Lord Himself ascended thither.
Her prayer
was not answered, but when her hour did come, her ascension could not have been long delayed.
Blindness or partial paral}:!;is may come to aggravate
the hardships of the poverty-stricken lives of these old
negroes, but these ills only serve, in most cases, to make
their patience and resignation to God's Will the more
A
beautiful by contrast-like the lilly in the marsh.
general term for their pains and ailments is "misery";
but beyond this their only worry is "wid de chaps"-i.e.,
the grandchildren who are too often aiiowed to grow up
wild and careless, and wanting in respect for old age.
The "mammies" of slavery times were famous characters, but their ranks are thinning fast.
Rarely will
one now find the type that sits in her log cabin by the oldfashioned open fireplace, smoking her pipe and tending
the big iron kettle that swings by a chain from above.
Fewer still are the patriarchs of anti-beilum days; for
war, hardship and exposure have mowed them down.

iN MAR YLANlJ

241

Even the good old names, Silas, Sambo and Pompey,
are dying out.
The old men were sometimes given
nick-names that were not pleasant or complimentary. A
few months ago, one of them, who had been an expert
fisherman, died suddenly, and the report went abroad
that "The Devil" had dropped dead. This reached the
ears of a precocius four-year-old, who promptly renounced the resolution which bad been forced upon him by
his mother-not to swear!
Before the sixties, the slaves did not always have surnames, and we find such curious entries as the following
in the church records: "Jim and Jinny, servants of
X--, were united in marriage, with 'Becky' and Mrs.
X - - as witnesses".
Gradually both slaves and freemen adopted the names of their masters, and that is why
we find negro families bearing the names of the oldest
settlers and pioneers. Strangely enough, distinctly Celtic names like Collins, Nolan, Kelly, Corcoran, Kilgore,
Mahoney, etc., are held by negroes; while their original
owners disappeared with the war of 1862, or shortly after
that troublous period.
Emancipation made the labors of the missionary more
difficult, for it broke up the slave colonies and settlements and scattered the freemen about the country.
Some of these went to the cities and were, for the most.
part, lost to the Church. Those who remained generally
continued in the employ of their former masters, and
after a time rented farms as tenants.
The next step was to buy pieces of woodland and
clear it for their own purposes. To-day one finds these
small holdings everywhere, and not unfrequently even
large tracts with dwellings that rival those of the wl1ite
man-all the property of some thrifty negro farmer.
Along the rivers and tributaries during the oyster season the negroes join their white neighbors in dredging
and tonging, or they man their own oyster boats. This
employment is quite lucrative, bringing the oysterman
florn five to ten dollars a dav when the season is at its
height.
·
The majority of the race, however, keep to the more
congenial horne employments on farm and timber tract.
There is a growing tendency to be free and independent of the whites, and some will suffer almost destitution rather than work or permit their children to work
for them.
It is proper to state that this race antipathy
is not at all so marked in Catholic congregations, where
the whites regard their one-time serfs as fellow-sons of

NEGiW MISSIONS

the Church Catholic, and where the black man kneeling at the same communion-rail beside his white fellowCatholic, feels and knows that he is not merely tolerated there, but welcomed.
Where city influence or some rare and isolated act of
intolerance on the part of the whites has not irritated
the colored Catholics, they are docile and helpful to
their white neighbors, and willingly undertake the
menial work at church festivals and suppers.
To the
priest they are as a class most submissive and reverential, willing to be guided and ruled by him. Whatever
be their preference elsewhere, it is certain that in lower
Maryland they would have none but white priests, and
would look on a change as reflecting somehow upon
themselves.
Possibly this attitude might alter with
changing times and circumstances.
Some reference was made in the course of this article
, to -the proportion of Catholics in the total negro population. Compared with the entire population, the negroes
in St. Mary's County, where the writer is stationed,
number about two-fifths, or very nearly one-half. This
proportion varies but little in Charles and Prince George
counties.
In the mission of Charles County there is a peculiar
race called "We Sorts", who are classed as colored, but
who claim to be of Indian origin.
They associate together and inter-marry only with those of their own
race.
Their complexion is very light, and it is not unlikely that they are descendants of whites and Indians.
Their name is derived from their protest against being
classed as negroes-"We sort don't go with you sort!"
As they will not go to the.colored schools and will not
be admitted to the white sclfools, they unfortunately remain very ignorant.
In their homes and habits and
manner of dress they closely resemble the white population.
A few settlements are entirely colored, and these are
almost wholly Catholic, except where colonists from
Virginia and the more protestant counties farther north
and west predominate. Holy Family Church in Prince
George County is in charge of the colored people, and
only a very small number of whites attend it.
At St.
Nicholas', in St. Mary's County, and one or two other
churches elsewhere, the colored people are in the major·itv, while St. Peter Claver's, in the same county, is a
· distinctively colored congregation, the only one in
Southern Maryland.

iN MARYLAND

243

The organization of this last parish is almost complete, with sodalities, societies, choir for High Mass, etc.
It is a convincing proof that the Catholic Church is
truly the church of the colored man.
Connected with
the parish is a full brass band, formed and trained several years ago by one of the Fathers.
Regularly the
band turns out to discourse national music on the great
holidays like Decoration and Independence Day, and
more solemn music at church festivals and large funerals. Fortunately or unfortunately, the separate church
system there prevailing has had a tendency to divide
the color line more clearly; but it has had the advantage
of giving freer scope to the religious inclinations of the
parishioners.
Nearly every parish under the care of the Jesuit Fathers has its sodalities and confraternities for the colored Catholics, except where membership in the same is
not restricted to the whites. In the districts dependent
on Leonardtown there are three colored mutual benefit
societies, two of them almost entirely Catholic.
They
are in a flourishing condition, owning separate halls,
and paying out considerable sick and death benefits for
the relief of the suffering and the destitute.
This is a
feature for which the colored people deserve much credit, and goes to remove the charge of thriftlessness that
has long stood against the race.
These societies take formal charge of the funerals of
their deceased members, and make a semi-military display as they march to the church with banner and drum,
and file in with their striking uniforms.
They take a
' prominent part also in the church festivals, which are a
peculiar institution in these localities.
As a rule, with perhaps but one exception in the
three counties named, the colored people hold these festivals apart from the white parishioners, and every negro
is sure to be there, no matter how long and dusty the
roads, nor how.busy the season of harvesting and haymaking.
Poor people! they have few amusements, and it is a
blessing to have these festivals under the auspices of
their Church.
With parties and oyster suppers in the
winter months, the summer festivals serve somewhat to
keep them together and away from the camp and gospel
meetings of the sects.
The cockle will ever co-exist
with the wheat, and error sometimes spreads on the occasions of the camp meetings, which appeal to the colored man's love of demonstration and religious enthusiasm,

A SUGGEST/oN

Against the existing forces of Protestantism, the immigration from non-Catholic Virginia, the vices imported from the large cities, and the natural weaknesses of
the race, the grand old Church holds her own bravely
and steadfastly.
As is clear, this is not a missionary field in the same
sense as elsewhere farther south, or even in a large city
like Philadelphia, where Catholics do not number one
per cent. of the colored population.
Give the colored
people in missions like Maryland a share of priestly attention, show them sympathy, organize them and sati:sfy their love of music, ritual, and fervent preaching,
and you will not only hold them and their children, but
reclaim little by little those of the race who are claimed
by the sects.
May the Lord of the harvest hasten the day when the
good seed may spread and grow and bring forth fruit
a lfundred-fold across the Potomac in fair Virginia, and
in the vast fields southward to the Gulf.
L. J. KELLY1 S. J.

A SUGGESTION TO OUR TEACHERS
REv. AND DEAR FATHER:

P. C.
There are now in the United States, twenty-seven colleges of the Society.
If fhe teaching staff in each of
them numbers only ten, this will give us a regiment of
two hundred and seventy teachers. Probably there are
about four hundred.
We all had the same religious
training, we all work and toil for the same supernatural and natural end, and practically all of us consider
their present occupation their life work.
Now, in our days, and not least in this country, the
people practicing the same profession almost regularly
have some paper of their own, some magazine devoted
to their peculiar interests, to discuss the questions,
methods and problems of their calling.
, There are periodicals for the doctors and lawyers, for
·the coopers and brewers, and for the sportsman. Could
there not be a periodical for the Jesuit teachers?
It

TO OUR TEACIIEkS

245

would doubtless help very much to foster an esprit-decorps among us, and attach us more and more to an occupation which, in the long run, has little natural attraction.
Who are to be writers for it?
I should think there
are at least some who ought to let us poorer mortals
share in the store of knowledge, theoretical and practical, which they have laid up by study, experience,
success and ill-luck.
Nay, there is not one, humbly as
he thinks of himself, who could not once or twice a year
contribute a widow's mite towards the instruction of
others.
If even a blind hen finds a grain of corn now
and then, how much more must a Jesuit, whom his superiors think fit to guide the education of others, be
ready and able to say or write something by which his
equals might be benefited.
The articles for the periodical need not necessarily be
of that highly theoretical nature, like so many in our
educational monthlies.
The title "School Notes", or "School Briefs" would
approximately express the kind of contributions our
periodical ought chiefly to contain.
One teacher might, for instance, treat of the various
ways of starting Greek. Should you first take very
simple, easy words, consisting almost exclusively of letters that are more or less similar to the Latin, thus
giving the impression that Greek is not so hard after
all; or should you take the bull by the horns, by writing
the entire series of strange looking letters on the blackboard, and mercilessly demanding that it be recited on
each of the next five days.
Another might tell us how he succeeded in rousing
his class to enthusiasm for English composition, or lww
he brought home to his boys the ablative absolute, what
he did to enliven his lessons in Caesar, how he made his
boys "crazy" for Xenophon, or what tricks he used to
get extra work out of the geniuses, who are not sufficiently occupied by the ordinary tasks.
Indeed, every detail in the whole range of high school
and college instruction, might be made the subject of a
larger or shorter article.
The following list, however,
partly suggested by the indexes of some periodicals,
will serve to show more clearly the nature of the publication this letter has in view.
I. Outline of a history lesson on the first part of the
Hannibalian war.
18

A sUGGESTiON

Should we start Latin with the declension or with
the indicative present of the first conjugation.
3· How could Latin be made to assist English spelling?
4· Would an English reader be preferable to the
school-editions of separate English classics?
5· How should the Greek accents be treated?
6. What difficulties will a student find in the Latin
numerals?
7: Should Anglo-Saxon be taught in high-schools?
8. Explanation of the "Village Blacksmith".
9· Which sections of Ovid should be read?
IO.
Connection between history and English composition.
II. The Greek optative: how to introduce it.
I2. A class excursion.
I3:' The drawing of maps as a help to the study of
history.
I4. Equality of triangles: Sketch of a lesson m
Geometry.
IS. Extract of the school laws of the several states.
I6. How many chapters of the Anabasis ought to be
read, and which should be selected?
I7. Which poems should be known by every educated
American?
IS. Suggestions for the learning of vocables.
I9. Sketch of a Virgil lesson.
20. Preparation of an essay on the crusades:
Sketch
of several lessons.
21.
Plan of the first lessons in Greek history.
22. How to prevent copying in written examination.
23. Advantages and disadvantages of frequent written
examinations.
-- .24· What can we do to teach practical love for the
language and prayers of the Church?
These are some subjects. There must of course be a
book department to discuss books and other publications.-The periodical might become a depository of
most useful remarks on the fitness and unfitness of
books for our students.
Many of the ever important books of the old Society,
which cannot be published in book form, might be reprinted serially in this periodical.
Would not the yearly vacation course in Keyser
Island be a fruitful source of suggestions for it, and at
. the same time be most usefully supplemented by it?
2.

TO OUR TEACHERS

241

How often should the paper appear? In the beginning, perhaps, not oftener than three times a year. We
can easily fill, three times a year, some fifty or sixty
pages with interesting reading.
The money necessary for such a publication, not. a
great amount, could probably be obtained by a mutual
arrangement between the Rectors and Prefects of studies
of the various colleges in America.
Now, Reverend Father, this is an idea which I have
cherished for many yt::ars.
The scholastics of Stonyhurst issue, among themselves, a hand-written monthly.
I know that the theologians of the German province do
the same in their scholasticate at Valkenburg.
There
ought not to be less push in us Americans.

THE ORIGIN OF THE SOCIETY AND
ST. JOSEPH

About mid-lent of the year 1539 the celebrated deliberations of St. Ignatius and his companions began in
Rome. The account of these consultations has been
providentially preserved during three centuries and a
half, and may be found printed in the magnificent copy
of the Constitutions which was published at Madrid
1892. Our first Fathers, according to the vow they had
made, had offered themselves to the Sovereign Pontiff
to labor in whatever part of the world he might judge
best for the good of souls. The offer was accepted and
the time of parting was near at hand.
It was necessary then for them to come to some conclusion regarding their manner of life. God had called
them together and had blessed their work. Was it expedient for them to strengthen and confirm the union
by forming one body so that no distance of place, however great, would separate those whom God had united?
Or was it inexpedient to do so? This was the question
proposed at their first meeting, "prima nocte qua convenimus," as the document mentioned above puts it.
And an immediate answer to the question was imperative. For "behold," continues the document, "the
Sovereign Pontiff isjust now sending two of us to Siena; should we look after them or they after us, . . . .
or should we perhaps have no more care of them than

248

ST. jOSEPJ/

of those who are outside the Society. Finally we settled the question in the affirmative, viz. ; that, whereas
the most loving and kind Lord had deigned to unite
and call us together, weak though we are and differing
so much in nationality and customs, we should not dissolve, but rather confirm and strengthen the union and
association God himself had brought about.
Here then we have the first formal agreement of St.
Ignatius and his companions to unite themselves into a
religious corporate body, the proximate and urgent occasion being the Sienese mission. Polancus writing in
St. Ignatius' name to Father Palmius on July 29, 1553,
gives a little account of the origin of the Society. He
says that Our Holy Father with those he had gathered
around him in Paris did not pass over to Italy to form
a Religion (a religious Order) but to go on to Jerusalem,
to !?reach and die there among the infidels. Not being
able"to carry out this design they were constrained to
remain in Italy ; and as the Pope began to use them in
the service of God and the Apostolic See they then deliberated about forming a corporate union, which was
at once confirmed by the Sovereign Pontiffs Paul and
Julius.*
This is the genuine history of the origin of the Soci~
.
The document entrusting the Sienese mission to Father Paschasius Broet and companion may be found
- among the Monumenta Historica in the volume entitled:
Epistolre PP. Paschasii Broetii, Claudii Jaii, Joannis Codnrii et Simonis Rodericii. p. 201. It was signed by
Cardinal Caraffa and runs in part as follows:
"Venerable Sir, and dear_ly beloved in Christ, health.
"We make known to yoii -that to-day the Most Holy
Father in Christ, Our Lord, the Lord Paul III, by divine
Providence Pope, after our secret consistory enjoined on
us by a viva voce oracle to order yon in the name of
His Holiness and in virtue of holy obedience to betake
yourself personally to Siena, with th.at one of your
companions who in your judgment should be chosen, as
soon as yon conveniently can on receipt of these presents." The special work of this mi'ision, as we learn
from the document, was the reform of the BenediCline
Nuns of the Monastery of Sts. Prosper and Agnes. In
compliance with the mandate of His Holiness the Cardinal then gives the order. He bids them to remain in

* Monumenta Ignatiana:
259·

Epistola: et Instructiones Sti. Ignatii vol. v. p.

AND THE SOCIETY

249

Siena until further instruelions are transmitted to them.,
They are to engage in the business of the reform with
the permission of the Ordinary.
This document closes with the following:
"Given at the apostolic palace ... on the 19th day of
March 1539 in the fifth year of the Pontificate of
our Most Holy Lord, the Lord Paul.
John Peter, Cardinal of Saint Sixtus. Signed with
my own hand."
In Vicenza towards the end of the year 1537, St. Ignatius and his companions took for the first time the
name, Society of Jesus.
Our Blessed Lady was closely conneeled with the
great events of St. Ignatius' conversion ; and it was on
the Feast of her Assumption that the first vows were
made at Montmartre.
And the first apostolic mission, which was also the
proximate occasion of the great resolve to found a religious order, was entrusted to the Society on the Feast
of St. Joseph, the Foster Father of Jesus, the Spouse of
Our Blessed Lady. What wonder then is it that the
Society from its inception should have been especially
devoted to the great Patriarch, seeing that he was so intimately conneded with its very origin!

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS
The Hz"story of the Society of Jesus in North A medea. By
REv. T. HuGHES, s. J. Documents V. I, P. I. Burrows
Brothers Co., Cleveland; Longmans Green & Co., New
York.
This volume of documents which Father Hughes now
gives the public, is perhaps more remarkable than the narrative which has already appeared. It is quite an exceptional thing for an author to hand over to you all the documents upon which history is based, especially as he does
not toss them in a heap and let you flounder through them.
He arranges them in their logical order for your convenience,
and instead of being a worry it is a delight to go through
them. He does more than that. He gives you a digest of
each as he goes along, and ·helps you out by marginal indications of what the subject matter is. Looking at the facsimile of one of these papers, one cannot help feeling something like amazement at the amount of labor required to
decipher and arrange all those old manuscripts in English,
French, Latin and Italian, and then to classify them and
supply them with indexes of various kinds, both at the
side of the document itself and at the beginning of the
chapter. We know of no historical work where so much
.consideration is shown for the readers, so much scrupulous
concern in the search for truth, and so much solicitude in
providing for future historical research.
A large space is given, in the present invoice of documents, to the famous contention with Archbishop Marechal,
which Gilmary Shea had thought proper to consign to oblivion as far as it was possible.. Of course Shea had not come
into possession of all that .F~ther Hughes has since laid
hands on, and besides, considerable time has elapsed since
Shea has been called to his reward. As all the parties concerned in the controversy have long since passed away, and
as it was necessary that the character of a religious body
which had been badly aspersed should be vindicated, it was
thought that the present occasion was the proper one. As
most of the letters are " decorously draped in the garb of a
foreign language,'' the scandalum pusillorum will have been
avoided.
It will be for most people a surprise to learn that Archbishop Marechal desired to have Fenwick appointed to the
See of New York, as successor to Connolly, whose VicarGeneral he had been. It was not only out of regard for
:Fenwick's eminent qualities, but also to prevent him being
(250)

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

251

spoiled by the Jesuits with whom he lived in Maryland.
Marechal's appreciations of his antagonists are very amussing. So also are his claims over Religious Communities.
He fancied he could send this and that Jesuit where he
pleased, even have him expelled from the Society. Perhaps
the most astonishing document in this present volume is
that which shows the Archbishop's attitude to Bishop Lartigue, the first bishop of Montreal, suggesting that it would
be advisable for him not to live in the city itself but on
the other side of the St. Lawrence. Lartigue was a. Sulpitian, and yet Marechal, who was a Sulpitian, did not think
that the Sulpitians of Montreal should come to the new
bishop's assistance in any way; not only in yielding him a
church but in letting him live in the precincts of the city.
It is wonderful how the Lord provides for His flock in spite
of the shortcomings of His servants.- The Messenger, May
I908.

The Literary Digest of April 4, 1908, has the following
appreciation of Father Hughes' great work on the History
of the Society of Jesus in North America.
"Although this work has reached us in two actual volumes they are intended to comprise merely volume I, the
second of these volumes forming solely an appendix to the
first, in which is contained the history of the Order from the
first colonization until 1645. The first volume oft he work befon! us is, therefore, merely the first part of the volume. Properly the portion of American history therein included belongs to
the English historian of the Society of Jesus, for during a
century and a half of Jesuit work in the British Colonies of
North America the missionaries and their various organizations pertained to that unit of Jesuit government known as
the English province. Nevertheless Father Hughes is only
doing justice to his great subject when he refers the Jesuit
work on this continent to a place in American history.
"The history of the Jesuits in the northern regions of
America has been related with brilliant eloquence and sympathy by Francis Parkman. He has portrayed in vivid
language the courage, devotion, and religious enthusiasm of
the Jesuit missionaries and martyrs. But he treated only of
French Jesuits and did not touch on the Spanish or English
members of the order. His work looked at fr0m the most
favorable standpoint is merely a series of fascinating literary
sketches.
"Father Hughes has approached his subject in a very
different spirit. He is a historian in the modern sense of
the term, and as the requirements of modern research call
for the fullest nse of documents, his present second volume
or second part of the first volume, is taken up entirely with a
documentary excursus. This excursus is a most valuable epitome of Catholic Church history, and indeed shows the

252

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

beginning of that vast religious organization which has
spread throughout the United States. Much of such material will, however, be of interest only to the scientific historian or to the ecclesiastical lawyer and canonist. Here
are copiously illustrated questions touching not only property but also ecclesiastical jurisdiction, bishops and regulars,
trusteeism lay and ecclesiastical, relations of the Church
with the Government, etc. The documents are accompanied with an elucidating comment."

We Preach ·Christ Crucified. Considerations and MeditaHons for Boys. By HERBERT LucAs, s. J. London and
Edinburgh, Sands and Company. St. Louis, Mo. B. Herder, 17 South Broadway, 1908. Price $1.00 net.
This volume of 328 pages contains 40 short and crisp addresses delivered either in the Boys' Chapel or in St. Peter's,
Stonyhurst. Ours are familiar with the two excellent volumes by the same author, In the Morning of Life and "At
the Parting of the Ways." This last work, " We Preach
Chn·s.t Cruc{fied,'' is intended as a companion or sequel to the
two preceding volumes. Father Lucas modestly says in
his very brief preface, ''it is hoped that like its predecessors,
it may prove useful to others besides schoolboys." We are
certain it will ; one has but to go over the titles of the addresses to see how well suited the subjects are to young and
old, religious and lay people. That our readers may be
tempted to inquire for themselves we mention a few titles at
random : Christian Courage; Generosity in Work; Generosi~Y itt Endurance; Faitlz, Trust, and Thankfulness; The
Bread qf the Wayfarer; Love of God. Such subjects as
_ these, though treated in this work in a manner, especially
taking with boys, are none the less full of meat for all classes. Father Lucas has done his work well. His earlier
volumes have been suggestive and helpful to those who have
to preach to boys and give retr~ats, but this last, we venture
to think, will prove even more-so.
The addresses, never dull, are models of brevity, clearness, and solid, practical, every day piety. Even the more
difficult and abstract doctrines and principles of our faith
are made intelligible and clear to the youthful mind by
many an apt illustration. We wish this volume and its
predecessors an ever increasing circulation.
The CharaEle1isti'cs and the Religion of Modern Socialism.
By REv. ]OHN J. MING, s. J. Benziger Bros., New York,
Cincinnati, Chicago, 1908. Price $r.so.
Socialism may be called the question of the hour. It engrosses public attention and many questions have arisen
concerning its real nature and tendency. It is not the purpose of Father Ming in the present volume to investigate all
these questions. As he tells us in his preface " the economic side of socialism, such as the nature of a capitalist pro-

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

253

dudion, surplus-value, wage-system, and class struggle,
does not enter the subject matter treated in the present
work." Its exact object is clearly set forth in the Introduction.
"An examination of socialist teaching concerning God
and religion, thorough and critical, but unprejudiced and
for the sole purpose of establishing the truth, is the object
of the following chapters."
"There are two questions involved in our problem which
need a solution.
1.
What is understood by modern socialism as distinct
from previous phases of the socialist movement?
2.
What is the attitude of modern socialism toward religion? Does it admit the existence of a personal deity, or
is it atheistic and materialistic? If materialistic, is it opposed or indifferent to religion in general and to Christianity in particular?"
To solve these questions the work consists of two parts
of which the first treats of the characteristics of modern socialism, the second of its religion.
Epistolte Prtepositorum Gmtralium ad Patrcs d Fratres Societatis Jesu. Tomus IV complectens epistolas ab anno 1844
ad annum 1905 datas. Accedit Index ad quatuor tomos duplex, quorum prior exhibet summarium omnium epistolarum, alter ordine alphabetico res omnes in epistolis contentas recenset. 500 pp. 8•.
In 1847 the Belgian Province published the Latin text of
the principal encyclical letters of the Generals of the Society. (2 vol. s•.)
In 1883 there appeared a third volume containing the letters of Fathers Roothaan and Beckx, addressed to the whole
Society, from 1848 to 1883.
.
The same Province has now completed this series by the
publication of a fourth volume, mentioned above. This
volume contains the letters of Father Anderledy and Martin. There is an excellent index at the end of this volume
giving an analytical resume of all the letters in the four
volumes ; another index, an alphabetical one, also at the
end of volume IV, gives a list of all the important topics
treated of in the letters, thus making reference to all the
volumes useful and easy.
Volumes I and II. are out of print; but they will be reprinted if a sufficient number if copies is subscribed for.
Volume III can still be obtained. The price of each volume (about 500 pages) is 5 francs. Address: Rev. A.
Coemans, s. J. Rue Royale 165, Brussels, Belgium.
We subjoin the approbation of Very Rev. Father General
Wernz given to volume IV.
Approbatio A. R. P. N, Generalis FRANC. XAV. WERNZ
Quartum hoc volumen quod prtecipuas Pnepositorum
Generalium compleClitur Epistolas ad Patres et Fratres Socie-

254

BOOKS OF INTEREST TO OURS

sea

tatis jesu post annum r883 missas, non solum probamus,
efiam Nostris omnibus, prcesertim Supen"on"bus, InslruEloribus terti"te probationis, Magistn"s Noviciorum, Prte.feElis
Spin"tus et Consulton"bus valde commmdamus; nee possumus
quin Provincite Belgi"cte cttram atque industn"am eiusmodi Bpistolas co!Ngendi ac recttdendi magnopere laudemus.
Romte, d. Io OElobris I907.
FRANCISCUS XAVERIUS WERNZ
Prcep. Gm. Soc. Jesu.
Nouveaux Essais Pedagogiques. The Province of Belgium
has resumed the publication of the "Essais Pedagogiques"
which bad been discontinued for a number of years. One
volume of the new issue bas been completed in :reriodical
installments, and the second volume is appearing in the
same way. Every teacher will be glad to get a sight of
this work. It is eminently and immediately praClical, written by teachers and for teachers and especially adopted for
use 'in our class rooms. The first volume contains sco
pages comprising more than 6o articles written by 33 different authors. The variety and suggesth·eness of the papers
are truly admirable. Every class in our course and nearly
every subject we teach, is touched upon helpfully. Latin,
Greek, French, Flemish, Mathematics, History, Grammar,
Elocution, Class Management, Examinations, Contests,
everything, in a word, that falls within the scope of a teacher, receives practical and illum.inating treatment. There
are some few articles dealing with the theory of education,
and they are markerl by an enlightened conservatiEm. It
need not be said that the traditional methods of the Society
are held in high esteem and receive fresh and clear handling.
- Teachers will be fortunate if they can lay their hands on a
book so helpful for immediate use in the class-room.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. - Observatorio Astronomico de
Cartuja, Granada, Eclipse de 1905. Theories sur le Magnestisme Terrestre, (extrait au-· Cosmos, des s. 12, 19, 26
Octobre, 1907. Etienne Merveille, s. J. Observatoire de
1' Ebre, Tortosa, Espagne. Status Missionis N ankinensis Societatis Jesu, anno 1907-1908. Zi-ka-Wei. Stonyhurst
College Observatory, Results of Meteorological and Magnetical Observations, 1907. With Report and Notes of the
Director, Rev. W. Sidgreaves, s. J., F. R. A. S.
Bericbten ; Catholic Standard of British Guiana ; Le
Messager du Coeur de Jesus; Chine, Ceylan, Madagascar;
Relations D'Orient: Missions Belges; Oeuvres de la Mission du Kiang-Nan; Zambesi Mission Record; Australian
Messenger; Messenger; Messenger of the Sacred Heart
(American); Messenger of the Sacred Heart (English);
Letters and Notices; Report and Prize List of St. Aloysius
~allege, Mangalore; Tl1e North Point Annual ; Stony hurst
Magazine ; Holy Cross Purple; Revista Catolica ; Catholic
Herald (India).

OBITUARY
FATHER FRANCIS

I. PRELATO.

In the death of Father Francis Ignatius Prelato on Tuesday evening, August 27th, 1907, within one month of the
golden jubilee of his priesthood, San Francisco lost him
who was justly styled its apostle. Born on the 6th of October, 1829, in Savona, the sea-port town of Liguria, whence
St. Francis Xavier sailed for India, the child was named
after the great saint, whose Apostolic Jesuit life he was later
to imitate. Of his early years, little has been preserved to
us. We know, however, that he received all his education
from Ours.
In his fifteenth year he entered the Society. After his
novitiate he devoted one year to the study of rhetoric, and
then taught grammar in the college of St. Theresa, until
the Revolution of 1848, causing the dismemberment of the
community, forced him to seek refuge in France. He was
nineteen at the time, young, vigorous and very sensitive.
But though his heart was tender, it was strong, too, with
the strength of a hero; and while the persecution wounded
his gentleness, it but served to strengthen his constancy.
For three years he pursued his course of Philosophy, partly
at Toulouse, partly at Vals. After this we again find him
in Italy teaching at Caglieri for five years until 1856. Thence
he went over to England and studied Theology for two years.
Ordained a priest he set out for America in the year 1858.
Arriving on the coast, he was sent to Santa Clara, where he
was variously employed as Minister, Consultor, Admonitor,
Operarius, Director of Boys' Sodality and Chaplain. As
teacher and prefeCt, Father Prelato combined kindness with
severity, the qualities of the ideal Jesuit educator. The
boys' welfare was his only thought. Hence he spared himself no work that might further their interests. He was
ever planning something to please them, and many are the
old Santa Clara students, who remember the frequent picnics ably managed and superintended by him. In the yard
his name was "Mother" Prelato, a fad that speaks volumes
for the qualities of his heart. Whenever he went among
his beloved boys they hailed his approach with sincere
pleasure and attentively listened to his well·told stories-the
method he used to convey his instruCtions.
In 1866, he was called to San Francisco where he labored
for a year as Operarius and teacher of Spanish. Then he
returned as Assistant Treasurer and Operarius to Santa
Clara for another year.
(255)

256

FATHER FRANCIS 1. PRELATO

The remainder of his life, a little over thirty-nine years,
was spent at St. Ignatius. He was college chaplain for
thirty-three years, during the first seven of which he was
also Prefect of Discipline, and the next thirteen Treasurer.
He taught classics for a while and modern languages. On
Augusts. 1888, he was appointed to take care of the Presidio, the military reserve along the north and west shores of
the bay. In 18go, an additional status of Catechist in the
Church was given him. And another in 1893, when he was
· made Spiritual Instructor of the students. In 1900, we find
him again as Admonitor. Fr. Prelato was a true Jesuit
priest in all that constitutes that sacred state. Simple as a
child, of an equable temper he walked with God through
life spreading everywhere the good odor of Christ. His
life was a constant exhortation to virtue. Hence to know
him was to esteem him. To natural gifts of mind and constitution, which enabled him to labor incessantly, he added
the vit:tues of St. Francis Assisi, in whose city the greater
part !>f his ministry was spent. He was gentle, unselfish,
energetic and zealous with a zeal of infinite resource.
His life as a religious was one of devotion to duty, prompt
obedience, a great love of poverty and community life. So
great was the scrupulous regard for the success of his prayer, that, even during his last illness, he would not allow
anything to be placsd upon his prie-dieu, saying gently,
that it was reserved for a holy purpose. He was a thoroughly humble man. His trust in her miraculous medals and in
her rosary, evidenced his tender love of the Blessed Virgin.
By day and by night Father Prelato toiled on his round
of duties. He went to the poor in their homes and with
-his presence came resignation, contentment and peace.
With permission of his superiors, he collected old clothes
and distributed them to the needy with the delicate tad of
true charity. The capacious pockets of his outercoat were
always supplied with medals and other pious articles, which
children appreciate. These he~sbared with the little ones he
met on his daily rounds. He would ask each : " My child,
can you make the sign of the Cross?" If the attempt were
a failure, an opportunity to instruct was afforded him.
When the holy sign had been duly made, he would give as
a reward one of The Blessed Mother's medals. He gloried
in the privilege of attending the sick. He begged the porter to notify him whenever a night sick call came. His
wish was granted, and in consequenee almost every night,
until old age began to claim him, was one of broken rest.
Fr. Prelato was known far and wide for his marvelous
memory which was clear to the end. His splendid system
of taking notes helped him very much in the care of the
sick. He could give the day and date of the deaths of hundreds. Each year he sent cards reminding the children of
the anniversary of a parents' death. This he did continual-

PA THER FRANCiS f. PRELA TO

257

ly, bidding all not forget their dead, no matter how long
since departed. Each evening found him ready with a story
for the boys in the sacristy before going to the altar to recite
the beads and instruCt in the catechism his numerous au-·
dience. No one was more reliable than he for remembering
just when each novena should begin. These he always
gave.
After leaving the altar he proceeded to one of the parlors
to prepare for first communion the waifs, whose acquaintance he had made during the day. These classes grew, and
frequently throughout the year the great Lord came to give
Himself for the first time to his homeless negleCted ones.
Could such care go unrequieted? No wonder, then, that he
was looked upon as the father of the poor. Then medals
would be given as mementoes. These preserved their owners from many evils, so that even Protestants begged for
them. As a confessor he was .much sought after. His
ready knowledge of French, Spanish and Italian enabled
him to administer to a great number.
In his unceasing toil among the poor many asked for immediate pecuniary aid. With his implicit confidence in St.
Joseph, he would promise to send some at once, and strange,
yet trt1thful to relate, the money was frequently presented to
him from totally unknown and unsuspeCted sources. On
this account he was held in high repute for sanCtity. Numbers went to him instead of the doCtor asking him to bless
and cure them.
But it was especially at the Presidio where the remarkable
period of his city life was spent. For seventeen long years
he toiled for his boys-the soldiers. He planned and beautified the little chapel and placed it under the patronage of
St. Sebastian, the martyred Roldier. On every feast of the
year it was tastefully decorated. Each Christmas was made
vivid by a beautiful new crib. The good old man made
these at the college, took them apart and set them up again
in his own chapel. Those who have seen them, marvel how
things so rich in design could spring from such poverty of
material. No two were alike, which shows the versatility of
his genius.
On Saturday evenings, after supper, he went to the dining
room to prepare his morrow's meal. With the small pittance of a bottle of milk and a piece of bread he started out
early every Sunday morning for his post. He said two
Masses, the first at nine o'clock, the second at eleven. He
heard confessions before the Masses, conduCted a Sunday
school between them and preached at each. After visiting
and other regular parish work, he returned home sometime
after two o'clock, with praCtically nothing to eat that morning. Then he would go to one of the convents for afternoon vespers, return for supper, say the beads in the church
and again sing vespers, and give BenediCtion.
·

FATHER FRANCIS i. PRELATO

During the week he visited the hospital at the Presidio to
console the men, for whom he loved to labor. It was in the
wards, both at the Presidio and elsewhere, that he reaped
· an abundant harvest of souls. In his own inimitable way
he approached the sick or dying person and asked: "Would
you like to be a Catholic?'' After a few words his genial
sanctity had won the conquest over doubt or prejudice, and
he offered to the divine shepherd another of his sheep just
found. No one could refuse his ministry. Soldiers, who in
the rough ways of the camp, had ceased to lead a practical
Catholic life, were invariably recalled to their duty by the
friend of the " Boys" and sent from a bed of pain to a life
of happiness in heaven.
His life to us, his brethren, was a constant source of edification and an incentive to nobler efforts of zeal and enthusiasm in the service of God. His spirit was too broad, his
charity too sincere to trifle with the shortcomings of others.
Hence no one ever heard him speak an unkind word of his
neighbor. He was all readiness for whatever was asked of
him. "This showed itself even at the entertainments for
which he always wrote some appropriate poem in rhyming
verse. He had great facility in making verses.
Laboriously his life ran on till the earthquake and fire.
The distress of the thousands of his children, the loss of his
notes, poems and his life's pen-work were, we can easily imagine, too great a shock for him. For he broke down after
the crisis and lay helpless for two days in the scene of his
own labors-sick in the common hospital at the Presidio.
He rallied, but was a changed man. On December 30, of
the same year, he was released from the care of the Presidio.
- In the course of the next three months he sank gradually,
seldom going out and then only for a short time. In the
beginning of July death gave sure signs of its coming.
Palpitation of the heart made it impossible for him to use a
bed. During the last six week_s of his life, therefore, he was
confined to a chair. Daily papers kept the people informed
of his state. Ours were asked his condition by all
kinds of persons even by free-masons. Forbidden to meditate, he had recourse to the rosary merely muttering the
words. With the gratitude that was a very noticeable trait
of his character, he rewarded every visit paid him with three
Hail Marys. If the visitor were a priest the old patriarch
asked to be blessed. He would have no extra dishes, con~
tenting himself with the common meals to the end. Whenever an impatient word escaped him, whilst suffering. he
immediately begged pardon. It was his wish that if during
any night there was danger of his dying, the nurse should
not disturb any old Father but call one of the younger men.
Superior army officers called to see him and were admitted
to the room and invariably exclaimed : " Oh how much we
miss you at the Presidio !''

FA'riiEJ? HENRY VAN RENSSELAER

259

Shortly before the Father died Arch bishop Riordan, whose
confessor he was, called and asked to see him. He said he
wished to be the last whose confession Fr. Prelato would
hear. Entering the room he knelt on the floor at the side
of the sick man's chair and confessed. This over he remained in his company for a considerable time, and called
again in the afternoon.
As the end drew nearer, continual watching became necessary. Each moment was expected to be the last. Still his
robust constitution fought back death. He told those about
him, and asked them to tell others, what he wished whispered
into his ear when the end would come. At times he would
cry out and beg Our Lord, with the simplicity of a tired
child, to call him home.
On the twenty-seventh of August he was in a comatose
condition all morning. Seated in his chair, with a number
of his sorrowing brethren around him, he was an exact copy
of the saint in the picture opposite him on the wall-Blessed
Realino. A little after mid-day he murmured a prayer.
Again he relapsed into coma out of which he never came.
Sitting perfectly still from half past two, his cold, colorless
hands upon his knees, his head on his breast he slowly sank ..
The heart, weakening perceptibly, beat fainter each moment
until it stopped entirely and allowed the captive soul fly to
its Maker to present to Him the good works and continued
charities of an apostle's life among the sick, the poor and
the orphans.
Telegrams and letters of condolence poured in. The
trend of them all was the same-a feeling of sadness and
great depression. But the grief of the poor was most touching. In hovel and shack they deplored the loss of a real
father.
The funeral was very impressive. At the Mass the whole
church wept audibly. In the words of the those who knew
him well: "Heaven had gained a saint, earth lost one."R. I. P.

FATHER HENRY VAN RENSSELAER.

The funeral of the Rev. Henry Van Renssalaer, s. J., who
died on Thursday morning, Oct. 3, in St. Vincent's Hospital, N. Y. city, took place on Saturday morning, Oct. s, from
St. Francis Xavier's church, West Sixteenth street. Fully
3,000 people attended the requiem Mass, every seat and
even the side aisles of the church being filled. Outside
were many who were unable to gain admittance.
The Xavier Club, of which Father Van Rensselaer was
the founder, was represented by nearly the entire membership. There were also present delegations from. the New

260

FRTHER HENRY VAN RENSSELAER

York Chapter, K. of C.; the A. 0. H., the firemen, policemen and letter-carriers.
The celebrant of the Mass was the Very Rev. J. F. Hanselman, s. J., Provincial of the New York-Maryland
Province. His Grace Archbishop Farley presided on a
throne, assisted by the Right Rev. Monsignor J. F. Mooney,
v. G., and the Right Rev. Monsignor John Edwards, v. G.,
as deacons of honor. The other Monsignori present were
the Right Rev. Monsignor Michael J. Lavelle, v. G. ; the
Right Rev. Monsignor James H. McGean, the Right Rev.
Monsignor John F. Kearney, the Very Rev. Monsignor Edward McKenna and the Very Rev. Monsignor W. Murphy.
Among the priests were some of the most prominent secular
pastors in the city and also members of the Paulists, Dominicans, Redemptorists, Capuchins, Carmelites and Assumptionists.
The final absolution at the close of the Mass was performed by the Archbishop. The burial was in the Jesuit
plot it~ the Fordham University grounds.
Henry Van Rensselaer was born at Ogdensburgh, on the
bank of the St. Lawrence, October 21, rSsr. His mother
was Elizabeth Ray King, daughter of John A. King, twice
Governor of New York State, and granddaughter of Rufus
King. His father, Henry Van Rensselaer, was the son of
the Patroon Stephen Van Rensselaer and Cornelia Paterson,
He was educated at West Point, but resigned from the army
on his marriage in 1833. and having received from his father
a large tract of land on the St. Lawrence, he made his home
for more than twenty years at Woodford, a beautiful country seat near Ogdensburgh. Actuated by the same strong
-sense of duty which was so remarkable in his son and namesake, when the Civil War broke out, in 186r, Mr. Van Rensselaer at once offered his services to his country and was appointed aide to General Scott. ·when that veteran commander retired, Col. Van Re11!iselaer was made inspector
general with the brevet rank oT brigadier general and served
with the armies of the Potomac and later on, in the West,
where he contracted typhoid fever in the discharge of duty
and died in a hotel in Cincinnati.
The family were Episcopalians and extremely pious, so
that Henry, from his infancy, was taught to know and love
the God to Whose service he was later to consecrate himself. From his mother, to whom he was tenderly devoted,
he inherited that love for the poor, which was the keynote
of his priestly career. Never would she allow a poor person
to be turned from her door, and at Ogdensburgh, after more
than half a century, her name is still held in benediction.
In the fall of r8ss. the family moved to New York for the
winter, but one month after they left Woodford the bouse
was struck by lightning and completely destroyed, so they
never returned there. Henry was educated at the Charlier
Institute and entered Columbia College in 1867, but as his

FAt"HlZR HENRY VAN RENSSELAER

261

family had met with financial reverses, he did not remain to
graduate, but took a clerk's position in the Bank of Commerce, in 1869.
In 1872, he decided to study for the Protestant Episcopal
ministry and spent three years at the Seminary in West
Twentieth Street, going from there to Oxford to attend
special courses of lectures by distinguished professors-Liddon, King and others.
In December, r8]6, he was ordained deacon by Bishop
Horatio Potter in Trinity Chapel. He and an intimate
friend and fdlow student were sent to the parish of Holy
Innocents, Hoboken, and later on, to the House of Prayer
at Newark.
During this time God called him to the Church. Father
Merrick, s. J., who had followed his career and offered many
a Mass for his conversion, knew that as a ritualist, the
stumbling block was the Papal supremacy, so he sent to him
through his old nurse, Allies' See of Peter, which he
promised to read and which opened his eyes to the claims of
Rome. He held back when on Trinity Sunday he was to
be advanced to the priesthood and in the summer of 1877
went abroad with the same friend, now the Rev. Francis P.
Mackael, pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Midland, Md., who
had shared his studies and his convictions, and in September
they and his sister were received into the Church in Paris
by Mgr. Rogerson.
In May, Mr. Van Rensselaer returned to America, having
first received the tonsure from Cardinal McCluskey, who
was visiting Paris and who, with his secretary, Fr. Farley,
returned to New York on the same steamer. There were
also on board three Jesuits going from Rome to the Rocky
Mountains. One of them had been in charge of the Roman
Observatory, and Fr. Van Rensselaer was much impressed
with the humility which could give up an honorable position for the hardships of a missionary's life. They were
even travelling second class. He often visited and talked
with them, and this chance meeting turned his thoughts to
the Sons of St. Ignatius.
He made a retreat at Manresa during the summer and
after :t visit to Lourdes, entered the Novitiate at Roehampton, England, on November I, 1878. After pronouncing
his vows in rRSo, he returned to the United States, as a
member of the Maryland-New York Province, to make the
usual course of philosophical and theological studies of the
Order. These were interrupted for three years, which he
spent teaching in Loyola College, Baltimore, and in St.
John's College, Fordham. Ordained priest in the summer
of r887, he spent the following years in reviewing his
theology and preparing for the ministry. He was then appointed assistant pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier, a charge he retained until his death, with the exception

- 19

FATHER NEIL N. MckiNNON

of one year spent at Frederick, Maryland, and four years he
spent as assistant editor of the Messenger. His zeal was so
many-sided and incessant that volumes could be written
without exhausting the story of it.-R. I. P.
FATHER NEIL N. McKINNON.
At St. Ignatius Church, New York, Father Neil N.
McKinnon died piously iu the Lord, Oct. 9, 1907.
For fourteen years he was pastor at St. Ignatius' Church,
and it is no exaggeration to say that for patience and gentleness and kindness of heart to all with whom he had to do
Father McKinnon realized to a striking degree, in his life
and ministry, the ideal of a true pastor left us by the great
Shepherd of Souls-Christ Himself.
Since the day of his death many have been the testimonies to his charity, zeal and forbearance-to quote all is impossible, to quote one or two useless, as they would convey
no idea of the widespread esteem and love in which he was
held. His tall, gaunt figure and striking appearance were
well known throughout the city and marked him apart in
any gathering.
During his years as pastor at Eighty-fourth street he gave
substantial proof not only of his kindness of heart and prudenc(: as an advisor. but also of his ability as an organizer.
Under his guidance, the handsome new church on Park
avenue was built, and the Loyola School on Eighty-third
street owes to him, as well its inception as its present grati~ fying success. The new parochial school on Eighty-fourth
street, now rapidly nearing completion, is the latest monument to his zeal and industry.
While his popularity and widespread esteem were due, in
great part, to his natural endow.ments, the fact that he spent
most of his years as a priest in. the vicinity of New York
City, and in positions that brougnt him in close contact with
Catholics and non-Catholics, contributed not a little to his
being well known.
The chief events in Father McKinnon's life of sixty-five
years were the following : He was born at Grand River,
Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1842, and was the sole
survivor of a family of three brothers, all as tall as himself.
He studied for the priesthood in the seminary at Montreal
and was ordained a deacon. Changing his plans, he entered
the Society of Jesus in 1868. He made his studies in philosophy and theology at Woodstock, Md., and was ordained
there in 1873. Since then his field of activity included St.
Francis Xavier's Parish in Sixteenth street, Fordham College, St. Peter's Church and College, Jersey City, and finally
St. Ignatius', where he made his longest stay. In 1901 he
was appointed Consultor of the Province.

FATHER NEIL N. McKINNON

263

During the last two years of his life, because of failing
health, Father McKinnon withdrew somewhat from parochial ministrations, but his kindness of heart and gentleness
of manner to all who sought his help remained unimpaired
to the end. Last winter he suffered a severe attack of heart
trouble, which confined him to his room for months and almost proved his undoing. He never spoke of himself or his
ailments, but it was apparent to all that his late illness had
left his health seriously shattered. On the first of October
he was taken ill again, this time with an attack of acute
urcemia, which, joined to the poor condition of his heart,
brought on the end.
Father McKinnon was ready to go. His life had been a
supernatural one-a life of true self-obliteration, and, therefore, a very good preparation for death. Besides, a few days
before he was taken with his last illness, he made a general
confession of his whole life, and at his death-bed Father
Hanselman-the Provincial-and all the Fathers of St.
Ignatius' were present to join in the prayers for the dying.
His funeral was a magnificent tribute of affection andrespect from his numerous friends. His Grace, Archbishop
Farley, said the Low Mass and gave the last Absolution;
priests from many parishes crowded the Sanctuary to its utmost, while the church was filled to overflowing long before
the Mass of Requiem began. His remains were taken to
Fordham Cemetery, whither many friends followed to witness the last rites over his grave.
The late Bishop of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,
the Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Mcintyre, was, in his declining years
very anxious about the appointment of a successor. For
this purpose, he went to Rome, and explained to the Propaganda his reasons for the final settlement of the matter.
That there might be no difficulty in procuring the desired
successor, his Lordship of Charlottetown, in company with
Monsignor Kirby, the President of the Irish College at
Rome, paid a visit to Father General, then residing at Piesole, and after explaining to him the object of his mission,
begged that his Paternity would permit Father McKinnon
to accept the mitre cum jure succession£s in the See of Charlottetown. Father General, while sympathising with the
Bishop, replied that the Society was in need of such men
as Father McKinnon, and he deemed it a duty to retain
him in it.
On the Sunday following the day of his funeral, affectionate tributes of respect and love were paid his memory by
the Fathers at all the Masses and at Vespers, the burden of
their prayers being that he may now find mercy, who, while
on earth, was so kind and merciful to all.-R. I. P.

FATHER THOMAS FREEMAN
FATHER THOMAS FREEMAN

The Rev. Thomas J. A. Freeman was born in Nova Scotia, April sth, 1841, and died at Fordham, October 14th,
1907. His early life was a struggle with hardship and poverty, and in his boyhood he worked on a coasting schooner
which ran down from Nova Scotia to New England. The
family finally settled in Rhode Island, where he received
his elementary schooling. \Vhen well on in young manhood he studied in the Sulpitian College of Montreal,
and finally entered the seminary, where he met the future
Bishop Tierney, and between them an affectionate friendship began which lasted throughout life. It was the bishop
who read the prayers over the coffin as it was lowered into
the grave at Fordham.
In 1866 he entered the Novitiate at Sault-au-Recollet, outside of Montreal. With him there were Frs. Guldner, Kenney, McKinnon, Campbell, Casey, and Drummond. He did
not go..to the Juniorate, which was at that time in Quebec,
but was sent as Procurator to St. Francis Xavier's in New
York. Later on it was the intention of Superiors to devote
him to scientific studies, and he therefore followed for a year
the course of the School of Mines of Columbia, which was
then at Forty-ninth Street and Fourth Avenue, and afterwards spent some years at Fordham teaching chemistry.
He studied philosophy at Woodstock and his amiable peculiarities, which were supposed to be typically American,
made him a great favorite with the community, and recollections of him remained there for many years. While
..studying theology at Louvain he assisted Fr. Renard in
making microscopical examinations of the dredgings of the
" Challenger." In fact, it is said he did most of the work
which won distinction for Fr. Renard, and subsequently
an appointment as Curator in the Royal Museum at Brussels.
Unfortunately, his honors and 'Qer:haps his incomplete training in theology helped Renard out of the Society.
Fr. Freeman made his tertianship in Frederick under Fr.
Colle de Vita, and after that resumed his college work. His
occupation was unchanged through his whole life in the Society. Physics and chemistry, sometimes both, sometimes
only one, in St. Francis Xavier's, Fordham, Boston, Baltimore, and Woodstock always occupied his attention. Beyond the usual summer retreats to communities he had no
ministry. Exception must be made, however, in the matter
of the Deaf Mutes,· of whom be was the most devoted
friend, winning from them a deep and enduring affection by
his spiritual care for t~em for many years. The Sisters in
charge of the institution at Throggs Neck were amazed that
such a distinguished man as the Fordham professor should
concern himself with such a worldly thing as laying out a
field, and organizing what was probably the first deaf-mute

FATHER THOMAS FREEMAN

265

baseball club in the country. Later on in New York he and
Fr. Van Rensselaer instituted the Deaf-Mute Union in St.
Francis Xavier's-a work whose spiritual results are incalculable.
It is to be regretted that Fr. Freeman did not employ to a
larger extent than he did the remarkable ability he possessed
as a writer on scientific subjects. For some years he furnished the Scientific Chronicle for the Catholic Quarterly,
with the result of almost immediately doubling the circulation of that publication. The former Archbishop of New
Orleans, Mgr. Jansens, used to say that it was impossible
not to read with delight his contributions and not to understand the remarkably lucid explanations of scientific topics
which for the uninitiated are generally so repellent.
For the last few years of his life Fr. Freeman was an invalid. Though unaware of it, he was afflicted with cancer
of the stomach. He was operated on to get at the root of
the trouble, or rather on examination the surgeons found it
impossible to do anything. They simply stitched up the
wound and left him under the impression that something
had been done to relieve him. He continued to say Mass
until a few weeks of his death, and then his old friend, Fr.
Campbell, usually brought him Holy Communion. He was
a man of absolute sincerity and simplicity of purpose, a patient and constant toiler at his task until the end, concerning himself very little with the outside world, and seeing
few but the most intimate friends ; strict in his interpretations of poverty and living always very much within its requirements; never seeking exceptions, and showing in
everything connected with his habits of life a scrupulous
attention to the practice of that virtue. He was extremely
delicate in his thoughts and words, and a thoroughly obedient man. Although at times vehement in the maintenance
of an opinion, there was never any bitterness or harshness
in his words, and no one, either within or without the Society, ever could be found who was not only not unfriendly
to him, but who ever had anything but the kindliest feelings
in his regard. His funeral at Fordham was, if one could
have a choice of such things, what he would have wished.
It was in the graveyard where many of his old friends were
buried, and around the coffin stood the college boys and
representatives of the two asylums for deaf-mutes, Fordham
and Throggs Neck. Bishop Tieruey of Hartford, his lifelong friend, was there and gave the last absolution.- R. I. P.
The Fordham Monthly.

VARIA
ALASKA. Conditions ofthe Missions-Owing to the climate
and the scattered condition of the population, Alaska is one
of the most difficult missionary fields; but under the care of
the Jesuit Fathers, the Catholic religion is progressing satisfactorily. There are now s,ooo Catholics among the 29,000
Esquimos; during the past yt:ar 102 adults were baptized,
There are in all at present fifteen
besides 239 children.
churches for the special use of Indians, two having been
added during the past year, one at Hamilton on the Yukon
River, the other at Mary's, Igloo, on the Seward peninsula.
There are five schools in flourishing condition besides a kindergarten, a night school and an industrial club for grown
people.
One of the Fathers also taught a small school at
KoyuK:uk, but was obliged to relinquish it on account of
other missionary duties.
The Very Reverend Joseph Crimont, S. J., Prefect Apostolic of Alaska, has good hopes and
plans for the coming year.
"My ambition", he writes,
"would be early next Spring to make provisions for a school
at Mary's, Igloo, (a boarding school, if possible). This is a
village situated in the Sawtooth Mountain, about eighty
miles due north of Nome. We have twenty Catholic natives
there.
With some organization, the place could be made a
religious centre, where we could gather into a flourishing
community many of the natives scattered along the coast,
-who find it more and more difficult to eke out a poor living.
The Government is beginning to build schools in that district. The Swedish missionaries are becoming alarmed over
the movement of the natives towards the Catholic faith, and
feel that we are encroaching upon their ground.
They are
indeed in possession of the best" places, but are losing their
hold upon the natives who are discontented at the manner in
which the Swedish missionaries treat them. Some of these
people, coming in touch with our Catholics, are simply
amazed at our religion and say that it is the best of all religions. We have, therefore, now open to us the best of opportunities to spread the Kingdom of God in that territory.
It is heart-rending to think that owing to the scarcity of
missionaries and the lack of means, the evangelization has
been so pitifully hampered, set back and perhaps compromised forever''.- Report of Mission Work among the Negroes
and Indians, Jan. I9o8.
AusTRIA. lnnsbruck-The officers of the Theologians'
A-cademy for the scholastic year, 1907-1908, were President,
Father Eyckmans: Vice-President, Mr. Bangha: Secretary,
(266)

VARIA

267

Mr. Storck.
The following are the dates of the meetings,
and the subjects of papers read and discussed: On October
12, President Eyckmans, and Vice-President Bangha explained the object of the Academy, and proposed the plan of the
year's work.
November 10. P. Koch, S. J., of the German Province,
addressed the Academy on the importance for Ours of a study
of the social question, and of the necessity of treating the subject in our Retreats, especially in those to the men.
November 17. These extracts were presented: Prof.
Gottsberger's speech in this year's Catechetical course at
Munich, by Mr. Muller: Bad Priests,-Some Statistics, by
Mr. Kotnik: Socialists-Revisionists in particular, Mr.
Boegle: A Protestant Apology of the Divinity of Christ, P.
Eyckmans.
November 24. Modernism, by Father Joseph Muller,
Professor of Dogma.
December 1. Meeting of members who proposed to report on the Encyclical, "Pascendi".
December 15. Extracts: Protestant Moral, by Mr. Tappeiner: Emmanuel-picture in chapel of Sancta Sanctorum
in Rome, by Mr. Garcia: Modernism and Rationalism, by
Mr. D' Arcy: T. Reinke on Science and Religion, by Mr.
Storck: The Mission House in Washington, D. C., by P.
Jaros: Co-education in America, by P. Eyckmans: And a
Natural Explanation of the Supernatural, by Mr. Somoygi.
December 22. Extract of Friedwalt's Novel "Catholic
Students", by Mr. Storck.
December 29. Discussion on same. Mr. Darcy defended-Mr. Storck objected-Father Muller presided.
January 2. Continuation of discussion.
January 19. The subject of Friedwalt's Novel in its
moral aspect-F. Jez defended-Mr. Storck objected-Father N oldin presided.
February 9· Dogmatic worth of the Syllabus, Encyclical
and Motu Proprio-by Father Muller.
February 16. Continuation of same-Discussion.
March 8. Scientific grounds for the Principle of Free
Thought, by Mr. Bernard-Discussion.
March 25. A criticism of Prof. Ehrhard's article on
A New Position in Catholic Theology, by Mr. Muller-Discussion.
March 29. The French Modernists, by Mr. Rainer.
April 5· Revelation and Faith according to Father Tyrrell, by Mr. D' Arcy-Discussion.
Rev. Father Rector was present at many of the meetings.
For many years Dr. Ludwig Wahrmund has been the
Professor of Catholic Canon Law in the Judicial faculty of
of the University here.
A pamphlet of his, "Katholische
Weltanschauung und Freie Wissenschaft", which he published recently, has elicited a pretty severe criticism from

26S

VARIA

Father Fonck, S. ]., our Professor of Scripture, and has been
the cause of the present high excitement among the whole
Catholic population of Tyrol.
And no wonder.
For a
more bitter attack on our religion, and on its Holy Founder
has never been made in Austria.
Not content with the
brochure be was bold enough to speak openly and blasphemously against the firm faith of nine-tenths of the Austrian
people. Ten thousand copies of P. Fonck's criticism, were
The results are marvellous.
Wabrwidely distributed.
mund's booklet was promptly confiscated by the authorities
in Vienna.
And his appeal to both the lower and higher
courts was in vain.
Then, meetings of protest in which
resolutions asking for Wahrmund's removal from the University faculty were passed, followed in quick succession.
The one here and at Brixen were especially telling. At the
latter city seven thousand were present to bear, among other
prominent speakers, the Prince-Bishop of Tyrol.
Another factor in the present opposition to Wahrmund is
the publication of a list of theses, which as Catholic Professor
of Canon Law, be taught from 1904-1907, and which be
copied for the most part from the Protestant, Otto Pfleiderer.
The following quotations from the theses taken by Father
Fonck from six stenographic reports ofWahrmund's lectures,
show what be taught about Scripture, Christ, Origin of
Christianity, Foundation of the Church and about the Sacraments.
''Jehovah was surely an oracle-god of Mt. Sinai-a god
of the weather or a god of war''.
"The Gospel of St. Mark is the oldest. It was written at
~Rome about 70 A. D., by a disciple of St. Paul.
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke, were beyond doubt, written in
the first half of the znd century.
The Acts appeared about.
the same time.
The Gospel of St. J olm bas no historical
It is a doctrinal work, written with a distinct purvalue.
pose about the middle of the zn9'century".
"Christ was a simple Jew, who" scarcely ever left Galilee
and Judea". "St. Paul was much more talented and gifted
than Christ, for he had received his education in Greece".
"We have not sufficient historical information about the
life and work of Christ.
The sum of Christ's teaching, according to the evangelists, was merely a change of religion,
and the announcement of the coming of God's Kingdom."
"The origin of Christianity must be in a similar, nay, in
the same way, considered as the beginning of the German
Empire.
For scientific reasons the traditional teaching of
the origin and development of the church is no longer accepted".
"Christ had no thought of founding a church.
The testimony of the Gospels on this point are not trustworthy".
·''The Episcopacy and the Primacy developed in the second
and third centuries, gradually and from purely natural
courses".

P.ARI.A

269

"Baptism and Confirmation were not recognized as two
different sacraments before the 12th century".
"The form of the Eucharist consists in the repetition of
'Domine non sum dignus', and of the recitation at the end
of 'Corpus Domini Nostri' ".
"The Sacrament of Matrimony was instituted by the
chur~h in the 12th century".
·
Such has been the teaching of Prof. Wahrmund for the
past four years in a Catholic institution-but, thanks to the
government of Vienna, it is now at an end, for according to
the latest report, the earnest petition of the Catholic people
of Tyrol has been granted, and Dr. Wahrmund is removed
from the teaching staff of the Innsbruck University.
BELGIUM. The Bollandists and their Work-The article of
Father Thurston, s. J., which appeared in the Tablet of July
27, 1907, is well worth preserving in the \VoonsToCK LETTERS. We are sure it will give great pleasure to ours everywhere.
There are probably a considerable number of quite respectable educated persons who would be a good deal puzzled if they were asked by an inquiring friend to explain what
was meant by a Bollandist.
Neither perhaps would the
friend in question feel very much enlightened if he were
told that the Bollandists were a society of Jesuit hagiographers. Still hagiographer is a term recognized by the Oxford
English Dictionary and illustrated by authorities so respect
able as Sir James Fitzjames Stephen and John Henry Newman.
It means according to the dictionary "a writer of
saints' lives; a hagiologist", and hagiologist in turn is defined to be "a writer of hagiology, one versed in the legends
of saints".
If we wish to be very accurate in our use of
terms we shall do well to hold on to this last definition.
Contrary to a not uncommon impression, the Bollandists do
not devote their energies to writing the lives of the Saints.
Ever since the first volume of the great series of the "Acta
Sanctorum" was published by Father John Bollandus in the
year 1643. this good Jesuit who gave his name to the enterprise and his confreres who have continued the work during more than two centuries have been collectors and editors
but not primarily authors.
Their task has been to search
out and classify materials, to print what seemed to be the
most reliable sources of information concerning the saints
venerated by the Church and to illustrate points of difficulty~

Beginning in 1643 with two folio volumes which included
all the saints of January, the work has steadily grown more
and more elaborate and proportionately more bulky.
The
months of February, March, and April occupy three volumes
each.
May takes up eight if we count a so-called "Propy. laeum", which includes certain prefatory dissertations; and
June again seven volumes.
Still the work progressed with

270

VARIA

quite reasonable expedition, and in 1714, at the death of Father Papenbroek, the companion of Father Bollandus and
the ablest of all the early Bollandists, the first six months of
the year were practically completed.
July, August, and
September, which numbered between them 21 volumes, also
followed between 1719 and 1762 with a regularity which was
very creditable to the handful of Fathers, never numbering
more than three or four at one time, engaged upon the work.
Then after the publication of three volumes for the early
part of October a great blow fell upon the undertaking in the
suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773. Up to this date
so volumes had been brought out in 130 years, but now a
very broken period was to intervene.
With the aid of several of the Premonstratensian monks of Tongerloe, some little progress was made with October, even though the French
Revolution was raging, but when the newly-created French
Republic became masters of Belgium, the Premonstratensians of Tongerloe were themselves driven out and the Bollandist" .~'Museum", i.e., the collection of transcripts, books
and other materials which had been accumulated during a
century and a half for the prosecution of the "Acta Sanctorum", was confiscated and to some extent dispersed.
Many of these documents were never recovered, some in
the end were brought back after the restoration of the Society of Jesus by the religious brethern of their former proprietors, the great bulk eventually found their way into the
"Burgundian" library at Brussels, which is to all intents
and purposes the National Library of Belgium.
It is a
curious example of life's little ironies in the domain of religious confiscation that at the present moment the former
Bollandist, Father Van den Gheyn, s. J·, is curator of the
manuscripts in the Burgundian Library, and is consequently paid by the Belgian Government to look after the documents which in earlier centuries }"ere accumulated by his
confreres.
It is largely to Fath~_r Van den Gheyn that we
owe the excellent "Catalogue des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque royale de Belgique'', but the demands made upon
his time by these official duties have unfortunately necessitated his resigning any further active co-operation in the
work of the "Acta Sanctorum". Let it also be said in passing that if the Bollandists are no longer actually in possession of their own, they are and have long been treated with
the utmost consideration by the officials of the National
Library. Books are readily lent them for their work. and no
difficulty is made about their retaining at the College St.
Michel such volumes as they need and for so long a time as
may be necessary. . But to return to the series of the .. Acta
Sanctorum".
An inscription between two laurel sprays which decorates
the first page of the recent volumes of the series contains
the following data: "Acta Sanctorum Omnium Annuntiata,

VARIA

27t

A. MDCVII. Publicari Coepta, A. MDCXLIII. Intermiss, A. MDCCXCVI. Resumpta, A. MDCCCXXXVII".
Whence we learn that the scheme of this great undertaking
was first propounded by Father Rosweyde (to whom Bollandus afterwards succeeded) in 1607; that the first volumes
appeared in 1643, that the work had to be temporarily
abandoned in 1796, but after the restoration of the Society
of Jesus it was resumed again in 1837. In 1845 the seventh
volume for October was published in two parts at Brussels.
Since then nine other volumes have appeared, and the tenth
will be ready at an early date. Perhaps to those unacquainted with the circumstances this may seem to be but a slender
output for the labours of seventy years, but in reality it would
be difficult to speak too highly of the patient industry which
has carried the Belgian Jesuits through a succession of difficulties under which any other undertaking might have succumbed. These obstacles have been of the most varied kind,
dispersion of materials, lack of funds, difficulties with publishers and printers, political disturbances, and, last but not
least, the ravages of death among their own associates. The
loss of two men of the highest promise, Father de Tinnebroek, who, even before his ordination, was mainly responsible for the vast array of materials collected to illustrate the
Life of St. Theresa, and Father Matagne, the Orientalist,
both at the very beginning of their career, was almost irreIn the interval which followed the publication of
parable.
the twelfth volume for October in 1867 every one of the Fathers engaged upon the work was carried off by death, so
that its successor had to be brought out by entirely new
hands. No wonder that seventeen years elapsed before it issued from the press. At the present moment the position of
affairs is this.
The thirteenth and last volume for October
appeared in 1883. The first volume for November, containing the Saints of the first three days, was published in 1887.
Of the second volume for November, a first part was issued
in 1894. and this contains the Saints of November 4 and 5,
together with a most valuable supplement contributed by
Mgr. L. Duchesne and the Commendatore G. B. de Rossi,
upon the Hieronymian Martyrologium and its relation to a
Syriac Calendar of the fourth century published by Wright.
The second part of this volume II. for November, which is
intended to include the great life of St. Charles Borromeo,
for which Father Van Ortroy is understood to have been collecting materials for some thirty years past, has not yet seen
the light. In the meantime a supplementary volume of Greek
Synaxaries was published by Father H. Delehaye in 1902,
and the third volume for November now at press will include
all the Saints from November 5 to November 8.
It is expected to appear in the course of next year.
To those who may have been familiar with the cramped
and inconvenient premises in the old College St. Michel,

272

PAR/A

where the Bollandists until quite recently were compelled to
stow away their vast collection of books and periodicals, the
splendid library constructed in accordance with their own
special requirements in the new college of the same name is
likely to prove a most delightful surprise.
It was my privilege a few weeks ago to pay the Fathers a
visit for the first time since their removal to their new abode
and I can hardly exaggerate the favourable impression left
upon me both by the Bollandist quarters and the magnificent building of which they form a part.
Situated on the
high ground on the north side of the city, some half-a-mile
beyond the great triumphal arch of the Pare du Cinquantenaire, the new college, from its upper windows at least, commands a view of almost the whole of Brussels. Even in contrast with the relatively pure air of this most cleanly of
cities, one seems to fill one's lungs and to breathe more freely on the height.
Moreover, apart from the occasional
bugle-calls or the rumbling of guns along the Boulevard Militaire, ·upon which the College is situated, the worker is
little disturbed by noise.
It is not yet two years since the
Fathers have taken possession of their new residence.
A
whole wing of the building still remains unfinished, and
some soo boys continue to attend the classes of the old St.
Michel in the Rue des Ursulines, the destruction of part of
which to make room for a projected railway has occasioned
the removal of the College to the suburbs. But the installation of the Bollandist portion of the establishment is complete.
After a prodigious amount of bard work the books
have been got into their places, and, even though much still
t:!eeds to be done to make the catalogue quite efficient, the
treasures of the library, with the kindly help of one of the
staff, can generally be found without notable delay.
My arrival chanced to fall upon an auspicious occasion,
when the community were celebrating the honour paid to the
little Societe des Bollandistes-Ut1s is the term which, in
their official stamp and notepaper, replaces the ancient
"Hagiographi Bollandiani"-by the decoration of Officer<ll
de l'Ordre de Leopold recently conferred upon their venerFather de Smedt,
able doyen, Father Charles de Smedt.
who is the founder of the well known "Analecta Eoliandiana", and who has pre.sided over the organisation of the
"Acta Sanctorum" for more than thirty years, is at present
the only link which connects the modern Bollandists with
the older generation of Victor and Remy de Buck, and their
predecessors of still earlier date.
To his initiative, when
rector a few years since of the old St. Michel. is mainly due
the magnificent building now erected in the Boulevard Militaire, and the brilli.ant ribbon and cross which he was wearing. for the first time on the day of my arrival seemed to give
II) I may point out that the Officer represents a higher grade than the
ordinary Chevalier.

I
I

!

I

1

VARiA
additional point to his genial welcome and to the very pardonable pride with which he called my attention to the
splendid proportions, the convenient arrangement, and the
great capabilities of their new library.
Though Father de
Smedt, owing to age and failing health, has now to leave
the heavier part of the work to his younger associates, Fathers H. Delehaye and Albert Poncelet, he has by no means
withdrawn from co-operation in the general plan of campaign. He has, for example, just completed an article upon
the Bollandists which will appear in the forthcoming
volume of the new Catholic Eucyclopredia, and, as he formerly wrote upon St. \Vinefride in the first volume of the
"Acta Sanctorum" for November, so he is still making himself responsible for most of the Celtic Saints in the volume
shortly to appear.
On the other hand, Father Delehaye, a
critic of rare insight whose plain speaking has not always
found favour with devout readers of a more conservative
school, is likely before long to be still better known in England than he is already.
In the first place a translation of
his book "Les Legendes Hagiographiques", which has
everywhere been received with enthusiasm, will be published in a few days as the third volume of the Westminster
Library; and, secondly, he has been invited to contribute
articles on the Bollandists and other hagiographical subjects
to the new edition of the "Encyclopredia Britannica". Father Poncelet, who for some years past has shared with Father Deiehaye the main burden of the Bollandist undertakings, is perhaps best known for the magnificent "Bibliotheca
Hagiographica Latina", a detailed catalogue of all the Latin
lives of Saints hitherto accessible in print, for which he is
mainly responsible.
Both the last named are comparatively young men with, we hope, many years of usefulness before them.
Both of them in their special subjects-Father
Delehaye more particularly in Greek hagiography, Father
Poncelet in the Latin biographies of the Merovingian and
Carolingian period-have won a position in the front rank
which no one of their continental rivals, however much they
may differ in creed or in sympathies, would dream of contesting. Father Van Ortroy, whose profound but hitherto unpublished researches in connexion with St. Charles Borromeo
I have already alluded to, is also a scholar exceptionally well
known in England.
He has published in the "Analecta
Bollandiana" a contemporary English life of Blessed John
Fisher which has usefully supplemented Father Bridgett's
admirable biography. Moreover, he has of late found abundant occupation in the study of the early Franciscan movement, in which, along with Mr. Montgomery Carmichael
and some distinguished modern Franciscans, i/ a fait ecole in
his opposition to many of the conclusions of M. Paul Sa·
batier.

~ARIA

Much of the Bollandist work of the past years, especially
since the lamented death of Father Matagne, has suffered
from the lack of an Orientalist specially competent to deal
with those Syriac, Arabic, Armenian and Slavonic materials,
the importance of which, particularly for the earlier periods
of Christian history, has of late been increasingly recognised. This want is now supplied by the energetic young Father whose name stands last in the list upon the title-page of
the "Analecta Bollandiana".
Father Paul Peeters has already given such evidence of his competence to deal with
Oriental subjects as to raise hopes of great work in future
years in the unfortunately all-too-wide field now open before
him.
Lastly, mention may be made of a still younger associate
not yet ordained, whose ancestral connection with Antwerp
is attested by the historic name of Moretus which he bears.
His articles and reviews in the "Analecta" are in several
ways remarkable, and personally I have to thank him for
pointing out what I now believe to be the true solution, in
various points where I had found difficulty, and had consequently blundered. <'l His study also of Cardinal Rampolla's
Greek and Latin text of the important life of St. Melania the
younger, which in a condensed form is likely shortly to be
introduced to English readers, seem to me to throw a flood
of light upon the relation of these two documents of Syrian
and Roman origin.
As may be gathered incidentally from what has been said
above, a very large amount of the energy of the little band
of Bollandist writers has of late years been diverted in the
_direction of their periodical publication the "Analecta". At
the same time, apart from the extreme value of this review
for all who are interested in the perplexing problems suggested by the early lives of the Saints, it should be said that the
materials furnished by the "Analecta" and by other such
subsidary works as the CataloR,ftes of the Greek and Latin
hagiographical MSS. of the 'Bibliotheque Nationale" in
Paris, or of those contained in the libraries of Belgium and
Italy, are all calculated to facilitate greatly in the long run
the work of the "Acta Sanctorum" itself. It is precisely by
reason of the foundations thus laid, and also of the new and
immensely more convenient premises which the Bollandists
now have at their disposal, that we may confidently look
forward to more rapid progress in future years with the
great undertaking which constitutes their chief raison
d'etre.
m For instance his article on the "Vita Antiquissima St. Gregorii" in
support of Abbot Butler has convinced me that J was wrong in maintaining that the author of the life wrote with llede's Ecclesiastical History before him. See Analrcla Bollandiana (1907), vol. xxvi., pp. 66 sqq.; The
Journal of Theological Studies (19o6), pp. 312-3; The Month, October,
1904, P· 337, sqq.

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275

Finally, it may be noted that in the new Bollandist establishment provision is made not only for those privileged
friends who, as I have good reason to know, are most generously given the free run of the library and all that it contains, but a special room is set apart for any scholars and
outside visitors who may wish to make use of a collection
which in the domain of hagiography and kindred subjects
is probably unrivalled.
Visitors to Belgium have now-a-days many opportunities
of observing the continual advance-interrupted for awhile
by the Boer war-in the assimilation of English customs.
The student at work in the library of the Bollandists may
look out upon a playground where he will see some hundreds
of sturdy lads busied, as energetically and, I may add, as
scientifically,. over a game of football as any of our boys in
an English college. I venture to predict that the day is not
far distant when The Tablet will be chronicling the result
of a match between the "soccer" team of Stony hurst or
Beaumont and the representatives of the College St. Michel
at Brussels. One incident, equally characteristic of the spirit
now prevalent, which interested me much during my stay,
was an invitation I received to be present at a meeting of
"the English Academy" in the College.
There I found a
score of lads assembled in a large and pleasant room under
the presidency of Father Willaert, a Belgian Father whose
own English enjoys the distinction of being absolutely faultless. All the proceedings were conducted in English, from
the reading of the minutes of the last meeting to the final
discussion, and they included both a recitation and an original essay, both followed by criticisms in which nearly all
present took part.
It would not be easy to devise a better
arrangement for keeping fresh that colloquial ~nowledge of
our language, which, as I found upon inquiry, had mostly
been acquired originally from English nurses at quite a tender age. Of course, the association of the Bollandist establishment, which in the old days before the Suppression was
domiciled at Antwerp, with the College St. Michel at Brussels is a purely accidental one, but the cheerful activity of a
big school is not perhaps without its beneficial influence upon
the minds of those who are otherwise so uninterruptedly absorbed in the study of the past.
CALIFORNIA. St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco-Rev.
Fr. Sasia on Education and a Greater St. Ignatius College.
Speaking to the toast "St. Ignatius College and Its Faculty" at the Alumni banquet held in the Fairmount Hotel,
Fr. Sasia delivered a notable addressfrom which the following excerpt is taken:
"In connection with the rapid, phenomenal rebuilding of our city I may be allowed to remark
that the best guarantee of the future prosperity and lasting
glory of our metropolis lies, not so much in the multitude,
magnificence and solidity of its edifices, as in the UWJelfish

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loyalty, peerless integrity and spotless virtue of its citizens;
qualities which neither earthquake nor fire can destroy; and
to foster which has always been the chief aim of the presidents and faculties of St. Ignatius College.
Moreover, the
Jesuit Fathers have not been backward in the rehabilitation
race.
In the space of a few months a temporary college,
church and residence have been erected at a considerable
And, with God's help, and the co-operation of
sacrifice.
our fellow-citizens, with the generosity of our benefactors
and friends we earnestly hope to be able, at no distant time,
to build a church and college that will be a monument
worthy of the faith, zeal and enterprise of the Catholic
Church in California. And, as our newly-rebuilt city will
be rightly called the Greater San Francisco, so our new
structures will be such, we trust, as to deserve to be styled
the Greater St. Ignatius College. Yes, greater, indeed, not
only on account of its more splendid edifices, but especially
because it is to be something more than a college, it is destined to be the Catholic University of California; under the
joint management of two sister colleges, Santa Clara and St.
Ignatius. You are, no doubt, aware of the fact that the Society of Jesus already possesses in this republic five universities, in Georgetown, St. Louis, New York, Omaha and
Milwaukee.
As westward the star of the Empire takes its
course, so we hope soon to see on the shores of the broad
Pacific, perfectly organized and fully equipped, the new
Catholic University of San Francisco".
CANADA.
Nova Scotia.-Presmtation of a Gold Chalice
to Father Campbell.
The Casket of Nova Scotia states that a fine gold chalice,
ciborium, and cruets were presented to Father Campbell,
s. J., on the eve of his departure.
It was upon no holiday
he came to the country, but to work in the Master's vineyard, and work he did, without,intermission, from the day
he opened at Thorburn, on Juue_.IO, till he preached his last
sermon and heard his last confession at Iona on October 29.
He gave nineteen Missions, which were attended in every
case by the people of more than one parish, and himself
alone heard as many as 7,428 confessions. None but a man
of his powerful physique could have stood the strain, especially of sitting hour after hour and day after day in the
confessional, than which no work is more wearing.
The
task he set himself to do was "herculean"-he who wrought
at the task knew best the greatness of it, and the word is his
own. Only at the last great assize will the amount of good
he accomplished be known, the hearts that were won to repentance by his preaching, the souls set free from the toils
of sin in the tribunal of penance. His memory will long be
held in benediction among us, and the impression produced
liy his own genial personality will not soon be effaced.

1.

VARIA
l )

The following is a translation of the Gaelic address presented to Father Campbell on the occasion, which stated
that; "On the eve of your return to the old land we wish to
tender you our heartfelt thanks for the great work you have
done among us. 'They went forth in tears sowing the seed,
. but they shall come with joy bringing their sheaves with
them'. These words of the royal Psalmist fittingly apply to
your case. Great has been the boon you have conferred upon
us.
Our tears have flowed with those of our people, whose
burden you have lightened, whom you have filled with new
courage and strength.
The seed of the Gospel has been
sown broadcast; and you have cause to return with joy and
exultation, for many a full sheaf has been garnered in witWe
ness of the husbandman's unwearied and fruitful toil.
make no doubt at all, Very Reverend Father, that it was
God who sent you to us at this time.
After ten decades of
years, it is little wonder that the ties which bound us to our
motherland should show symptoms of weakening.
We of
the younger generation are too prone ·to forget amid the
bustle of this world ;the brave ones who came hither as
pioneers to plant in a ne.w soil the ancestral faith, and so
conserve it to their offspring. And for this very reason there
was danger that our love for the faith should grow cold.
Your coming has revived our interest in the traditions of our
fathers and called to our minds the hardships they endured
for the Faith.
And so our'love for Holy Mother Church is
enlivened.
We are confident that it has taken deep root in
the hearts that have felt the winning power of the Gospel
you have so forcibly preached; that the name and fame of
Sagart Morna H-Alba will be an inspiration and a strengthening in the Faith to generations yet unborn. We are about
to part, beloved Father, but our parting is not without hope.
\Ve shall cherish the thought that our gallant captain in the
army of the Lord is to come once more to show us how to
fight the good fight and win the crown.
But should 'ye
nae came back again' we shall still look forward, through
God's mercy, to a joyous reunion in the land of the living. Accept, then, at parting, as a souvenir of your stay
amongst us, this chalice with cruets and ciborium, not
indeed for the value in the coin of the realm, but for
their symbolism and their consecration to the service of
the 'High Priest'.
\Vhen you drink of the Blood of
Christ, and communicate His Body to the faithful, remember, we pray you, the friends you have left behind
in this new world, who fain would share in the fruits of
the finished Sacrifice. With this word, then, we bid you
adieu.
May God bless you, and Mary, Star of the Sea,
light you on your way.
Father Campbell, in reply said: "I hardly know how to
express my feelings adequately, for this additional kind20

t' ARIA

l!i8

ness on the part of the clergy and people of this diocese.
Since the day on which I started my first Mission in
Thorburn, until the very end in Iona, I have been the
recipient of innumerable acts of kindness on the part of
priests and people; in fact, I have lived in one wild hurricane of welcome and hospitality. Though the work has been
herculean, and in a sense a 'tour de force', still I have been
upheld by the magnificent way in which they responded to
my humble efforts.
When I offer the Holy Sacrifice with
this beautiful chalice you have presented to me and distribute Holy Communion with the ciborium, I shall ever remember the dear Catholics of Nova Scotia and their devoted
pastors. I again thank the priests of this diocese, quite irrespective of nationality, and I sincerely hope that the welcome and hospitality I have experienced is but a guarantee
of the welcome I shall have on the Eternal Shores".
Retreat to Workmen.-Here is a list of figures;which speaks
most eloquently of the great work our Fathers of Belgium
hav~ done since the establishment of retreats for workingmen.
Retreats

Fayt,
Ghent,

I89I-I907
I896-I907
~Arlon,
I896-I907
Lierre,
I899-I907
Xhovemont, I907-I9o7
Aiken,
I905-I907

Excercitants

602
464
28I
420
283
96

23,72I
I4,822
8,145
I7,685
I0,485
3.385

Total
2,106
78,243
Pope Leo XIII. blessed the work in 190I, again it was
blessed by Pope Pius X. in I904.
All the bishops of Belgium have also blessed it.
CEYLON.-The Ecclesiastical Returns of the Galle Diocese
·
for IC)06-o7 are as follo·ws, viz:..Baptisms of adults,
I:-· •. Protestant - - - 36
2. Heathens
I78
Baptisms of children, I. of Catholic parents - 316
2. of non·Cath. parents I82
Total
7I2
Confessions, 26,502; communions, 42,610; confirmations,
98; Extreme Unctions, 95; marriages, I) solemnized, 6o; 2)
Number of Catholics, 9,0I6.
Schools, 38,
validated, 71.
with 2, I67 boys and 95I girls.
Although these returns show the largest number of baptisms since we came to Ceylon, the Catholic population is a
trifle smaller than last year, owing to a large number of
Catholic Coolies having left the Tea Estates in the Yatiyan·tota District.

VARIA
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279

j

The number of confirmations is also smaller than usual,
as our venerated Bishop, Mgr. Jos. Van Reeth, s. J., was in
Europe the greater part of the year.
I am somewhat late in sending you these returns, because I
have been hoping all this time I could give you the news
that we had acquired the site we wanted for building a new
college at Galle. The negotiations had to be carried on most
secretly, as it was to be feared that if the owners of the plots
of land came to know that we were the buyers, prices would
have been enormously inflated. Even as it is we had to pay
a good deal. Our rivals, the Buddhists, have fared much
better. Soon after negotiations had started on our account,
some influential and rich Buddhists made a present of a
splendid site to Mahinda College, whilst some others are responsible for building several portions of it. The principal,
a theosophist called F. L. Woodward, M. A., the son of an
Anglican clergyman, is collecting money from all quarters
through the medium of theosophical publications.
So it is
to be feared that American dollars will again promote Buddhism to retard the Christianisafion of Ceylon, and particularly of the Galle Diocese.
About seven years ago, the
Buddhist College was on the point of breathing its last, when
the famous Colonel Olcott came to the rescue and breathed
new life into it, so much so that now it is a very flourishing
institution.
The splendid work at Hiniduma continues through the
zeal of Father J. M. Schaefer. Another centre, which is going full speed ahead, is the one at Kegalla, with Father A.
M. Verstraeten at the helm.
Amongst the notable events of last year must be mentioned the completion of a new church and convent at Matara
(28 miles E. of Galle).
On the 4th of August, the blessing
of the new church was witnessed by a jubilant crowd. Before the end of September, the Ocean made a sudden onslaught on the new building. A fine road was washed away
and finally the sea knocked down the enclosure wall. Now,
the Sea is again far away from our buildings, but it is prudent to protect them against another unpleasant surprise.
For this purpose, a rather costly dam will have to be constructed at our expense.-Ldter if Fr. J. Cooreman.
ENGLAND.
Workingmen's Retreats Begzm in England.On the eve of St. Joseph's day Father Assistant sent,
through the Holy Father's private Secretary, a petition to
His Holiness begging a blessing on the plan of holding
workingmen's retreats in England. This petition had come
from the Father Provincial of England.
The Holy Father, to whom this work is very dear, wrote
with his own hand at the foot of the petition the following
words:·
"Salutare consilium commendantes, dum dilecto filio auctori perquam plurimas agimus gratias, cunctis sanctissimce

!!80

VARIA

institutioni quoquomodo contribuentibus Apostolicam Benedicl:ionem peramanter impertimus.
Die 21 Martii 1908.
Pms P. P. X."
The first of these retreats under our care is to be given in
a few months at Stonyhurst by Fr. Power to so men of the
neighborhood. The work was organized by the Sodality at
Accrington. One of the English theologians, Mr. Charles
Plater, s. J., has written a strong plea for our pushing the
work. It forms one of the penny publications of the Catholic Truth Society of England.
The Letters a?Zd Notices, for April, 1908, gives some further
information concerning this excellent work.
\Ve hasten to communicate to our readers the good news
which has just reached us on going to press, that a great
step has been taken by the English Province for the strengthening of the Catholic spirit among workingmen. A large
house.with some ten acres of ground beautifully situated at
Marp.le, Manchester, has been secured for the purpose of
Retreats to workingmen, and was opened on St. Joseph's
feast, with the blessing and encouragement of the Holy Father and of Rev. Father General, and the hearty approval
of some five Bishops of the English Hierarchy.
In a matter like this some practical difficulties had to be
considered: Would the men of our industrial towns come to
these Retreats? How are we to get at them ? How are
they to find the time and opportunity ? How are the expenses to be met? etc. Viewing the matter in this way, it was
thought by many that the splendid \Vork which is being accomplished by our Fathers in Belgium, could not be carried
- through in this country with any measure of success.
These difficulties, hewever, seem to be in a fair way of being
overcome. Owing to the thorough spirit of the workingmen at Accrington, who are anxious to lead the way in this
matter of workingmen's Retreats, and to the zeal and generosity of the Rector of Stonyburst, it had been arranged
that a "Men's Retreat" should be given at Stony hurst during the Bank Holiday week in August. With admirable
generosity the men of our Lady's Sodality, Accrington, expressed their willingness to give up four days of their hard.earned holidays for this purpose. We believe also that a
Retreat fund has been opened at the Sodality club to meet
expenses. Father Matthew Power, s. J., of Edinburgh, has
been selected to give this first Retreat, and a better choice
could not have been made, seeing that Father Power bas
shown such enthusiastic zeal ·in his work for men. It is
said that the Retreat will begin on Saturday, August 8th.
As one of the objects of these Retreats to our Catholic
working-men is to stem the tide of Socialistic revolution
which is advancing with such alarming rapidity in the great
ndus trial centres, it is hoped that the example set by the

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281

members of our Lady's Sodality in Accrington will be followed by the Guild-men of Manchester, Liverpool, Preston,
Wigan, St. Helens, to be taken up by men-sodalities in the
large cities of Yorkshire and of the rest of England. Father Provincial, in speaking of the matter at the opening of
his visitation at Manresa House (March 19th, the day of the
opening of the house at Marple), recommended this new
apostolic work most earnestly to the prayers of Ours, that
from small beginnings it may develop like the mustard-seed
of the Gospel into a great organization for the furtherance
of the Catholic religion and of God's greater glory.
It should be added that the house at Marple is not intended for Retreats to workingmen only, but will be also used
for Retreats to gentlemen.
The King if Spain at Beaumont.-In fulfilment of a longstanding promise. the King of Spain paid a visit to Beaumont College on Monday, December 2nd. He motored
down from Kensington Palace, accompanied by the Duke of
Alba and Berwick, an old Beaumont boy, and the Marquis
de la Torrecilla. He was received at the main entrance by
the Rector, Father Bampton, s. J., and staff, and conducted
to the school theatre. Here the boys were assembled to greet
him, and, in their name, the Rector addressed a few words
of welcome to his Majesty, and thanked him, for the honor of
his visit. On rising to reply, the King was received with an
ovation such as only English schoolboys can give. He said
he could not leave England without coming to Beaumont,
where members of his own family had received their education-alluding to his cousins, the Infantes Alfonso and Luis
Fernando-he had desired to see for himself a school he
knew so well by repute, and he concluded by urging the
boys to profit by the opportunities they were ~njoying. As he
was speaking, he recognized some young friends and subjects of his own in the crowd before him, and he desired
them to be presented to him. The Spanish boys in the
school accordingly came forward, eight in all, and the King
shook hands with each and inquired in the kindest terms
after their families and friends. Finally, he asked the Rec-·
tor to grant a whole holiday in honor of his visit and retired, amid the renewed cheers of the boys, to make a tour
of the school. He inspected everything with the closest attention, displaying special interest in everything concerning
the sports and amusements of the boys, asking many questions about English methods of education, and comparing
them with those of his own country. After a stay of about
an hour and a half, during which he charmed everybody by
his affability and courtesy, he left on his return to Kensington Palace, receiving from the assembled school a send-off as
enthusiastic as his welcome had been.- Tablet.
An Old Beaumont Boy decorated.-A Companionship of
the Distinguished Service Order has been awarded to an old

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Beaumont boy, Lieut.-Colonel Ladislas Pope-Hennessy, for
his work with the West African Frontier Force in Uganda,
where, as Commandant of the 4th Battalion of the King's
African Rifles, he has seen many months of continuous service. ·
Stonyhurst College. The Observafory.-Sixty years of
continuous observations of the meteorological elements were
completed at our observatory at the end of 1907. The opportunity has been taken to overhaul all the records, an
onerous work undertaken by Br. Wm . .M:'Keon, so as to eli. minate the errors in the processes of reduction of the observations which had crept in during so long a period. The
result is, to quote from the notes to the present issue of the
yearly Report just published, ' that every single error has
been expunged, and every figure and statement made, either
regarding the year 1907 itself, or the 6o years' period of observation is perfectly trustworthy.'' The form of the monthly tables in the Report has also been altered so that one can
see at·a glance the extreme readings in barometric pressure,
temperature, rainfall, and wind velocity for each month during the last 6o years. At the end of the monthly tables
there is also given a very interesting statement of the extreme readings of the meteorological instruments for the
whole 6o years period.
The Prefect of Studies (Fr. H. Davis) has inaugurated a
system of French and English correspondence between students of the Jesuit Commercial College at Antwerp and
Stonyhurst. The advantages of the correspondence are too
obvious to need comment: Letters are despatched about
- once every ten days, and the replies art! received shortly
after despatch. The efforts of foreign boys to express themselves in English are, we suppose, not less extraordinary
than our own efforts in French ; all the same the correspondence should be very valuable to those \vho are willing to
spend a little time and labor 'On composition. We are informed that any boy from Rhetoric down to Elements may
join the class. There are already about thirty members in
the class.
Father Cortie has been elected to serve for another term
on the council of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The Stony hurst Discs for the measurement of the positives
of sun-spots have been published by Messrs. Casella & Co.
They have been highly praised in the Journal of the British
Astronomical Association for February last.
At the last annual conference of the Catholic Truth Society, it was strongly recommended, not for the first time,
that the Society should make an effort to produce in a sixpenny form, Fr. Gerard's "The Old Riddle and the Newest
4nswer." Prof. Windle spoke in high praise of the work
as the best refutation he knew in any language of popular
rationalism. We are very glad to see that these aspirations

, VARIA

283

have been realised, and that it is now possible for the wide
public who read Haeckel at 6d., to obtain the antidote at the
same price.

'

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY. New Addition to the Hospital.-The annual banquet of the Georgetown University
Hospital, which was held at the hospital on the night of
Feb. 21, proved a most happy occasion for the authorities,
when Abraham Lisner, one of the guests, offered a donation
sufficiently large to pay for the construction of a new building, that has been greatly desired. The banquet was tendered to the staff of the hospital by the Sisters of St. Francis, under whose care the institution is maintained.
Dr. J. Taber Johnson presided. He said that thirty-three
beds were in the hospital in r8g8, the year in which it was
established, and assistance at various times had made it possible to increase this number to one hundred at the present
time. But this number was not sufficient to meet the de-.
mands, as many patients desiring private rooms had to be
turned away. He said that 38,204 cases had been treated
at the hospital since its establishment.
Dr. Johnson then introduced Mr. Lisner, who told of the
pleasure it gave him to aid the hospital in its purposes. "I
know of no better purpose to which I could put my money
than to aid in caring for the sick poor," he said, "and the
benefit I will derive from having done something to improve
the facilities of an institution of this kind will repay me a
thousand times more than the intrinsic value of the gift. I
believe that Georgetown University Hospital will rank with
any institution of its kind in the country."
Father David H. Buel, s. J., President of Georgetown
University, tendered Mr. Lisner the thanks of the President
and directors of Georgetown University. He referred to
the various donations made by Mr. Lisner to Georgetown
University Hospital and other institutions of a like character in this city, and praised the philanthropic motives of the
giver.
Dr. Percy Hickling offered a vote of thanks to Mr. Lisner
on the part of the hospital staff, which was adopted heartily.
Others who spoke were Father Hart, Dr. Barton, Dr. Edwin
B. Behrend, and Dr. J. Dudley Morgan.
The building for which Mr. Lisner made his donation will
be an addition to the present main building of the hospital,
and will be thirty by sixty feet, five stories high, and it is
estimated that it will cost between $25,000 and $30,000.
Two operating rooms will be furnished by Dr. George M.
Kober. There will be a new emergency room, and the present
one will be turned into a medical clinic. The new building will
provide doctors' quarters, several free wards, and sisters'
and nurses' dining rooms. Four new private suites, with
bath and a staff room, will be arranged for in the present
building when the new structure is completed.

28!

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· GERMANY. Father Wasmann' s Work.- Father Wasmann's Berlin Lectures, an edition of 3SOO copies, were all
sold within a few months of their publication, similarly his
large work on Modern Biology and the Theory of Evolution
(4ocx) copies). All his other main works are out of print;
among these are the following: Instinct and Intellect, Comparative Studies, The Psychic Faculties, Composite Nests
and Mixed Colonies of Ants. New editions will appear as
· soon as they can be prepared by the author, who is working
hard to get them ready. Psychic Faculties will be the first
to appear; his work on Composite Nests and Mixed
Colonies of Ants will be doubled in contents. It may, however, take more than a year to get the new editions ready,
especially since Father \Vasmann is at the same time preparing other contributions to "science as such," as for instance, a publication on Termites.

INnri. Datfeeling. St. joseph's College, North Point.In the~year under review not only did the numerical strength
of the boys maintain itself on the rolls, but the average attendance has also been higher than ever. Out of 2o6 boarders on the list, over 190 were present for a good part of the
year, 109 boys answered the roll call on the 18th of February, and the Rangoon contingent brought the number to 128
the next day.
Our old boys have won some good successes. P.
Briihl holds a technical scholarship of £1so a year.
He is
now following a course of instruction in metallurgical chemistry at the University of Birmingham. H. Bennettz secured a first class certificate of competency in mining engineering. J. Villa, who left us last December, passed successfully the matriculation of the Manchester University, and C.
Perfect, the London Matriculation. P. Mac Mahon gained
honours in the Oxford Local Sen)or examination.
Nearer
home, H. S. Boyd received an appointment as Deputy Magistrate and Collect9r in Bengal, J. Le Patourel was appointed Sub-Deputy Collector and J. Gantzer received the powers
of a Magistrate. We offer them our congratulations together with our best wishes for continued prosperity.-The
North Point Annual.
Mangalore. St. Aloysius' College.-Tbe strength of the
College has surpassed all previous records. It rose to 617, and,
though there was a slight falling off towards the end, the
scholastic year closed wi~h 71 students in the College Department, giving a total of S98 students for the whole institution.
The average attendance was, on the whole, very
fair.
In the public examinations, the College can once more
re¢ord remarkably good results. \Ve passed IS of 32 Matriculation candidates-a very creditable achievement, considering that there was something akin to a wholesale slaughter
in the Presidency.
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The introduction of new Branches in the College Curriculum and the unprecedented increase of students has necessitated substantial additions to the College building.
The
strength of the College has gone up already to 745, and as
the Educational rules limit the students for a class to 40,
some of our classes have had to be divided into as many as
four sections.
Up·to-date laboratories have also to be provided. To meet these requirements the erection of two new
· buildings has been determined upon.
The Christian Purdnnas o.f Father Thomas Stephens.-The
Chn"stian Citizen, a Marathi paper published at Poona, has
the following highly appreciative notice of Father Stephens'
Christian Purdnnas.
"We welcome the publication of the Christian Purdmzas
of the Rev. Father Thomas Stephens, S. J., which were
composed by him early iu the sixteenth century, for the
benefit of the Marathi-speaking converts of his Church. He
had noticed the power which the religious poems of the
Hindus had upon them and the great service that they had
been rendering in keeping alive the flame of religious knowleged and devotion among them, and he determined to produce similar works in behalf of the cause of Christian evangelization.
It was almost an impossible task that he set to
himself, but he was not daunted. Though a foreigner, who
had come to this country at an advanced age, be worked
hard at the acquisition of a command of the Marathi language
and a capacity for producing Maratbi poetry, that was rejuvenated by the fresh and young thought of European culture, but adorned with the old rhetorical embellishments that
the natives delighted in. And he had complete success. He
produced not tracts or brochures, but massive tomes, each
volume being worth its weight in gold.
The Jesuits everywhere have thus distinguished themselves.
They have composed poems of supreme excellence
in the vernaculars of the South, and they are universally regarded as classics and prescribed for University examinations.
In this eagerness to be useful in the literary departments of the missionary enterprise, the protestant missionaries have shown but little zeal, and in Mah:k1shtra, they
have attempted hardly anything.''
IRELAND. Death of Father Murphy, S. J:-This distinguished Jesuit was Rector of the Irish Novitiate when he
died.
He was 40 years in the Order, and successively oc• cupied the posts of Professor of Theology, Rector, Master of
Novices, and Provincial. He was born at Clonmel. in 1852,
and was the brother of Canon Murphy and Colonel W. Read
Murphy, D. S. 0. He died on Sunday, March 22.
The University.-On April rst, Mr. Birrell introduced his
Bill for an Irish University.
In the course oftbe debate he
paid some handsome· compliments to Father Delaney, who

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was present when the Bill was presented.
He alluded first
to Father Delaney's long association with the University
College, Dublin, having been President for twenty years, and
a Member of the Senate of the Royal University. "For the
important post of President", said Birrell, ''the first name
that would naturally occur to us is that of Dr. Delany. But
there are objections to his appointment which he himself appreciates. He is 73 years of age. To some minds there are
objections to starting a University with a Jesuit, but I am sure
that those who have had the pleasure of the acquaintance
of Dr. Delany would not feel that. The tradition is, be-·
sides, that the head of the new college at the start should
be a layman; therefore, while I tender my thanks to Dr.
Delany in the matter, I think it better to have a Catholic
layman to start with."
J Al\IAICA. Father Mulr)" s Return.-Every one was delighted to see Father Mulry, who returned from America on
3oth January, and the Promoters of the Apostleship of Prayer preseri'ted him with an address of welcome at their meeting on the 3rd February. The Catholic Union and Sodality
also thanked him, on the 14th February, for the services
rendered this Mission and welcomed him home.
If the
number of times were counted in which Father Mulry mentioned the word "Jamaica" in the United State of America,
and brought to the notice of a congregation assembled in
Church or Lecture-hall that Jamaica stands in need of assistance, -urging especially the needs ofthe Catholic Mission,it would probably be found that he could claim having spoken
of this Island more frequently than any other person in· this
of any other country.
As the promoters said in their address, he was eminently qualified for the arduous task of
seeking amongst a busy people a little consideration of what
had befallen the Churches and Schools of this City and its
neighborhood with a view toprovQking, if possible, generous
assistance.
- •·
For what he succeeded in obtaining, the Catholics owe
him a great debt of gratitude, and we thank, also, the good
people who contribute to our large necessities .. Self-reliance
and a determination to fight one's own battle are good and
necessary virtues, but the Church, whose members throughout the world are under one Head and believe firmly all that
the Church teaches, having precisely the same Sacraments
and the same Sacrifice, and who think and act in daily life
under the same influence, suffers also in common, and there
is not at any time wanting an opportunity to any Catholic
who has the means, of helping, not only by prayer but also
by money-contribution, the faithful in any or every part of
the world.
The people of the United States are generous-hearted, and
when the occasion arises, there is a general and voluntary
contribution made to relieve the suffering, whic~ is worthy

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2117

of emulation; and in more favourable circumstances this
Mission would probably have received still more generous
help from the Catholics, and non-Catholics too, of the great
Republic so close to this struggling Colony.
MISSOURI PROVINCE. Change o/ Rectors.-In the months
of February and March, new Rectors were proclaimed for
several Colleges and the Novitiate at Florissant, Mo.: on
February roth, Father John A. Frieden became Rector of the
St. Louis University, and Father James McCabe of the Marquette University, Milwaukee; on February rrth, Father
Alex. J. Burrowes, Rector of St. Ignatius' College, Chicago;
on February 22nd, Father Eugene A. Magevney, Rector of
the Creighton University, Omaha; on March rst, Father
James T. Finn, Rector of St. Stanislus Novitiate, Florissant;
and on March 3rd, Father Joseph Grimmelsman, Rector of
St. Xavier College, Chicago.
I'n consequence of these appointments, other notable changes have taken place.
Father Henry Moeller has become Instructor of the Tertians,
Father Henry Otting, Professor of Philosophy in Detroit
College, Father Francis J. O'Boyle, Professor of Philosophy
in Marquette University, Father John D. Furay, Professor
of Philosophy in the under-graduate department of St. Louis
University, Father John C. Kelly, treasurer of Creighton
University, Father Michael P. Dowling, replacing him as
Superior of St. Aloysius Residence in Kansas City, Mo., and
Father James F. H. Hoeffer, Superior of the Sacred Heart
Residence in Chicago.
St. Louis University. New Academic School.-The purchase, April 24th, by St. Louis University of the old mansion of James B. Eads, at Eads and Compton avenues, marked another great forward step in the development of the
strong Catholic institution whose main seat is on Grand avenue, between Lindell boulevard and Pine street. In the big
forty room building, 620 x 300 feet, an academic school
will be opened, at the beginning of the next scholastic
year by the university. In this building also a law school
will be opened probably next winter, and technical scientific courses, ending in the usual engineering degrees, will
follow soon.
In these new courses laymen will be the
instructors.
The new academic school is not at present to interfere
with the academic school now conducted in connection
with the college on Grand avenue.
The plan as announced is, however, to found another academic school in
the north end of the city, and another, in a building separate from the college, somewhere in the West End. The
academic school now at the college will be closed when
the West End school is opened, and the entire structure
devoted to the college courses.
The property acquired was occupied for years by Bishop
Robertson Hall, an educational institution for girls, con-

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ducted by the Episcopalian Sisterhood of the Good Shep·
herd.
The property fronts 120 feet on the south line of Eads avenue and about 300 feet on Compton avenue. It is bounded
by Eads, Compton, Henrietta and Louisiana avenues. The
purchase price was $32,500.
The chain of academic schools planned by the university
will in no way compete with or lessen the demand for the
parochial schools. The academic schools will take the pupils when they have finished the course at the parochial
schools and prepare them for college.
The new school on Eads avenue will be taught by professors from the Grand avenue institution. These teachers will
live at the university, and make the trip to the school twice
a day. Religious services will not be conducted at the school
for the public. Mass will be said there each morning for the
students only.
No services will be held there on Sundays. ·,
The..system being in;J.ugurated in St. Louis is that now in
vogue in Chicago and Cincinnati. It was planned by Rev.
Rudolph Meyer, Provincial of the Missouri Province, and
Rev. ] ohn B. Frieden, President of St. Louis University, who
about five months ago was transferred to St. Louis from San
Francisco.
When the plans now projected are carried out, St. Louis
University will be one of the most complete educational institutions in the United States. The acquisition of the Marion-Sims College of Medicine, at Grand avenue and Caroline street, supplies facilities for the study of medicine and
~surgery, dentistry and pharmacy.
Academy of Philosophy. - At the inspiration and
under the direction of Father Hubert Gruender, Professor of
metaphysics of the 2nd year, an association, called the
"Academy of Philosophy and Science", was formed shortly
after Christmas among the philo~ophers of the scholasticate.
Father Gruender is the moderator of the Academy and critic
or censor of the essays produced by its members, with the
result that a course of excellent lectures has been given before an audience made up of members of the University faculties and our scholastics.
The following are the subjects
of lectures delivered up to the present writing:
February 5· ''Living and Non-living Matter", by Mr.
Thos. I. Clarke.
February 19. "Abiogenesis", by Mr. John W. Hynes.
March 11. "Wonders of Cell-Life", by Mr. Otto J.
Noonan.
March 25. "Darwinism", by Mr. Paul G. Pollard.
April 8. "Instinct and Intelligence", by Mr. Edwin F.
Hendrix.
·April 22. "Readings from the Book of Nature", (Teleology), by Mr. Austin G. Schmidt.

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;

April 26.
l\I uehlman.

"The Metamorphoses of Insects'', by Mr. Paul

Other lectures to be delivered before the end of May are:
''The Origin of Ideas'', by Mr. Benedict J. Rodman, and
"Evidences of Design in the Structure and Life of Plants",
by Mr. Francis X. Entz.
Chicago. The Rhodes' Scholarship.-An examination was
held in January by the Rhodes Scholarship Commission of Illinois for entrance into Oxford. This examination was open to
all students of the State of Illinois. Seventeen appeared to
take the test, of whom six were from St. Ignatius College,
the others being from various universities and colleges of the
State.
In March the Rhodes Commission announced that
the papers had been examined in Oxford, the result being
that eleven students had successfully passed the test, five
of whom were from St. Ignatius. The St. Ignatius students
who won the honor were: Thomas Reerly, Edmund Curda,
Joseph Roubik, William Carroll and James Foley, all of the
Junior Class.
As three of these successful students will be
under the required age of 19 years on October r, only two
will be .eligible for appointment.
Holy Family Church. Ephpheta Mission for the Deaf.The Lenten lecture and concert given April sth at Orchestra
Hall under the auspices of the Ladies' Ephpheta Auxiliary
for the purpose of raising funds for the purchase of the Seminary of the Sacred Heart on Taylor street, was a great success. The worthy cause and the attractive program drew a
large audience.
Many expressed the desire to see the deaf-mute children
more frequently in sign-language songs. It is possible that
the management of the Ephpheta School may consent to the
wishes expressed, of holding the closing exercises of the
school in public, thus giving the deaf-mute children the opportunity of entertaining their friends with several signlanguage song selections.
CINCINNATTI. St. Francis Xavier's Church.
The Mission.-In April, rgoS, a mission was given in our Church
here. The first week was for the young ladies.
In point
of numbers, enthusiasm and of fervor, it was the best ever
given in St. Xavier Church. The married ladies came next,
and they filled the church.
The married men came next,
and Frs. Moeller and Leary took the places of Frs. Boarman
and Johnson, and the church continued to be filled. Finally
the young men took their turn, and there never was such an
outpouring of young men in old St. Xavier's. They crowded every seat, occupied any number of extra benches and
filled the Sanctuary. In a word there can be no doubt that
these four weeks Mission are unparalleled in the history of
St. Xavier's Parish,

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In April, 105,898 prayers and good works were offered for
the Treasury of the Sacred Heart, by St. Xavier's League
members.
O~lAHA. New Rector of Crei'ght:m University.-Welcome
to the new and godspeed to the retiring president of Creighton university were expressed at the complimentary banquet
given on the evening of Feb. 25, in the Rome hotel by the
Creighton University Alumni association in honor of Rev.
M. P. Dowling and President Eugene Magevney of Creighton university. Besides 100 of the alumni of the professional
departments of the institution 100 members of the faculties
of the professional departments were present as special guests
of the association.
Judge Munger of the federal court and
Judges Day, Sears, Troup, Estelle and Sutton of the state
court, and many citizens high in professional and business
life were there.
Letters of regret were read from Chief
Justice Barnes of the supreme court and others who were
prevented by other engagements from attending.
The.affair was the most elaborate ever given by the Creighton Alumni association. It was the first time in the history
of the university that all the professors in the professional
departments were together at a table.
In Father Dowling's last term the university increased
from 400 to over 8oo students.
The work of Father Dowling, says a daily paper, while it
has been more in an executive and administrative capacity, is such as to have told remarkably in the development
of the university. When he came here for the second time,
ten years ago, he found Creighton practically a small col_lege, the only other department being the medical. In that
time he bas added the law, the dental and the pharmacy departments and the credit for planning and the building up
of these departments belongs to him.
He bas recognized the great utility of working in harmony with the state educational gepartment of public instruction, and Creighton bas come to occupy a very desirable position among the institutions of the state. Largely through
his influence and because of his recognized ability as an educator the credits given for work done in this college are
recognized in this state as equal to those given by the state
university.

NEW jERSEY. Harrison. Blessi11g of the Babies in Holy
Cross Church.-A unique and interesting sight was witnessed in the Church of the Holy Cross, Harrison, at the
ceremony of the "Blessing of the Babes," when 2,ooo
women, each carrying an infant in arms, dedicated their
little ones to God.
The unusual service was part of the exercises of the missiim conducted by the Jesuit Fathers at the church, and
every seat in the large edifice was occupied.

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291

-4.

Over 2,000 babies were estimated to be in the church, and
their wailing and crying, mixed with the attempts of the
mothers to hush them, at times swelled into a mighty sound.
The Rev. Father P. ]. Casey, s. J., was in charge of the
service, and blessed each child, placing it in the care and
under the guidance of God, and, after the services were concluded, a special ceremony was held for the dedication of
girl babies to the Blessed Virgin.
No woman was admitted to the church unless she had a
baby in her charge, the infant serving as a ticket of admittance.-The Evening Star, Mar. 2o, I9o8.
NEw YORK.
Church o/ Our Lady o/ Lordto. The
Little Italian Boy o/ the Tenement.-Father W. H. Walsh,
in charge of the Jesuit Mission of Our Lady of Loretto,
·stepped out into the st1nshine that flooded Elizabeth Street
at noon the other day and called in the direction of a group
of little Italian boys, "Nicola ! Nicola !"
"Yes, Father," answered Nicola Santella, hurrying to
the priest.
" I want you to sing for my friend here," said the priest,
leading the way from the sunny, but crowded street into a
court between Elizabeth and Mott Streets.
Nicola, who had been playing a street game a 'moment
before, stood beside the piano in the Boys' Club of the mission, his hands clasped behind him, waiting for the introductory passage of the song.
Father Walsh, a Jesuit, with the tenderest of affection for
the little children of the poor, his kindly eyes inviting confidences of children and parents both, tucked his cassock
beneath him and began the accompaniment .
. Ordinarily one would expect a thread-bare, bard-worn
ballad of the streets from a little Italian boy from an Elizabeth Street tenement house, but here came the surprise.
The song Nicola bad selected from his repertoire was music
written by Gunod for a poem of Victor Hugo. And not
only was the surprise there. Nicola sang it in French, and,
if you please, his accent was that of the Frenchman of Paris
and the salons.
Nicola evidently lo\·ed the song and the poem, for he sang
it as an angel ll'.ight have sung it, his crystalline soprano
reaching the heart of each note, the voice being handled
with ease and grace that made his hearers think of Sembrich.
"So you noticed that he sings right in the middle of the
note?" asked Father Walsh, as he patted Nicola affectionately on the arm. "It is the natural love for music. There
is no flattening to any of his notes. The most delicate
shading is done with absolute perfection. They're all that
way. I'll let you hear some of the others."
Nicola went out int0 the sunny street. Scores of little
fellows, some not too warmly clad for the breezy day, were

VARIA

playing about. It was recess time in the mtsston school.
In a little room of the mission many others were sitting at
table sipping their chocolate and munching their crackers.
These little fellows had trudged from more distant "Little
Italies" to study at the mission, and the good Father, from
his little hoard of mission money, was looking out for their
little stomachs as well as their little souls.
Nicola returned with a little army of the little Italians.
Some were a bit peaked, as if they had been denied much
in the earlier struggles of their parents to get a foothold in
the new land of promise ; some were plump and rosy
cheeked ; some were Sicilians, and others Calabrians, and all
were black-eyed, music-loving children, true children of the
land of sunshine, olives, chianti and song.
Father Walsh, to show the natural musical ability of his
little charges, let them sing a song by Rubenstein, written
in four parts, the first verse without accompaniment. Without direCtion from the priest, the boys sang it perfeCtly, their
sopratio and alto voices filling the court between Mott and
Eliz:tbeth Streets with melody. Then they sang the second
verse with accompaniment, and it was evident that not one
of the little singers had forgotten a single note or rest in the
song.
"Here's Paderwiski," whispersd one of the lads to another
as a youngster with the face of a cherub came into the room.
The little fellow had won this nickname by the style he
possessed when at the piano. From some remote tenement
room " Paderwiski" trudges every day to the mission to get
his chance at the piano or to sit patiently at the clavier and
do his finger exercises.
"I have one little fellow," said Father Walsh, "who
comes at half past five in the morning to begin his piano
study. Some of them will make any sacrifice to learn, and
our two pianos and one clavier are busy nearly all the time.
I have a German instruCtor wh,o helps them along wonderfully. We have very little mon~y, but he is modest in 'his
charges, and with what help I can give in direCting the boys
at their study of music we are getting along very well.
"My boys are going to make fine American citizens. I
have three of them in college now. They made their entrance examinations with only the preparatory work in the
mission school to depend on. In the three classes in which
they are now my boys lead their classmates.
"The Italian boy of the tenements has a great deal in
him. He naturally loves the beautiful things in life, and
here be gets a chance to reach after and get them. He
knows that study and decent behavior mean his development. I have many of the older boys to make the mission
praCtically their home. They come here from work even
during the lunch hour, and find time to improve their
minds."

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Father Walsh's little Italians with the beautiful voices
have seen more than is to be seen within the confines of
"Little Italy," for they have been in demand among the
wealthy people just as are the great singers of the opera
houses during the social season. Father Walsh frequently accepts requests for the music his boys give, and Nicola and
his felJow singers have appeared in many a millionaire's
parlor.
The mission building is one of the most interesting to be
found among the settlements of the city. It is merely a
front and rear tenement house shaped for its present purposes. On the top of the rear tenement has been built a
bell tower, where hangs a great sonorous bell which calls
Elizabeth and Mott Streets to Mass or to Vespers. In the
little court between the two buildings the sunshine falls on
bright geraniums and fresh, well-cared-for vines. Against
one of the walls is reared a figure of the Savior. Here
nearly a thousand little children are cared for in mind and
morals, and many of them in body, for Father Walsh would
have not one of them need for sustenance or clothing as long
as he and his co-workers could get out and ask for money.
There is no tax at all on the parents of the children. No
charge is made for anything, the congregation of the
chapel merely providing for the maintainance of the church
with their contributions at Mass.
"Some of my boys," said the Jesuit proudly, "are very
ambitious. Three of them are studying the organ, and they
will make fine organists. We will turn out some great men
yet, and are sure of turning out many fine capable Americans."-N. Y. Times.
·
Blessing of the Babies in St. Michael's Church.- More babies
than were ever packed into one church in New York city
before ·Were taken to St. Michael's, at Ninth avenue and
Thirty-fourth street, to be blessed by the Rev. William J.
Ennis, one of the missionaries of the Society of Jesus,
who have been holding missions in the church.
Mothers, children and babies in arms, principally the last,
filled the church: There were two thousand children present, and half of them were babies scarcely out of long
clothes. The sidewalk in front of the church was filled
with perambulators. Inside the pews, aisles and all the
standing room were jammed with babies.
They were a well behaved lot of babies, too, and the
·whole thousand did not make so much noise but that Father
Ennis' voice could be heard distinCl:lv in the back of the
building. Occasionally a baby set up wail that necessitated its mother carrying it to the rear of the church, but for
the most part the infant audience was a most decorous one.
Although it bas been observed in New York a few times

a

21

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heretofore, the ceremony never has been performed here on
so large a scale. While the ritual of the church contains a
special blessing for the children, it was only two years ago
that the idea was conceived of holding the ceremony with as
many young children present as could be gathered into a
church.
In a brief sermon Father Ennis referred to the church's
appreciation of motherhood and pointed out that as the
children were members of the church they were entitled to
its blessing as much as the older members. After the sermon he passed through the congregation, sprinkling mothers and babies with holy water, the choir meantime singing
hymns. He returned to the pulpit and briefly dedicated the
mothers and children to the Blessed Lady. The ceremony
began at four o'clock and lasted nearly an hour.
Blessing of the babies has been made a feature of the
mission work being done by the Society of Jesus in the
East.)
PHi'A.LDELPHIA.
St. Joseph's College.
The Catholic
Alumni Sodalify.-At the last meeting in March of the
Catholic Alumni Sodality of Philadelphia, the Rev. Philip
R. McDevitt, Superintendent of Parish Schools, gave an informal talk on the Status of the Parochial School Question.
An unusually large attendance of members and gentlemen
guests followed with evident satisfaction and approval Father McDevitt's clear exposition of his subject.
It is only
stating the truth when it is said that Father McDevitt is the
best equipped exponent of our Catholic school system and
her ablest defender, consequently his statements must always
~carry with them the greatest authority.
A general discussion by the members gave an opportunity to the lecturer to correct many false views and dissipate cloudy notions.
Catholic graduates of colleges and universities and also
professional gentlemen are in-vited to attend the meetings
of the Catholic Alumni Sodality, which are held every
Sunday of the month, at 9.30 in the College Chapel,
Seventeenth and Stiles Streets.
Lecture by the Seniors.-On April 1st, the Senior Class
gave an illustrated lecture on "The Biology of the Human Body", in the College Auditorium.
Mr. James F.
Ryan, 'o8, read an introductory paper on "The Origin of
Man'', in which he briefly set forth the tenets of Darwin,
the theory of Evolution and the theory of Constancy.
The lecture was given by Mr. Francis X. Daily, 'o8, and
embraced the most important anatomical, physiological
anq pathological features of the human body. Seventysix selected stereopticon illustrations were thrown upon the
screen. Among these were X-Ray pictures and micro-pho· '

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295

tographs, which owing to the difficulty of their production,
The lecture was attended by a
were of special interest.
large and appreciative audience. The medical and scientific
After the lecture, the
professions were well represented.
rooms of the Scientific Department located on the third floor
of the College building, were thrown open to the audience.
PHILIPPINE IsLANDS.
Tribute to Father JJ:fonag-han, S. J.
-The following tribute to the Rev. James P. Monaghan, a
member of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus,
appeared in the Cablenews·Amencan, \Vednesday, March 4,
1908, Manila, P. I. : "During the past week or two, considerable space has been given in the American papers of
this city to the protests of certain missioners against a
feature of the carnival. A day or so ago a select gathering of
Americans assembled to sav a farewell word to an American
Jesuit priest, the Reverendjames P. Monaghan. The gathering was not marked by religious lines. They were all men
and women with hearts big enough to appreciate true Christian work. Anri that was their substantial estimate of what
Fr. Monaghan has been doing during his three year's residence in Manila. His labors in the ministry did not lead
him into politics or into matters of pure business. He found
ample to do among the poor, among the sick and afflicted.
He found time, besides, to preach the gospel in the Cathedral on Sundays, to take an interest in the boys and girls of
his own faith who are studying in the government schools of
Manila, most of them separated from the guiding influence
of home life.
"And though his work was carried on quietly and unostentatiously, his familiar figure in black gown and broad sombrero soon became known among all classes of Manila who
felt that here was a man who was working for God, and not
for his own fame and self-advertisement. We hope that Fr.
Monaghan will soon return to Manila and bring with him,
as Archbishop Harty said,· more men of his own class.''
Notes.-The Commencement at the Ateneo, the Jesuit
College of Manila, was held on March 12. The programme
of Studies was submitte'd to the U. S. Government officials
who for this year empowered the college authorities to confer the usual degrees.
There were some cases of cholera in Manila during the
early part of the year, and during the "scare" the pest
house of San Lazaro was daily visited by Fathers Finegan
and Chousa. The latter is rector of the Cathedral of Manila,
while the former is chaplain of Bilibid, the general prison
of the Islands. Father Finegan has, at Mass on Sundays,
a congregation of some x,soo souls, to whom the seminarians preach in the native dialects. The seminarians are also
his Sunday-school teachers. After his Mass in Bilibid, Fa-

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ther Finegan goes to Fort McKinley and says a second Mass
there. This Fort is said to be the second in the world in resped to the number of soldiers within the stronghold.
Rev. \Villiam McDonough, s. J., well known as a professor in various colleges of the Maryland-New York Province,
is spending· his first year as a missionary in the Philippines. He is at present chaplain to the hospitals of Manila
and diredor of a Sodality of Filipinas. These young ladies
hail from different provinces and islands and are preparing
for the most part to be school teachers ; some few to be
nurses. They meet to receive instruCtions hvice a week in
the chapel of the Sisters of the Assumption. The Superior
of the latter is Mother Helen, a daughter of the famous Parnelite, Joseph Biggar. The academy under her charge is in
high favor with the government and has been permanently
empowered to grant degrees entitling the recipient to teach
in the primary and the high schools.
From January 13 to 18 there was an athletic "meet" of
picked· soldiers from all the islands-the most successful
tournament in the history of the army. Father Joseph
Casey, Chaplain of the xst Infantry, thought it offered an
excellent occasion for a military Mass. The soldiers who
bore arms were Catholics. Thev were of the" scouts." that
is the Filipino portion of the U. S. forces in the Islands.
The persons present were largely army officers and their
families. Father Casey is a former student of the University of St. Louis. The sermon on the occasion was preached
by Father Thomas Becker, professor of philosophy at St.
John's College, Fordham, during the scholastic year 19o6~'o7.

Father Joseph Algue, s. J., chief of the Manila observatory and government official, has just completed a new observatory at Bagnio. The building is unique. There is a
bouse within a house.
The outer one is of stone to withstand the tornadoes; the innerO'rn! is of wood, so that in case
an earthquake destroys the stone building, the strong wooden structure will still preserve the valuable astronomical instruments.
Baguio is a most healthful location and is the
favorite summer resort of the people of Manila.
It appears that on the islands there are few friars now outside of Manila.
Their places in the provinces are taken by
native priests who, in general, seem not to have been fitted
by their training to meet the difficulties of the present. "As
·far as I can make out", says a Father who is there, "the
Church is losing badly.
Protestantism and Aglipayanism
are drawing the people away from the Church.
What is
needed above all is a zealous, learned body of native secular
clergy, who can answer objections to our religion, and will
teach the people the catechism and get them to go to the
sacraments. It seems that formerly the teaching of religion

VARIA

!!97

was left in great part to the school teacher. The work now,
if it is going to be done at all, must be done by the priest.
And the hope of the Church in the Philippines is the body
of young priests that will go out from the present seminaries.
I am told there are a number of parishes without pastorsgood, bad or indifferent-and ,have been so for years. There
seem to be few parochial schools, and little money to support them. The Superior of the Redemptorists told me, that
there are Sisters in Australia, first-class teachers, who have
qualified before the State Examining Board, and would gladly come here if their expenses would be paid.
"A few months ago a half dozen Josephites from Mill Hill,
England, came to the Philippines. More would have come
if passage money for them could have been raised.
They
are truly heroic.
When they were here in Manila, their
Superior did not know how they could be supported.
But
they went to their various points of destination just the
same. Some of them will probably do as their brethern did
before them in Bishop Rooker's diocese, who went among
the natives and lived on the rice and fish the poor shared
with them.
"I have just one word more to add about the religious situation.
Protestantism will not make a very large number
of converts, but together with Aglipayanism it will cause
antagonism to the Church, rob many people of their faith,
make them indifferentists in religion, and bring about the
loss of their souls.
"I fear the Americans have imported nearly all the doctrinal errors of the United States. These evils can be offset
by such works as The Catholic Mind, the Catholic Truth
Society Tracls, etc.
If Americans have introduced the
poison, it would be well for other Americans to apply the
antidote".
Manila Weather Bureau. "The value of the excellent
weather service of the Manila bureau", says the New York
Sun, "has been enhanced considerably by the cahle lines
laid within the last two or three years between Celebes and
Yap in the Caroline Islands, and Yap and Guam, where the
line from the south connects with the transpacific line from
S:m Francisco. The Manila weather bureau is thus able to
obtain daily reports of the meteorological conditions hundreds of miles ont in the Pacific, and especially to give warning of typhoons out at sea before any effects have reached
the Philippines. The latest bulletin of the bureau gives an
example that occured last year.
"On the last two days of March and the first of April the
meteorological station at Yap cabled that a typhoon bad
formed northeast of Yap. The observer made hottrly observations during the passage of the storm. and Manila was informed when it was north of Yap and of its apparent move-

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VARIA

ment to the northwest.
The Manila station sent the news
as it came to hand to Indo-China, China, Japan and the
other Philippine ports, with the warning that navigation
was dangerous in the Pacific between the Philippines and
the western Carolines.
"It proved to be a violent and destructive storm, doing
much damage among the islands and islets of the western
part of the Carolines. The destruction was complete on the
two islands of the \Vlea group, where trees, houses and 200
inhabitants were swept into the sea by the immense waves
that poured over the land like cataracts. On other islets the
water rose so high that the people saved themselves only by
climbing to the tops of cocoanut trees.
"These cables are beginning to render the same kind of
service to the eastern shores of the Orient that we receive
from the stations that inform us of the genesis of cyclones in
the West Indies".
These Stations in the \Vest Indies and the Philippines are
undet the management of Fathers of the Society of Jesus.
ROME. Pius X and an Invocation to the Sacred Heart.So wonderful have been the results attending the invocation:
"Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee", writes
Fr. Van Peteghem, s. J., who suggested it in a retreat preceding the expulsion of a religious community, that more
than so,ooo copies of the aspiration were printed and circulated.
Large inscriptions were made of it to be hung in
schools and hospitals.
To add to the blessings with which
the Divine Heart rewarded the confidence of the faithful,
Pius X deigned to write himself beneath the image of the
~sacred Heart, which was presented· to him:
"To all the
faithful who recite daily with devotion this invocation, we
grant 300 days' indulgence each day, with a plenary indulgence once a month, provided having confessed and communicated, they pray for the convstsion of poor sinners".
In
a declaration of June 27th, 1906, Pius X confirmed this concession and again on June sth, 1907, he deigned to grant an
indulgence of 300 days toties quotiu, or as many times a day
as this invocation should be recited with devotion.
Both
partial and plenary indulgences are applicable to the souls
in Purgatory.
SouTH AFRICA.
Cape Colony. St. Aidan's Colle,{[~.The Rhodes University College has very kindly offered the
authorities of St. Aidan's the privilege of nominating two or
three qualified students, each year, to Entrance Bursaries of
the value of £21 each.
The undergraduates so nominated
must reside at St. Aidan's Hostel.
Present Aidanites who
have passed their Matriculation have a prior claim to these
Bursaries, but, failing boys qualified and willing to accept
them, past Aidanites or other Catholic students duly qualified are eligible, and may apply for the said Bursaries.

VARIA
WASHINGTON.
Banquet £n Honor o/ Cardinals Logue
and Gibbons.-On the evening of May 6, the Hon. Burke
Cockran, a representative in Congress from New York, gave
a banquet at his home in honor of Cardinals Logue and Gibbons. It was an informal affair and attended only by gentlemen. Among the guests was Rev. Father Hanselman, Provincial. The other guests were: Mgr. Falconio, the Apostolic Delegate; Archbishops Ryan, of Philadelphia; Farley,
of New York, and Glennon, of St. Louis; Bishop Browne, of
Cloyne, Ireland; Bishop O'Connell, Rector of the Catholic
University; Mgr. Lavelle, of New York; Rev. William P.
Russell, of St. Patrick's Church; Speaker Joseph G. Cannon,
of the House oi Representatives; Justice White and Justice
McKenna, of the United States Supreme Court; AttorneyGeneral Bonaparte, Senator Foraker, Senator Aldrich and
Richard Harding Davis, the author.
·woRCESTER.
Holy Cross College.
Worcester County
Alumni Banquet.-The Worcester County Alumni held
their annual banquet at the Worcester AutomoLile Club,
February 14 .. and it will long be remembered for the ardent
discussion of the Greek and Latin question.
Rev. Father
Murphy, s. J., president of the College, staunchly defended
the retention of Greek, advancing as an argument that it is
absolutely necessary for turning out a full-cultured college
graduate.
Public Latuns.-The public lecture course by Rev.
Robert Schwickerath, s. J., has been pronounced by all a
great success. The lectures were delivered in Fenwick
Hall on March 10, 16, 24 and 31, and on April 6. The sub. jects treated were: "Christianity as an Educational Force."
"Early Christian Education". "The Church as an Educator of Medieval Europe". "Popular EdU<;ation on the
Eve of the Reformation".
"Education of Women-its
gradual development". The attendance at all the lectures
not only taxed the ordinary capacity of the hall but required the addition of over a hundred extra seats.
In the audience were noticed a large number of teachers
from the local schools besides professors and students from
Clark University, ·worcester Polytechnic Institute and the
State Normal School. After the last lecture there were general expressions of regret that the course was over.
Classical Association o/ New England. -Father Rector,
with Fr. Schwickerath, attended the meeting of the Classical Association of New England, convened at Smith College, April 3rd and 4th. Father Schwickerath read a paper
on the "Evolution of Classical Studies".
League o/ the Sacred .Heart.-Another notable event in
the League of the Sacred Heart marked the first Friday of
April, when all the boarders-300 strong-received Com·

300

VARlA

munion of Reparation.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart
has had a wonderful impetus this year, and the number of
Communions bas increased with each recurring First Friday. Monthly Promotors' meetings are held the first Wednesday preceding each first Friday.
Each associate is reminded of the approaching Friday Communion, and results
have been most gratifying to those in charge.
ZAMBESI. Empandmi.-There are now five schools at
Empandeni and Embakwe, attended by an aggregate of
about soo children.
There now remains only one more to
open, on the northern limit of the property where there are
a good many kraals.
\Ve shall then have the entire population of En,pandeni well in hand, and it will be possible to
instruct all the children old enough to come to school.
During the past year the number of baptisms at Empandeni and its out-station was nearly 200, a record for this
mission station.
The total number on the baptism register
is no$ 853, and it will probably exceed r ,ooo before the end
or the' present year.
The experiment of employing native boys, of r6 or 17, as
teachers in our new schools has succeeded very well. They
take to the work with enthusiasm; they are full of zeal, and
bring very many of the children under their charge to ask
for Baptism; and they show astonishing skill in imparting
to others the knowledge they have themselves acquired.
HoME NEWS.
Theologians' Acadt!mJ'.-The officers of
the Theologians' Academy, for the year 1907-1908 were, Mr.
McNeal, President, and Mr. Jose Grimal, Secretary. A pro- gram of twelve papers was arranged before the opening of
schools and was carried through with but few modifications,
two meetings being held each month except in January and
February,in each of which months only one meeting was held.
On October 3rd, Fr. Conniff x;ead an interesting and instructive paper on "The numb.er. of the Saved and Lost",
giving and weighing the strongest arguments for each side,
and favoring as his own the less rigorous opinion.
"The
Lawfulness of Inducing to the Religious State" was set
forth by Mr. McNulty on October 24th, his views being
mainly based on St. Thomas and illustrated by practical examples that made this delicate topic less hazy than it had
previously been to many.
November 7th found us attentively listening to a brief but very complete resume of the
"Characteristic Tenets of Presbyterianism", by Mr. Mellyn,
a paper which was particularly interesting to those who
later in the year would have to thread the ways of Predestination. Mr. Graham's paper on "Some Remote Causes of
the Reformation", endeavored to trace the contempt of papal authority in the r6th century to the arrogance of Philip
the Fair in the 14th. The combination of close reasoning and

VARIA

301

historical erudition made this paper particularly entertaining.
The Southern Province was represented by Mr. McNally
whose demonstration of the ''Distinction between the Power of the Keys and that of Baptizing'', was an excellent example of the kind of controversial work in which ours are
engaged in that most American and least Catholic part "of
our field oflabor. Christmas-time found the Academy in a·
mood for something ::esthetical as well as theological.
It
was eminently forthcoming in Mr. Stinson's delightful evening with ''The Medireval Legend of the Holy Grail''. Thi~
lecture was a public affair given in the Domestic Library,
the entire community being invited.
It was illustrated by
lantern-views of the Grail Pictures taken from the Public
Library of Boston.
The lecturer first gave a history of the
legend to them, outlined the form of it, which had been
adopted by Abbot, in making the above named series of
mural paintings.
The slides were furnished by Curtis &
Cameron of Boston, and being defective in some points, this
firm when informed of the fact, not only refrained from making any charges, but sent us a complete set of their handsame Copley prints of The Grail series. These slides are by
a special arrangement with Curtis Ct Cameron to be at the
disposal of Mr. Stinson at a reasonable rent, the firm holding a strict copyright on the entire series in any form.
The work of the second term was opened by Fr. Geoghan,
with a paper on "Some Aspects of Theosophy", em bodying
the results of much patient delving into the nebulous literature issued by the various Propagandas of the cult, notably .
that at Point Loma, California.
Many new aspects of this
school were presented, particularly its dangerously rapid
growth among the indifferent thousands of America.
February 6th brought us a pleasant evening among "Some
Curious Questions from Old Theologians" by Mr. Jessup.
On the evening of March 29th, a special meeting was held
in the Theologians' Hall for the purpose of organizing the
Academy's work for next year, in order that all prospective
essayists might have abundance of time to collect material
before the beginning of school in September.
Rev. Fr.
Provincial and the Rev. Prefect of Studies attended the
meeting. Fr. Conniff suggested that the work be unified on
some one topic sufficiently broad for a good series of papers.
Mr. Kavanagh offered Modernism as a suitable field.
Mr.
McCarthy favored the selection of propositions from the
Syllabus. Mr. Fisher offered a selection from the same.
Mr. Mellyn and Mr. Emmet urged the embodiment of these
suggestions in the form of resolutions to be considered more
maturely later on. This line of action being adopted, Rev.
Fr. Provincial addressed the meeting, speaking forcibly of
the Province's need of writers and approving highly of the
plan which had just been adopted as being a move in the
needed direction.
Before Rev. Fr. Provincial departed, be favored the Academy with another visit on April 18th, when Mr.- Murphy

302

VARIA

discussed the question "Is Catholicity a Bar to National
Prosperity", adducing a number of newly collected facts
pointing to the conclusion that prosperity among Christian
nations (whethf'r Catholic or Protestant), is the product
rather of natural causes than of religious influences. At the
close of this meeting the above mentioned resolutions were
adopted. Shakespeare's birthday, April 23rd, was fitly celebrated with an essay on his great Spanish rival Calderon,
by Mr. Gimenez who explained the theme, structure and
stage-management of the "Eucharistic Dramas or Autos
Sacramentales".
The year's work closed on May 6th, with the election of
Mr. Murphy as President, and Mr. Cassidy as Secretary for
the year Igo8-rgog.
Officers of Philosophers' Academy, I90J-I9o8- President,
Mr. Daniel J. Lynch, s. J.; Vice- President, Mr. Joseph S.
Hogan, s. J.; Secretary, Mr. Michael A. Clarke, s. J.
October g; Marx's Theory of Value; Mr. John M. Fox.
October.23; A Philosophical View of Modern Literature; Mr.
Michael A. Clark. November 6; Catholic Philosophy and
Spin"tism,· Mr. JosephS. Hogan. November 2o; What the
Society ofJesus has done for Science/ Mr. James B. Mahoney.
December I I; Newman's Certitude,· Mr. Edward A. Brosnan.
January 8; The Ethics of Gambling,· Mr. John P. Meagher.
January 22; The Rontgen .Rays, (Exper).,· Mr. Daniel J.
Lynch. February s; Albertus Magnus; Mr. Ferdinand \V.
Haberstroh. February 26; Some f;,Vonders of Insect Life,
Their Jl:fetamorphosis and Homes, (illustrated); Mr. Francis
L. Fenwick. March IS; Is Newman a Conceptualist r Mr.
francis P. LeBuffe. March IS; Pragmatism-TheNewPhilosoplzy and its Definition of Troth; Mr. Ignatius \V. Cox.
April I; Wireless Telegraphy, (Exper.); Mr. Edmund A.
Walsh. May 6; ll:fatter and Form in the Light of Modern
Scientijic Discoven"es; Mr. Gregory G. Kiehne. May 2o;
l'rfan and the Monkey; Mr. Char!~ .Rcemer.
The Spn"ng Disputations took place on April 27th,
De Ecclesia, Mr. Fisher, defender; Mr.
28th and 29th.
Adleman and Mr. Gaynor, objectors.
De Voluntate et
Providentia Dei, Mr. Kelly, defender; Mr. Boyle and Mr.
Gallagher, objectors. Ex Scriptura Sacra, The "Revision
of the Vulgate", essayist, Mr. Tully.
Ex Jure Canonico,
''Is the Religious State of Divine Institution", essayist,
Mr. McCa:ffray. Ecclesiastical History, "The Easter Controversy", essayist, Mr. McNulty. Ex Ethica, Mr. Meagher,
defender; Mr. Osdoba and Mr. Rcemer, objectors. Ex Theologia Naturali, Mr. Morning, defender; Mr. Raines and Mr.
Ex Cosmologia, Mr. Dolan, defender;
Siggins, objectors.
Ex OntoloMr. Cirigliano and Mr. Cummings, objectors.
gia; Mr. Fasy, defender; Mr. Fuller and Mr. McCormick,
objectors.
Geology, "The Courses of Some American Rivers", lecturer, Mr. Glover.
Ph;,sics, "A Quarter of a Century of Electric Traction", lecturer, Mr. Mereta.

THE

WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XXXVII. No. 3

THE SOCIETY OF JESU"S IN AUSTRALIA<1l
INTRODUCTION

A rapid sketch of the early history of the Australian Colonies will help us to a view, however inadequate, of the state
of the country before the advent of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus.
In the Southern Hemisphere, thousands of
miles from Europe and America, lies a great island-continent, with sunny skies, dry and healthy climate, luxuriant
vegitation, and some four millions of energetic inhabitants
-a White Australia. One hundred years ago the first settlers, landing on its eastern coast, discovered a capacious inlet of the sea, that formed a natural harbour of great beauty,
and there, close to the bright, restless waters they laid the
foundations of the city of Syclney. The Catholics who about
that time reached Australian shores were men who had
taken part in the Irish Insurrection of 1798. They were accompanied by three Catholic priests, unjustly condemned to
the same punishment.
It was subsequently proved that
those priests had nothing whatever to do with the insurrection.
After some years two of them, gaining their release,
returned to Ireland. The third, the Rev. Father Dixon, became, through the recommendation of the Home Govern111 For the details of the events which led to the founding of a Mission
of the Society of]esns in South Australia, as well as for the subsequent
history of the Mission, we are indebted to the zeal and labours of the Rev.
Father Joseph Polk and Brother Francis Poelzl, both of the Society. Father Polk arrived in Australia in r861, and Brother Poelzl in r863, and each
was assiduous in collecting full and correct data of what happened in the
early years, and in committing to writing the events of which he was himself an eye-witness. Accordingly, the accuracy of the narrative cannot be
called in question.

TJ!E SOCIETY

ment, the first recognized Catholic chaplain in Australia.
In the midst of much poverty and hardship, he attended to
his duty with zeal and fortitude, but protestant bigotry and
official persecution soon deprived him of all power to do
good. By a despotic exercise of authority the Governor of
the settlement forbade the celebration of Mass and the administration of the Sacraments.
The priest, finding his
position intolerable, requested permission to return to his
native country. Leave was readily given, and the year I8o8
saw the Catholics deprived of all spiritual succour.
The
years which followed were full of gloom and sorrow.
All
dissenters were forced to attend the Church of England service.
A refusal to do so was punished with twenty-five
lashes; fifty lashes was the penalty for a repetition of the socalled offence; and the sentence pronounced on continued
disobedience was confinement in heavy irons.
Nearly ten
years passed before help came. At length, in the beginning
of November, ISI7, the welcome news spread among the
Catholic population that the Very Rev. Archpriest O'Flinn
had landed in Sydney. Before leaving Ireland this zealous
priest had asked for the Government approval of his mission, but he did not receive it before his departure.
As the
ship in which he had taken his passage was setting sail, he
requested a friend to forward the permit, which he regarded
as a mere formality, and expected that, as a matter of course,
it would be granted. His zeal not only endeared him to his
Sydney flock, but even won converts to the Catholic Faith.
The attention of the Colonial officials was attracted, and
they asked if he had obtained the requisite sanction from
_ Imperial authorities. Being unable to reply in the affirmative, he was seized and carried on board a homeward-bound
vessel which at once set sail for Europe (May IS, ISIS). In
consequence of the haste with which this arbitrary act was
carried out, the Archpriest was unable to consume the Blessed Sacrament.
The Sacred ~p.ecies remained enclosed in
their silver receptacle in the hotise of a Catholic in Sydney,
and there the flock, so suddenly deprived of their pastor, assembled to mourn and pray.
That afflicted and kneeling
crowd presented a touching spectacle. Bowed in adoration
before the Hidden God, they begged that light and strength
might be given them in their desolation, and that the Holy
Sacrifice and the Sacraments might be speedily restored to
them again. Their prayer was heard. The priest's expulsion created great indignation in Ireland, and a public protest was made in Parliament by one of the Irish Members.
Pressure was brought to bear on the Government, with the
result that salaries were granted to authorized chaplains for
the Catholic part of the Australian portion of the population.
Two Irish priests, the Rev. John Joseph Therry, and the
'Rev. Philip Connolly, volunteered to devote themselves to
the spiritual interests of their fellow-countrymen beneath the
Southern Cross,

.IN AUSTRALIA

805

THE PROGRESS OF CATHOLICITY

From the landing of Father Therry the commencement of
Australian Church history may properly be dated. He has
been justly called the Apostle of Australia, for his energy,
courage, and self-sacrifice laid the deep and lasting foundations of the Catholic religion in the "Great South Land".
He gave himself from the outset with whole-hearted devotion to the discharge of his priestly duties, and, owing to the
peculiar circumstances of his position, he became to the
members of his flock a bulwark against injustice and oppression.
A noble and spacious church was built by him in
Sydney, the foundation-stone of which was laid by the Governor of the Colony (1821).,
The next important event was the advent of Father Ullathorne (afterwards Bishop of Birmingham), sent as VicarGeneral to Sydney by the Bishop of Mauritius, who possessed jurisdiction over Australia and the South Sea Islands.
The chief result of Father Ullathorne's visit was the appointment by the Holy See of the Right Rev. John Bede
Folding as Vicar-Apostolic of New South Wales in 1835.
Year by year the Church grew in numbers and influence;
and when Dr. Folding visited Rome in 1842, he was named
by the Sovereign Pontiff Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of Australia.
Suffragan Sees were soon created.
l'he first Episcopal consecration that took place in Australia
was that of the Right Rev. Francis Murphy, who was
chosen to rule the diocese of Adelaide, South Australia,
(I844). In 1845 the diocese of Perth, Western Australia received its first Bishop, Dr. Brady.
Hobart, Tasmania, becarne a bishopric, and in 1848 the Rev. James Alipius Goold,
0. S. A., was appointed Bishop of Melbourne, a See destined
to become in a few years an archbishopric holding sway
over a new ecclesiastical province.
.
The discovery of gold in 1851, caused an enormous influx
of population, and the progress of the Church kept pace
with the rapid growth of the Colonies. Additional missions
being marked out, churches and presbyteries were rapidly
built; and convents, colleges and schools arose on every side.
Dr. Folding died in 1877, and was succeeded by his co-adjutor, Dr. Roger Bede Vaughn, whose short, but brilliant
career was terminated by sudden death in 1883.
The
Right Rev. Patrick Francis Moran, Bishop of Ossory, Ireland, became the third Archbishop of Sydney, and was raised to the dignity of Cardinal by Pepe Leo XIII. in 1885.
Dr. Goold died in 1886, and his successor, the Right Rev.
Thomas Joseph Carr, was translated from the See of Galway, Ireland, to Melbourne, where he arrived in June, 1887.

306

THE SOCIETY

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COLONY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

A charter was granted by the British government
for the establishment of a settlement with free institutions in South Australia, and the Colony was proclaimed in December, 1836: at that time all the other settlements in Australia were Crown colonies. A rash spirit
of speculation, with a large outlay in the erection of
public buildings in Adelaide, the capital, brought on a
commercial depression in 1841.
However, the crisis
passed, and the discovery of copper and lead mines in
1843 and 1845 restored confidence in South Australia's
resources.
From the beginning the colony had been
favoured in the sterling character of the immigrants
that settled within its borders.
As progress depended
on immigration, agencies were established in England
and .Germany; and as early as 1842 the fertility of its
soil -\vas sufficiently known in Germany to induce a
number of Prussian emigrants to chose South Australia
· as their future home.
The land, they were told, was
easily cultivated, the climate was healthy, labour was
well paid, and each one could, after a while, purchase a
farm and acquire an independent position. Some Lutheran families, to escape the oppressive interference of
the Prnssian government with their religious opinions,
left Europe and settled in the Colony, about Tanunda
and Angaston. The favourable reports which they sent
--to their relatives induced others to follow their example.
FRANCIS WEIKERT AND HIS COMPANIONS

As the year I848 was rife.- with social and political
disturbances in Germany and Austria, no less than in
other countries of Europe, thousands of peaceable and
well-disposed people left their native land to seek elsewhere a more secure place of abode.
Amongst them
was a wealthy fanner, named Francis Weikert, who became the leader of a band of Catholic emigrants from
Silesia.
His enterprise led to the founding of the Mission of the Society of Jesus .in South Australia. An excellent Catholic, he resolved to use the money obtained
by the sale of his property in establishing a Catholic
settlement in the distant land to which he was going.
He gathered around him a number of emigrants (some
of them were married), who promised to repay, as soon
as possible, the expenses of the voyage, which Weikert

IN AUSTRALIA

307

defrayed.
This generous act of his afforded a large
number of poor people an opportunity to better their
lot; but the Silesian farmer, straightforward and honest
himself, took it for'granted that this promise would be
faithfully kept and he thus exposed himself to the danger of obtaining no personal advantage from so large an
expenditure and even of depriving himself and his eight
children of the means of subsistence in a foreign countrv.
"Many emigrate without making provision for their
spiritual wants, and so, while they often fail in their
temporal enterprises, they lack fitting opportunities of
securing their eternal welfare.
Weikert was not disposed to act thus. Unwilling to expose himself and his
family to the risk of endangering their faith or of being
deprived of the means of grace, he resolved to take a.
priest with him, both for the emigrants during the voyage and for the settlement which he intended to found.
He may not have known that Adelaide, the Capital of
South Australia, was already an Episcopal See, but in
any case he could not expect to find there a priest capable of speaking his own language. As he was not himself of ready address, he sent his wife, who was welleducated and energetic, to the Archbishop of Munich.
The Archbishop, doubtless, found it a difficult matter to
obtain a priest willing to accept such a mission without
any knowledge of Australia or of his future relations
with the Bishop and clergy of the Adelaide diocese. At
length, he advised Weikert to apply to the Superior of
the Austrian Province of the Society of Jesus, who appeared just then to have priests at his disposal. For, in
that year (1848), the houses of the Austrian Province of
the Society had been closed.
Some of their inmates
were sent to different parts of Europe, and others to
America. Some resided with the secular clergy or in
monasteries; while others again were employed as tutors
in families, or lived with their relatives.
Yet, though
circumstances favoured the success of Weikert's suit, the
Superiors naturally hesitated to engage in an enterprise
which, owing to the want of information, seemed venturesome and imprudent. At last. however, two newly
ordained priests, Father Aloysius Kranewitter and Father Maxiniilian Klinkowstroem were appointed. It is
said that Father Kranewitter, felt, at his first Mass, a
great desire to work in some foreign land where priests
were needed, and he formed the resolution to ask for
such a mission.
If that were so, Divine Providence
granted his wish by sending him to Australia.

308

THE SOCIETY

THE VOYAGE

The voyage in the good ship, Alfred, from Hamburg
to Adelaide, was described by Father Kranewitter in his
first letter home, dated "Clare Village, South Australia,
June ro, 1849".
The two Fathers, Weikert and his
family, and a band of about 130 emigrants, with other
passengers, embarked at Hamburg on the Feast of Our
Lady'~ Assumption, August rsth, I848. Father Kranewitter relates, among other interesting details, that at
the end of the first month on board, he discovered to his
great disappointment, that the greater number of his
fellow-passengers were ''Christian heathens", people who
had long before abandoned their faith.
Nevertheless,
on Sundays, whenever the weather permitted, Father
Klinkowstroem, who was an eloquent speaker, preached
a sennon on deck.
The ship called at Rio Janeiro,
whet'e the Fathers were much pleased to find the Italian
Capuchins, by whom they were hospitably entertained.
After a few days they continued their voyage, and
passing the Cape of Good Hope, reached on the 4th of
December, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
Four
days after, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
they landed at Port Adelaide, and were kindly received
by his Lordship, Dr. l\Iurphy, the first Bishop of the
See.
THE DIOCESE OF ADELAIDE

The state of the diocese at this period may be described in a few words.
The Bishop, after his consecration
in 1844, found on his arrival that his pro-cathedral was
a large store-room, known a~ the "Adelaide Brewery",
in Pirie Street.
The Catholi~s of Morphett Vale were
the first congregation to erect a stone church.
The
church, St. Patrick's, at West Terrace, Adelaide, was
a school, which had been enlarged for Divine worship
and, together with the Bishop's residence, was completed in 1846, when Dr. Murphy returned from his first
visit to Europe.
It was large enough to accommodate
the Adelaide Catholics and a number of soldiers belonging to the local garrison.
Afterwards, churches were
gradually built throughout the diocese, which were
served by the following priests: Father Wolfrey at Gawler, Father Michael O'Brien at Mount Barker, Father
Snell at Morphett Vale, Father Maurice Lencione at
West Terrace, Father Caldwell at Willunga, Father
Fallon at Kapunda, and Father Quin at Clare. Father
Michael Ryan was Vicar-General.

IN AUSTRALIA

309

The Rev. Dr. Backhouse, who had come from India,
worked for a time with the Bishop and had charge of
the Germans in and around Adelaide.
Though Dr. Murphy gave a hearty welcome to the
newly arrived Jesuit Fathers, the situation of the latter
was neither pleasant nor encouraging. There was no
place for them or special work. The number of Catholics was small, and these were unable to do more than
support the few priests already employed, while the
Adelaide Germans were already in the charge of a German priest.
The Government gave no subsidy to
church, clergy, or school.
Father Kranewitter offered
to accompany Weikert, who wished to take up land
near Clare, about eighty miles north of Adelaide. The
Bishop approved of his doing so, and advised him, while
he looked after the Germans, to study English that he
might be of greater service to the diocese.
No doubt,
one of Father Kranewitter's chief difficulties lay in the
necessity of leaving Father Klinkowstroem alone in the
city, where he knew no one, except the few Germans
whom he found there. It was just then the hottest time
of the year, and the solitary Father's health became affected.
The physician whom he consulted declared
that it was dangerous for him to remain in the Colony,
and strongly advised him to return to Europe without
delay. Accordingly, he sailed from Adelaide on the
17th of March, 1849. His talents found wider scope in
Austria and produced subsequently abundant fruit, as
for many years he was a popular and effective preacher.
FAILURE OF WEIKERT'S PLAN

When Weikert left Europe, with his band of emigrants, he was persuaded that there would be no difficulty in keeping them together and forming a settlement. Even during the voyage, however, it was found
to be no easy task to establish concord among many
persons brought so hastily together. The difficulty increased after their arrival in Australia.
Everyone was
eager to do the best he could for himself, and acted in
total disregard of the agreement made with Weikert.
The latter had spent on his emigration scheme over one
thousand pounds (a very considerable sum at that time
in Europe), and now he saw himself in a strange land,
quite ignorant of the language and customs of the Colony, and dependent on the advice and co-operation of a
land-agent.
As living in town was very expensive, he

310

THE SOCIETY

was obliged to act at once.
Understanding that there
was land for sale near Clare, north of Adelaide, he determined to rent a part of it and establish a home for
himself and his family. Accompanied by Father Kranewitter, he left Adelaide on the r4th of December, r848,
and on the 2oth arrived at the land selected, which was
about one mile west of the main road to Adelaide and
two miles south of Clare.
The settlers took up their
abode in a new house which a Catholic Irishman had
built for himself.
"It was a large house", says a letter
of Father Kranewitter's, "according to Colonial ideas,
consisting of five rooms on a ground floor, and these
rooms dispensed with the luxury of glass windows.
Miserable and strait as this dwelling looked, it was the
best in the country round about, and ·with its pleasant
site and mild air, it appeared quite tolerable".
In the residence the young missionary was obliged to
beco1ne a member of Weikert's household.
He was a
shepherd who had to search for his flock.
Having no
horse, he travelled on foot and looked for his fellow emigrants.
These had scattered in different directions to
find the German Colonists (mostly protestant), who had
arrived some years before, and thus they exposed themselves to the danger of losing their faith.
'l'HE ARRIVAL OF TWO LAY-BROTHERS

In March, r849, Father Kranewitter received the welcome news from Austria, that two lay-brothers, George
Sadler and John Schreiner, were on their way to Australia. The Brothers left Innsbruck on the rsth of Octo. her, r848, and proceeded to Munich, where they received their passage money from the Missionary Association of St. Ludwig (Ludwigs-Verein). During the voyage from Hamburg, cholera broke out, and seven persons
died in one week.
Br. Sadler was one of the sick, and
so serious was his illness, that the doctor despaired of
his recovery.
He did, however, recover and regained
strength slowly.
The vessel touched at Bahia, South
America, and there the passengers kept the Christmas
festival.
On the 4th of March, r849, they arrived in
Melbourne, where the brothers met with a kind welcome from Bishop Goold and the clergy. Port Adelaide
was reached on the rst of April. After a delay of eight
days the journey from Adelaide to Clare with a slow
bullock-team began, and on the r6th of April the Broth-

IN AUSTRALIA

311

ers reached Weikert's homestead.
Their arrival was
quite a God-send; for Father Kranewitter was in great
distress, and the sum of £28, which they had saved out
of their travelling expenses, was a very welcome and
valuable gift.
The few Irish settlers living around
Clare were so poor that, after the small chapel had been
finished and opened, the secular priest stationed there,
could not find support and was obliged to leave in r851.
Catholic Germans were still worse off, being new-comers.
The Brothers' advent was of the greatest advantage to
Weikert's undertaking.
All lived under the same roof
and formed one large family. As ·weikert was lame and
his children were of tender age, the hard work fell to
the Brothers: they tilled the soil, pastured the cattle, and
sold the produce of the farm in the neighborhood and
elsewhere.
But for them Father Kranewitter and the
Weikerts would have had the utmost difficulty in obtaining the necessaries of life.
GROWTH OF POPULATION

In r8so and r8sr, the sheep-farmers extended their
runs far to the north and west, and many shepherds obtained employment, some of whom were Catholics.
Townships sprung up between Adelaide and Clare, and
Catholics, Irish as well as Germans, settled around them
as farmers and gardners.
The Government increased
the population by granting aid to immigrants, especially to those who devoted themselves to agriculture. Then
in r8so, copper was discovered in a locality called the
Burra Burra.
A town of s,ooo inhabitants came into
existence there, and miners, chiefly.from Wales, secured
go"od wages.
The Burra grew to be the chief market
for farm produce, and it might be said that it provided
for the whole Colony. The lay-brothers sold there the
fruit of their labour.
Brother John had often to carry
butter, &c., on his shoulders a distance of twenty-five
miles, and that in the great heat of summer, to procure
necessaries for the household: a practical illustration of
the words of Scripture, "In labour and toil shalt thou
eat thereof .... in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread".
MISSIONARY LABOURS

As Father Kranewitter was the only priest for ·the
northern part of the diocese in r8sr, his missionary
journeys were frequent and arduous.
He visited the
shepherds scattered at wide intervals over the country,

312

THE SOCIETY

as well as the townships, holding "stations" to give as
many as possible an opportunity of fulfilling their religious duties.
The German Catholics who were brought
to Australia by Weikert dispersed immediately on landing, and, while some of them went to the neighboring
Colonies, a number of families joined the German Lutheran settlements, which had been formed ten years previously round Angaston, from the East of Gawler to
Truro and North and South Rhynie.
From time to
time Father Kranewitter visited these settlements, which
were about fifty miles from Clare. On the 26th of February, r8so, he wrote to his Provincial in Europe: ''On
the first Sunday of the month I pay a missionary visit
to the German settlements.
My congregation is as yet
very small.
I have found about forty Catholics, who
• live in the midst of bitter protestants and hardly dare
to profess their faith.
However, a change for the better is apparent. Protestants are becoming more tolerant
and the Catholics come regularly to Mass, wherever it
is said, even from a distance of eight or ten miles''. He
wrote again in the following May (r8so): ''Most of the
Catholic Germans are anxious to leave the places (farms),
which they now hold, as the land is not over-fertile and
to work it, costs a good deal of money. They would
like to get a large tract of suitable country where they
could live together and form a Catholic community.
There is very good land available, which can be rented
on favourable terms. The Bishop quite approves of the
plan and promises to give it all the help in his power".
The letter then speaks of an increase of German missionaries, a matter, also, approved of by the Bishop.
Through Father Kranewitter's efforts a block of land,
divided into sections and supplied with fresh water, was
secured about six miles from Clare, on the western side
of the hills that separate Stanley Flat from Blyth's
Plains:-the locality was called Bambnrnie.
Father
Kranewitter, in a letter says: "I found an agent willing
to secure the land, to lay it out in sections, and to let or
sell it to the Germans on reasonable terms.
I left it
then to themselves, to do as they pleased.
The Germans signed a declaration, that they were entirely satisfied with the transaction. It is not easy at present to
rent land on low terms with right of purchase.
So I
thought good progress was made towards establishing a
Catholic German settlement. There are about 15 parties,
mostly families, willing to take up a portion of the land,
enough certainly to found a thoroughly Catholic Ger-

IN A USTR.ALIA

313

man township". About seven families were induced to
settle in Bomburnie,
In r853• a weather-board chapel
was erected, and Mass was celebrated there once a
month, or oftener, when possible. The hope which Father Kranewitter entertained of bringing together the
greater number of the German Catholics was not realised.
The settlers, in addition to the lack of union
among themselves, expected the priest to be responsible
for the greater part of the financial burden-a responsibility which he was prudent enough to decline, as it
would hinder him in the discharge of his ministerial
duties, and the scheme might end in failure.
Only
three or four persons, who had taken land and built on
it, remained till r867, when the weather-board chapel
fell ; and at last only one of the original settlers remained on the spot.
Up to r8sr, Father Kranewitter said Mass when at
home, on weekdays, in Weikert's house, and in St.
Michael's, Clare, on Sundays. As stated above, Father
Quin, who had charge of the Clare Mission left in r8sr,
and the whole northern part of the diocese, extending
from Wakefield and Lower Light indefinitely to the
north, east and west, was given over by the Bishop, Dr.
Murphy, into Father Kranewitter's care.
ESTABLISHING A RESIDENCE

The Father and the two Brothers were anxious to
have a house of their own. On the 28th ofJanuary,r8sr,
Father Kranewitter fell in with a land agent, who spoke
about a section which could be rented at £20 a year for
14 years, with the right of purchase at about £2 per
acre. The Father regarded the conditions as very
favourable, and he went at once to see the land, which
was not far from the main road and about four miles
south of Clare. He foundthat it was a locality which
he had often passed through and wished for. He writes:
"I had hardly ridden around the beautiful piece of land
when I declared myself willing to take it. I rode home,
and found, to my surprise, a letter from Europe awaiting me. On opening it, I discovered that it contained
material encouragement to pursue the course just resolved upon, namely, to establish a home of our own.
The Brothers rejoiced at the good news, and were full
of hope that evervthing would turn out well. The taking up of the section of land and the help received from
Europe seemed a providential coincidence. Besides,
the letter held out hopes of the sending of further assistance to the young mission in South Australia."

814

THE SOCIET'J'

The land which had been secured was that on which
St. Aloysius' Church and the College buildings, Sevenhill, at present stand. As it was then mid-summer
nothing in the way of cultivation could be attempted.
But in the following year (r852),on the 25th of !-.larch, the
Feast of the Annunciation, Brother Schreiner, or, as he
was popularly called, Brother John, took possession and
conveyed in a wheel-barrow all he required to make a
beginning. Almost immediately he discovered a copious spring of water a few feet below the surface, a discovery which added considerably to the value of the
land. His next step was to erect a temporary protection
against heat and rain. Shortly afterwards, a part of the
land, to serve as a garden, was enclosed by the two
. Brothers; and in a few weeks a substantial dwelling
of pine, 30 x 20 feet was constructed and thatched. It
contained a kitchen, a refectory, and two bed-rooms, one
of whi.~h served as a chapel. In Easter Week, r852,
Father Kranewitter took up his abode there with the
Brothers. and the first community was formed in Sevenhill. Despite much inconvenience in this new dwelling,
the inmates felt much satisfaction in living together and
carrying out their religious duties without let or hindrance. The industrious Brothers soon gave the wild
spot a more civilised and homely look; and in September, ground was prepared for the ·planting of the vine.
Brother John often related, with evident pleasure, how
he went to Bungaree, a distance of twelve miles, and
carried thence the first vines that were set in the soil of
the Jesuit settlement, famous in after-years for its excellent wines. The first grapes were served on Easter
Sunday, r852.
•
EYents occurred in r8sr wlrich made that a memorable one in Australia. In r849 a convict ship arrived
in Hobson's Bay, 1\Ielboun~e, with a number of felons
from Great Britian. A public meeting of Melbourne
citizens was called by Mr. Edward Wilson, the proprietor of the Argus, the principal newspaper, and an energetic protest was entered against the landing of the convicts: "we had never (they said) received convicts, and
we are prepared to undergo any extremity rather than
submit to do so." The English authorities yielded.
Port Phillip, as the Colony was then called, was not to
be made a receptacle for British criminals, and in r8sr
it obtained constitutional government, becoming indepe!}dent of South Wales and taking the name of Victoria. The new Colony, by the discovery of gold within

iN AUSTRALIA

315

its bounds, rapidly increased in population and prosperity, and the men who had charge of its interest were
suddenly called upon to solve many topical and political
problems. How they did their work is thus referred to
by Sir Gharles Gavan Duffy: "They had not, like the
pioneers of the \:Vestern continent, to struggle with
powerful tribes of fierce and subtle Indians, or to repel
the invasion of European enemies of the mother-country, or to face the hardships of an inclement climate and
unfruitful soil; but they had to control and govern
masses of men suddenly recruited from the ends of the
earth; recruited not only from the British Islands and
foreign countries; bnt from the hulks and penitentiaries
of convict settlements; they had to encounter on brief
notice serious social and political problems, lying quite
outside the ordinary experience, and to assume responsibilities and exercise authority, 'unto which they were
not born'; and the manner in which they discharged
these weighty and unforeseen duties is well worthy of
being recorded."
The excitement created in South Australia by the
rich gold-fields of Victoria grew so rapidly that shepherds and farmers~ tradesmen and merchants, as well as
members of the different professions, abandoned their
homes and travelled rapidly into the neighbouring colony. As a natural consequence, the congregations in
Adelaide and elsewhere were much reduced in numbers.
The Bishop, Dr. Murphy, allowed some of his priests to
go to other colonies, and amongst these was Father
Quin, who had been stationed at St. Michael's, Clare.
In the beginning of r852 a party of diggers was formed
to go overland to Bendigo, Victoria, and Father Kranewitter resolved to accompanp it. He hoped to be able
to colleCt some money for his poor mission. After three
months' absence, he returned by sea from Melbourne,
to be at his post for the Lenten season. On reaching
South Australia, he received news that help from Europe was to arrive in a short time; and the cottage was enlarged by the addition of a house-chapel, where the
Blessed Sacrament was kept and Mass was said on weekdays. Most of those who had gone to the gold-fields,
returned, and their gains enabled them to improve their
homesteads. The increase of population resulting from
the discovery of gold, created a ready market for South
, Australian produce, especially wheat, and gave an im~
petus to every trade and profession. So, notwithstanding the exodus to the gold diggings, South Australia

:lid

THlt SOCIETY

held her ground. Immigration soon brought large
numbers to her shores, and the Catholic population increased, while copper, wheat and wool, her chief exports, were a constant source of wealth.
FATHER JOSEPH TAPPEINER'S ARRIVAL

In a letter from Clare (July rst, 1852,) Father Kranewitter spoke of the indifference of many Catholics,
who did not assist at Mass on Sundays and gave little
or nothing to the Church.
He offered the Holy Sacrifice in Clare every Sunday, except once a month when
he attended the Burra, Tanunda, or Adelaide.
At this
time, he said, the Burra had 4,000 inhabitants, and
Bomburnie, the newly formed German settlement, was
soon fo have a chapel.
He-·happened to be on a visit to Adelaide, when Father Joseph Tappeiner, accomp:mied by a lay brother,
arrived at the Port on the 9th ofOctober, (1852). Father
Tappeiner and his companion sought the Bishop's residence in Adelaide, and there met Father Kranewitter,
to their great delight. The Archbishop of Sydney, the
Most Rev. John Bede Polding, o. s. B., was also in Adelaide, returning from Western Australia; and Father
Tappeiner was able to hand over some articles which he
had brought for him. After a few days the two Fathers
..set out for Sevenhili.
The lay-brother, Joseph Senn,
who had arrived with Father Tappeiner, refused to accompany the Fathers.
He had his mind made up to
seek a home for himself in Adelaide, and as he was an
expert tailor, he found imi!,lediate employment and
eventually married a proteSlant.
After many vicissitudes and the death of his wife, he was reconciled to
God. He died in the public hospital. Before expiring,
he received the last Sacraments.
In those early times the life of the Jesuit missionary
was one of constant hardship. The great distances, the
boundless and roadless plains, the fierce heat of summer,
the cold and rains of winter, the danger of losing one's
way by day and of being overtaken in the wild bush by
night, were some of the difficulties which had to be encountered and overcome. As Father Tappeiner was not
yet able to speak English fluently, he restricted his labours to the German population, while Father Krane- ,
witter attended the distant stations and looked after the
Irish Catholics in Clare, the Burra, Undalya and Saddle-

lN AUSTRALIA

:m

worth. From r853 to r855, Father Tappeinet visited
regularly Tanunda, Adelaide and Born burnie, but owing
to the rapid shifting of the population, the Germans
could not be kept together in the country places, while
three or four visits in the year were too few to create and
hold a German congregation in Adelaide itself.
In 1853 the Fathers thought it well to increase their
property, and hoped to lay out a portion of the land in
lots as a projected township.
They purchased six additional sections, and one of these, which ran along side
the main road to Clare, was to be the future town of
Sevenhill.
The seven-hilled capital of the Christian
world was not built in a day, nor was its South Australian rival. The first house was not erected till r857. It
was hoped that a church would stand on rising ground
at the south-west corner, but for the present further
away, close to the humble residence, a stone building
containing five or six rooms was erected (the ground
floor of the existing old St. Aloysius'), and one of the
rooms, fitted up as a chapel, was large enough to accommodate the Catholics assembled from the neighbourhood
for Sunday Mass.
When Bishop Murphy visited Sevenhill for the first time, in November, 1853, he blessed
this chapel and celebrated Mass in it.
The zeal of the
Fathers, aided by the faith of the people, gradually developed the various missions. A Mr. Peter Brady gave
land at l\1intaro for a church (blessed and opened by
Bishop Murphy in 1856), and a cemetery; and two schools
were subsequently begun there. Churches and schools
sprang also into being in the Burra, Undalya and Saddleworth. At Undalya a site for the church was donated by Mr. Patrick McNamara. February 23, 1858, saw
church and school opened at Kooringa for the Catholic
miners.
However, mcney was by no means plentiful, and were
it not for the help of the Bavarian Missionary Assl1ciation, the Ludwig's Verein, the Fathers would have been
in sore straits.
To the Director of that excellent Association, Father Kranewitter wrote thus, on the 4th of
November, 1854:"Your Reverence can easily understand how needful
and welcome the assistance was which you sent us from
the funds of the Ludwig's Verei11.
In my embarrassment I recognized it as an evident proof that God in
His goodness had not forgotten us. I do not know how,
under the circumstances, considering the poverty of the

318

THE SOCIETY IN A t!STRAL!A

diocese and notwithstanding our very frugal life, we
could have found support.
If God had not helped us
through you, we should probably have been forced to
give up our work and abandon our extensive district to
the ravages of the sects .... Your assistance has saved
us from this misfortune, and we are able to persevere in
sowing the seed of the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. For
the last eighteen months things have been changing for
the better.
The greater number of those who had left
their homes have returned, and many new settlers have
arrived, so that the little church in Clare is sometimes
filled on Sundays".
In rSss-6, plentiful harvests were reaped and good
prices prevailed in the markets, to the benefit of the
Residence and the l\Iission. The Sevenhill garden (including the vineyard and the orchard) was enlarged,
and the Residence so much improved that the Jesuit
settleinent attracted universal attention and the people
in the country around were astonished to see the progress which had been effected in so short a time.
ARRIVAL OF FATHER JOHN E. PALLHUBER

Father Pallhuber arrived in the beginning of 1856.
He was destined to do strenous work as a missionary,for
which he had been prepared by a seven years' residence
-in the Province of Maryland, United States.
As he
could speak English well and had already some experience of missionary life, he lost no time in devoting himself to labour for souls. His mrival was opportune, for
Father Kranewitter left Sev~!Iill on l\Iarch 28th, r8s6,
to proceed to Austria for the completion of his theological studies and the making of his third year of probation. Father Tappeiner became Superior in Sevenhill,
and shortly after Father Pallhuber was summoned by
the Bishop to give temporary help in Adelaide, and he
remained there till the end of July:

(continued)

' f

CARLISLE INDIAN STUDEN'I'S IN RETREAT*

The title is misleading. One must read the article to
find out the kind of retreat of which we are speaking.
Harvard athletes know that "retreat" is not found in the
vocabulary of the Carlisle Indian. Last year's foot-ball
game proved this when the Crimson was defeated so decisively by the Yellow and Red. On the field the Carlisle boys may meet with defeat, but they know not retreat. They are made of sterner stuff. Thousands have
seen the Indian team on the field.
Many thousands
more have not, and the name Carlisle connotes a place
-whose geographical position is hazy-where the Indians are trained to play. Crowds have seen them play
-few know that they pray. That is what the meaning
of "retreat" is in the caption of this article.
Those who follow, or make a retreat, withdraw as far
as possible from the regular routine of their daily life to
take spiritual stock: to s<:e how the profit and loss account of the soul stands; to correct all errors, forestall
any future loss by the sincerest resolution of amendment
in confession and a worthy Communion. This is what
was done in the early part of February this year by
three hundred and fifty Catholic Indian boys and girls
at Carlisle, under the writer's direction. No elementary
training was necessary; for they had been well prepared
by the generous-hearted and zealous chaplain, Reverend
Henry G. Ganss, D. D., and five devoted Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament-Mother Katharine Drexel's community.
.
This annual retreat for the Catholic Indians at the
school is a fixture. It was introduced through the tactful methods of Dr. Gauss, received the Government's approbation-which, understanding that it was beyond its
providence to teach religion, would oppose no barrier to
it -and the consistent concessions granted the Catholic
''*For valuable data the writer is indebted deeply to the courtesy of the
Reverend Henry G. Ganss, D. D., pastor of St. Patrick's Church, Carlisle,
and chaplain to the school.
(319)

23

320

CARLISLE INIJIAN STUDENTS

children and the privileges they enjoy, show the cordial
understanding that exists between the Government and
ecclesiastical authorities. The writer takes the present
opportunity to thank the superintendent, Major Dickson, and his able assistant, l\Ir. Wise, for their kindness
and considerate courtesy to him during a most pleasant
and spiritually fruitful stay.
Bishop Shanley was the preacher of one of the first
retreats, and was followed by Rev. John F. O'Donovan,
s. J., Superior of the :Maryland-New York Missionary
Band, and Rev. Patrick J. Casey, s. J. All join with the
preacher of the last retreat in praising the docility, attention and spiritual fervor of the retreatants. There is
no chapel at the school. A Y. M. C. A. hall, large, airy
and light, is the place where all religious services are
held.
A Catholic altar and vestment case are in the
hall, and one evening especially the transformation
scene ·was rapid after a Presbyterian service, when· the
nimble and gentle Sisters changed a mute and lightless
altar into one twinkling with tapers ready for the Benediction of the l\Iost Blessed Sacrament.
It was in this hall that the retr~at talks were given
twice a day. About three hundred formed the congregation, representing almost forty tribes. There was one
bright Filipino lad among them, who looked as natty as
a \Vest Pointer in his military dress.
The ages ranged
from twelve to twenty-five. Even experienced prefects
in boarding schools or mistresses in convent schools
would be dismayed at the thought of addressing one hundred and fifty boys and youths, or girls aqd young women
separately.
But here three hundred boys and girls
were gathered in a small hall after their mid-day meal
and at 7.30 in the evening. Tlre_.mid-day talk was given
during their recreation hour-the evening talk followed
by Benediction, was during study period.
Yet in the
best of order and in the happiest of moods this crowd of
Catholic Indian boys and girls marched in, took their
places and sat down. At the clap of the hand all recited
the "Our Father", slowly and prayerfully, and then the
sermon began.
Every one had his or her eye on the speaker.
All
were attentive-serious-decyrous and devout.
The
manly and womanly bearing and deportment are a high
tribute to the efficient discipline of the school and spiritual training of the cultured Dr. Gauss and the five devoted Sisters.

IN RETREAT

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321

On the Sunday the retreat closed Mass was said at
the school at 5.30 when all the retreatants received Holy
Communion. At 9.30 they attended their regular Sunday Mass in town at St. Patrick's of which Dr. Gauss is
pastor, and after it renewed their baptismal vows and
received the Papal Benediction.
The congregational
singing by the Indian students is exceptionally good,
and their hearty rendering of "Faith of Our Fathers"
was inspiring. The music of this hymn was written by
Dr. Ganss, and has all the sublimity of a choral ode. ·
The singing of Christmas carols in the church by the
Indians is one of the attractions during Christmas week.
His Grace, Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia, was present at the carol singing during the past Christmastide
and won the hearts of the Indians by his usually imThe evening when the
pressive and winning address.
Christmas carols are sung is one of the four red-letter
nights of the year: for, by special privilege granted by
the school authorities, the Catholic Indian students come
to town in a body to church, the girls marching by one
route and the boys by another. The other three nights
are during the Forty Hours devotion.
Their edifying
behavior is a proof of their own and the deep and sincere faith of their forefathers.
'
And all this without clearing the mists in certain
minds regarding the position of Carlisle.
The writer
was too anxious to tell others all about these Indian
boys and girls who will hold so lasting a place in his
memory.
Carlisle is eighteen miles south of Harrisburg in the
fertile Cumberland Valley. It is rich in historical memories.
Benjamin Franklin made a treaty with the Indians here in I753·
Hessian mercenaries captured at
the Battle of Trenton, were brought here, and the present Indian School Guard House was built by them. In
r8or, site and buildings became the property of the
United States and were known as the Carlisle Barracks.
On the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg, Gen. Fitzhugh
Lee shelled the town and burned the barracks. It was
rebuilt in r865 and was used as a cavalry school until its
transfer to St. Louis in r872.
In 1879 the Department
of the Interior took it for the proposed Indian school,
and Capt. R. H. Pratt, U.S. A., was its first superintendent.
This was the first of the non-reservation schools,
and that its educational standards and disciplinary
methods are adopted in the other Indian schools, shows

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CARLISLE INDiAN STUbElVTS

the unquestioned success of Carlisle.
Segregation of
the Indians from stimulating environment and their
complete isolation within the low pressure tribal atmosphere would not aid the quickening but rather the utter
deadening of latent power.
Initiative processes would
be abortive. There are at present about I,ooo pupils in
all, representing no less than seventy-eight tribes. There
is a rigid separation of the sexes, and boys and girls
meet at common exercises only, under the eyes of teacher or disciplinarian.
The school has its academic and
industrial departments, and every boy must choose a
trade. The girls are taught all the branches of domestic
science. Some are trained as nurses; hence quite unlike some of their clear-faced sisters, they may not worry
the ear of a hungry husband with an intricate aria, but
they can bake a loaf of bread without a leaden interior,
and boil a dish of waterless potatoes.
There are 270
acres of-farm land where the future farmers receive their
practical instruction.
Almost 4000 Indians have passed through Carlisle
since its opening; 497 of these were graduates.
To
quote the superintendent, these graduates and undergraduates "are to be found in every capacity-as teachers, clerks, trained nurses, housekeepers, dressmakers,
farmers and stock-raisers; two as railroad car inspectors;
some as section bosses and hands in railroad repair shops
and other mechanical establishments. . . . . One is in
tlte real estate business in Oklahoma ani! is vice-president of a bank there". (And this one is a Catholic). ''A
number are living on their allotments.
One hundred
of them were engaged in the Indian school service in
1902, filling positions as teacher, clerk, farmer, blacksmith, etc."
- .The question is often asked-''Does the Indian's future conduct on leaving school warrant this expenditure
on his or her education"? To be guilty of a Hibernianism this question could be answered by asking another.
"Does the future conduct of the graduate and non-graduate of parochial schools, Catholic colleges, convents
and non-sectarian colleges reflect creditably the teachings and principles learned at school? Are not Christian doctrine and ethics often abandoned for unchristian
methods and lower standards? Is not Minerva dethroned and Circe put up in her stead"?
To answer the question directly let us take the authoritative words of Dr. Gauss: "In the early days when

IN RETREAT

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323

the pupils were compelled to return to their original
prairie homes there were a number of relapses into the
oid state of life-'a reversion of type'-and some of the
graduates did not reflect the light on the school that
was expected of them; in fact, brought it in disrepute.
But the number has decreased until it has become a negligible quantity when compared to the uniform good accounts that come from the vast majority of 'returned
pupils'".
The Outing System is also the outgrowth of Carlisle.
It is an experiment which has met with good results.
By it all pupils are expected to spend at least one year
in a country home, to become familiar with the practical work in house, farm, dairy, factory and machine·
shop.
\Vhile away from the school the pupils become
wage-earners; one-half of their earnings they are allowed
to use for their personal wants and comforts; the other
half is deposited in the school bank where it bears interest and is given to them at their departure for home.
The amount earned and deposited in 1905, for instance,
was $3o,ooo. The separation of sexes is here again inexorably insisted upon, so that boys and girls are never
placed in the same county, and under the penalty of expulsion are not allowed to visit each other. . . . . . . .
While away from school all Catholic pupils, whether in
Catholic or Protestant houses, must attend Mass and
Sunday school. Dr. Gauss-from whose article in the
MesseJtger the foregoing is quoted-drew up the rules
for the Outing System and they have been adopted by
the Department of the Interior. They look to the
spiritual, mental and physical welfare of tl1e students.
Patrons, who promised in writing to abide by these
rules are asked not to look upon the Indians as mere
servants but as members of a race who are anxious to
learn the refined ways of civilized society.
It would be the Catholic ideal if a Catholic atmosphere pervaded Carlisle-hut Congress in 1897 abolished
all Contract Schools, and Catholic Mission Schools are
are not able to meet the demands made on them. When
the Contract Schools were recognized the Catholic
schools received the largest share because the attendance was greatet. than at all other schools. The "No
Popery" cry was taken up, and a frightened Congress
listened and rescinded the contracts. In 1889 the allowance made by the Government was $347,672 ; in
1906 Catholics contributed $57,570.16! What wol.lld

32-l

OUR MISSION

the poor Indian boys and girls do without these Government schools? They ask for bread, surely we are not
to hand them a stone. Were it not for the princely
munificence of Mother Katharine Drexel many would
receive scorpions instead of fish.
Many of the Catholic pupils at Carlisle have no church
facilities at home. They would be lost to the faith if
they did not attend this school. No parity exists between the attendance of the 6937 Catholics at nonCatholic colleges and universities, and the soo Indians
who attend these Government schools. In the case of
the Indian there is an absolute necessity and a desire of
the uplifting influences of civilization. In the case of
the former no such reasons exists. Yearning for social
exclusiveness and aspirations leads to non-Catholic colleges, while for many it is an utter disregard and disdain
for Catholic school, academic, and collegiate training.
WILLIAM J. ENNIS, S. J.

·-·
OUR MISSION IN SYRIA

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UNIVERSITY OF ST. JOSEPH

The work of Ours in Syria that attraCl:s most attention, is that of the great plant in .Beirut called the Universite de St. Joseph. This pl11nt is made up of the
oriental faculty, the seminary, the medical school, the
college, the church and the free schools, and the printing office.
The main building of this great plant is a large
structure shaped like the letter E, whose proportions
are vaster than those of Woodstock, yet not quite so
vast as those of St. Andrew-on-Hudson. The stone-material of the building is the coarse-porous looking
sandstone of the vicinity, which is commonly used in
Beirut buildings. This sandstone is soft and easy to
work, but weathers wind and rain very well; atmospheric influence hardens, rather than softens it. The pores
render a polish or a finish impossible, so the sandstone
buildings of Beirut are, in course of time, either paint-

•

1

IN SYRIA

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325

ed or plastered and painted on the exterior. Our college building is plastered, wherever its wall abuts upon
a terrace; otherwise the sandstone is painted in imitation of its natural color. The cost of the building was
$2oo,ooo; this amount was collected in the United
States.
The arrangement of this magnificent structure is
such as one finds in Jesuit colleges generally, unless we
except certain modifications due to Syrian heat. The
corridors ha\'e no doorways, are roomy and airy,
and generally open out into terraces.
The building faces St. George's Bay, and any sea-breeze that cools
comes scudding through the corridors; on the other
hand, the S. W. wind, the slzehlg, which corresponds to
Innsbrnck's sirocco, blows the heats and sands of Egypt
our way, strikes the building's wall but finds no corridor
in its path. The free play given to the winds from the
north and northwest, makes winter's chill too penetrating for comfort; but the discomfort and the shivers
never last long, and one may cheer one's self with the
thought of what the summer's heat might have been in
a cooped up and closed in abode.
The flooring is for the most part of terra-cotta tiles;
the main corridors are filled with Italian marble slabs.
There is in the entire house a minimum of woodwork;
neither washboards nor lintels; wood is a nesting place
for vermin. Every morning the corridors and common
rooms are swabbed; every summer the walls of the
building are kalsomined. In fact, the cleanliness of the
University is a great delight. The fleas and pests of
such sort, that infest Syria and are found everywhere in
one's travels in the Holy Land, do not manage to get a
hold in the Jesuit University of Beirut. My experience
outside of that one institution led me to surmise that
good old Fr. Lanciscius was in all earnest when he said
that one distraction of Ex amen time was to go gunning
for fleas.
Prom the terraces of the university, one has a view
that never tires. In front is the broad expanse of the
Mediterranean, above which the atmosphere is so clear
that one may note the curling smoke upon the horizon
two hours before the great ocean liner comes into port.
At times the clear blue sky of the Orient is hid by dark
clouds, pelting rain, or blinding sands from Egypt; but
even at these times of wildness, the terrace view of
ocean is most luring. On any but the mirky days of

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OUR MISSION

the rainy season, the Lebanon presents a splendid coloring. The range is not capped with perpetual snow l1ard
by the sea; but in the background are the great Jebel
el-'arz, Mountains of the Cedar, and Sannin towering
above its peers, and the snow is ever on these noble
peaks. All the hot summer, in every little town of Syria, one may cool one's blood with a shirbet iced by the
snows of Lebanon. This snow is compressed into
lumps and set before the public gaze upon iron spikes,
in any and all the shirbet-shops; the vender cries !aimun!ida, Ae(j Libri!in (snow of Lebanon), metalik,
which means one cent; and the oriental sun does the
rest. In Beirut, artificial ice is used by the well-to-do,
but the snow of Lebanon still makes folk-life livable.
\Vhether_ snow-capped or dark as the mountains that
hem in Killarney, the Lebanon outlines stand out in
ever varying beauty and interest. The clouds that
strike the range or pass over its summits, are never the
same in form and bulk and density; nor do they ever present the same features of light and shade upon the snow
blanched face of Sannin or the rugged and dark hills
that lie near the seas.
The nearer view from our terraces is not so lovelv as
that afar. Below lies the unpaved street, or, rather,
road! The best streets of Beirut are the two highways,
Tan":: eslt-shams and Tan":: es-saida, the Damascus and
Saida roads; these streets compare favorably with our
Maryland county roads. The poor condition of the
Beirut streets makes me think, that the TVc!ta11schauuug
student of mud, its make-up and its effects, could nowhere better pursue his investi~'tjons than in this chief
port of Syria, dnring the rainy season. My strong feelings about Beirut mud are probably due to a slip I made
one day. What a sight I was! Habit, hat, and even
whiskers were besmeared. The women in a nearbv
balcony fairly screamed with laughter at the plight of
the poor hun:
Beyond the street are the flat-roofed houses, forming
terraces down to the sea. Our idea of the oriental roofterrace is very apt to be wrong. From novels of eastern
life and books of travel, we may fancy the terraces a
substitute for the occidental lover's lane or some sort of
lounging ground. Beirut terraces are far more practical. . They serve for hen coops, clothes-lines, wash tubs,
wood-piles, dried fruits, and such less romantic sort of

~

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I.

IN SYRIA

827

stuff. It was only in Haleb that I saw anything of the
old time terraces, with gardens and orange trees, promenades and life of frolic on the roof.
THE ORIENTAL FACULTY

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l

The oriental faculty is still young.. The Fathers in
.Beirut have always taken special interest in oriental
languages. It was here that the unfortunate Fr. Cohen
(William Gifford Palgrave) became such an adept in
Arabic. From this college, in r862, he started out to
bring to Arabia that faith which he himself lost there.
Fr. J ullien, in his history of the Mission of Syria, says
that Palgrave started on the perilous exp{dition with a
young man who had become a priest of the Maronite
rite chiefly to be the companion priest insisted on by
superiors. Poor Palgrave carried the Moslem beads in
place of breviary. These beads serve the Moslem for
prayer and time-killing. Christians often carry them
now, seemingly with the purpose of English Tommie's
swagger-stick. I have seen many schismatic, but no
Catholic priests twirling this sign of Mohammed.
Others who studied in Beirut, and have brought the
Society a good fame, in Biblical circles are FF. L.
Cheikho of Beirut, Fonck of Innsbruck, Gismondi of
Rome, Van Casteren of Mastricht. It was not till six
years ago that the oriental faculty was started as a fixed
portion of the University plant.
Last year the professors were four in literary and one
in spoken Arabic, two in Syriac, two in Hebrew, one for
Coptic and Ethiopic, and one each for oriental history,
Syrian epigraphy, and Syrian archreology. The pupils were twelve biennists in Arabic, for future mission
work; five members of the mission, who will be devot- .
ed to orientalia; ten Jesuits from other provinces and
five European seculars, of whom only two staid out the
year. This number was very encouraging. The Dominicans of J ern salem last year had only two seculars. In
the Oriental department of Heidelberg last year there
were only seven students. The oriental department of
the American College of Beirut last year had no students till toward the end of the year; an American then
came from Heidelberg to teach, and studied Semitics at
the same time.
The make-up of the group of Jesuits from other provinces is interesting. No one had taught so long as I. A

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OUR MISSION

scholastic from the province of France had studied
Hebrew three years, during philosophy; had taught one
year; and is now in theology.
A priest from Germany
had made a biennium in Valkenburg and a triennium
in Munich; he is now teaching general introduction in
Valkenburg. A priest from Galicia entered at fourteen,
and, though seven years my junior, has already studied
three years in Beirut, and is this year at Innsbruck.
Ireland was represented by two scholastics, one of whom
she has since given to the Mission of Syria.
The only
docteurs des langues on(:ntales of Beintt are two Irish
scholastics, who went to Syria before they had studied
philosophy.
Castille had a schola5tic and a priest in
Beirut; the scholastic is now professor of Arabic in Bilbao; the priest, who studied one year in Valkenburg and
two year~ in Beirut, is now profes!ior of Exegesis in
Oiia. A most interesting feature of the work in Beirut, is
the scientific excursions through Egypt, Palestine and
Syria.
I made several en caravane, but was not satisfied.
One has to sacrifice many things for charity's
sake, if one travel with others; whereas, one feels that
for learning's sake the sacrifice should not be made. A
good old German priest, the brother of Fr. Biever, of
New Orleans, gave us a glorious entertainment at Tabiga, on the Lake of Galilee. He spoke of the caravan
as an impossibility for scientific purposes. Said he, "One
Father is on the look-out for epigraphy, another for topography, another for ethnography and the others for
photography; so there you are!'' I found it more practical to travel with one companiol!-some one whose purpose and plans fitted in with.- my own; in such wise
I saw every thing as thoroughly as I had a mind to.
The publications of the oriental faculty are an annual
in French, an Arabic fortnightly and an Arabic weekly.
The annual, Melange de la Farolte Ori'entale, contains
contributions and studies by the professors, and is very
well received by eminent orientalists. The fortnightly
El Mashn'q, is unique in being an Arabic review for
oriental studies; it publishes much from hitherto unpublished Arabic manuscripts. The weekly, El Bashi'r, is
a Catholic newspaper.
These two Arabic publications are greatly hindered
by the arbitrary censorship of the Turkish official. No
laws determine the limits to which a newspaper may go.
The ·censor is the law. He is independent of the Wali',

r

IN SYRIA

'

)

S29

and responsible to the Sultan's government in Constantinople; there is no appeal to a higher authority.
The
whim or ignorance or fancy of the censor settles the case.
He may strike out or change at will anything in the
proof-sheets, may suspend or suppress a paper without
even a summary court's hearing. He will debate whole
columns at a time.
The editor must stuff his columns
with patent-insides; for to leave blanks, to show that
censorship has been exercised, only makes the existence
of the newspaper more precarious and intolerable. The
poor editor is often apt to think that "all is vexation of spirit".
On one occasion, the Bashir praised the Franciscans for guarding the holy places even
at the cost of their blood.
It took the influence of
the French consul to prevent the suppression of the
paper; the punishment finally doled out was suspension
for a month. Here are a few bits of censorship: Our
Lady could not be called "Queen of Heaven".
The
term "enemies of the cross" was deemed offensive; it
was changed by the editor to "the impious", and no
trouble ensued.
One cannot print a manuscript that
tells of the use of wine by the Moslem; a son of Mahommed never drinks wine. The words Capital of China
were several times used; the censor changed them to
Pekin; there is only one capital city in the world, Constantinople. A week later, the words Capital of Egypt
were used; the tireless and learned censor again saw an
insult to the Sultan's city, and wrote Pekin! His attention was called to the error.
He answered only that
there was no Capital in the Orient outside of Stambul.
Beside these regular publications, are the colossal
undertakings of Fr. Cheikho. No man has published
so many Arabic manuscripts as he.
For his six volumes of Arabic anthology, his four volumes of notes
thereto, his editions of pre-Islamitic poets and poetesses,
his Arabic grammar and other works, he has won international repute. Fortunately Fr. Cheikho has been
a pioneer in the collection of Arabic manuscripts, and
has vast material to work upon.
He was of the Catholic Chaldaic rite before becoming a Jesuit.
Perhaps it
is his religion and nationality that hampered him in efforts to utilize government books and manuscripts.
Lately he was in Constantinople to use the library of
Aia Sofia. It was battledore and shuttlecock for three
weeks. He was batted from librarian to Department of
Instruction, put off, batted back again, and so on.
No

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OUR MISSION

one refused the permission, yet no one bad a mind to
grant it.
Fr. Cheikho left Constantinople in despair.
FF. Salhani and l\Ialouf have also published important
contributions to Arabic literature a'nd criticifm. Then
there are the Arabic grammars of Vernier, the dictionaries of Belot and Hawa; the Coptic Grammar of Fr.
Malon; the Ethiopic Grammar of Fr. Chaine; and the
Syriac Dictionary of Fr. Brun.
The library of this faculty is very rich. It contains
about 1500 Mss., nearly ro,ooo printed volumes,and some
seventy reviews. Books that are in this library are very
apt to be Index books, so that only priests of the oriental faculty have general permission to use the library.
Scholastics get permission for each book desired.
THE ORIENTAL SEMINARY

The seminary is most interesting and important.
It
educates priests for the Orient.
Most of the qriental
rites are represented among the students; there arc Maronites, Greek l\Ieichites, Syrians, Copts, Chaldeans, and
Armenians; last year there were two Greeks for the
Latin archdiocese of Athens. Boys are received young,
and generally spend at least ten years in training. Their
college work in Latin, Greek, French, Arabic and
sciences, is done in class with the college students. Two
years of philosophy and four years of theology follow.
Each student is taught the liturgy and liturgical language of his rite.
The boys are sent home for vacations, at least once in three years, even though they live
at a distance; so that they must betimes meet the
temptations and know the conslitions of their future
priestly lives.
The seminarians of Beirut are all unmarried when ordained. The number of seminarians is
generally between sixty and seventy.
They pay a
n~minal fee; their main support is charity.
All the
younger Coptic priests and the entire Coptic hierarchy
are graduates of the Beirut seminary.
An annual Bulletin is published, whereby the old students are kept
united with their Alma Mater.
THE MEDICAL SCHOOL

The importance of our medical school, La Faculte
Fninraise de Medicine, is seen from the fact that there
are only two other medical schools in the Turkish Em-

lN SYRIA

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331

pire,-the American school of Beirut and the government school of Constantinople. The fewness of schools
of medicine naturally means that physicians are few
and far between; unless there be a missionary doctor
within reach, the sick are often left to the tender mercies of old women and their nostrums, or are submitted
to the drastic treatment of quacks. The poverty of faraway villages is such that no good doctor reaches the
sick there, except he be a well salaried missionary doctor.
At Tudmor (Palmyra), the sheik of the village showed
me his leg, which had been brutally branded with a red
hot poker as.a cure for rheumatism.
A sure cure for
apoplexy is to bore a hole in the skull and let in air;
one of the Fathers of the medical school testifies to the
use of this treatment.
The old wives' cure for sick
headache is to catch hold of, and wrench out of place a
nerve near the top of the spinal column; something l1as
to give.
One has to live in the Orient to realize that
such things are an every day occurence.
I went into a
Beirut drug-store only once. On that occasion, one of
the old school of medicine demanded: "Have you a
jmrge for the nerves (shirbet 'at<ab )"? The druggist, a
German, seemed in no way surprised at the old woman's
question.
In due time he found out that another old
woman had sore eyes, and needed a purge therefore. He
produced an eye salve. ''Good, I'll make her drink it
to-night"! With much difficulty the druggist explained that the salve was not to be drunk.
The medical school is adjacent to the main building,
and is the property of the Society.
Our entire university plant has been recognised by a fiction of the law as
French territory.
No Turkish official, either military
or civil, dares enter the precincts, which are also immune from the city police authorities.
The Wali, or
Governor, of Beirut pays an annual visit to the college,
presumably to keep up some appearance of protest; and
.is ever most cordially received by the Fathers.
The
status quo of immunity is admitted and has served the
Catholics many a good turn. When there is a massacre
in Beirut, the Christians flock to the Jesuits.
On one
occasion three or four hundred crowded into the college
grounds. The hope of the people is well founded. Not
Jong ago a Christian killed a Moslem and was fleeing
the police; once he entered the sanctuary of the Jesuits,
the police halted.
Under cover of night the unfortunate wretch escaped to the fastnesses of the Lebanon.

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OlJR MISSiON

The fiction of law, by which the French Protectorate
has been hitherto recognised in regard to Beirut Ministry, has this year threatened to be as harmful for the
future as it was helpful in the past.
The newspapers
report that some French deputies propose the governmental confiscation of this Jesuit University. Although,
as has been said, the main building was erected with
American money, the present French government is not
likely to find it matter for shame to negotiate with the
Turk for the ousting of the Jesuits. In Turkey, caprice
and bahshish make right, unless consuls intervene. The
French government has no shadow of a right to these
buildings, but it has influence with the Turk.
To be
sure, it did formerly support fifteen or twenty burses at
the Jesuit school, for the use of the families of those in
the French consular service; but. such burses were likewise supported in other and even native schools, so long
as the-.French language was taught.
The medical
school has been rather more intimately connected with
the French government.
An annual grant of So,ooo
francs; the conferring of degrees by the French ConsulGeneral of Beirut; the annual appointment, by the University of Instruction, of an examination board,-these
are some objective facts on which the French government may assume the right to take the medical school
from the Societv.
The professo;s of the medical school are, besides six
of ours, some eminent physicians from France.
The
salaries of these physicians, I was told, ranged between
Io,ooo and IS,OOO francs each: and more than eat up the
government's grant. This fact made the French Chamber of Deputies realise that it would be stupidly suicidal
to French interests in Syria to-take the medical school
from the Society.
There are generally two hundred
students in the school. They pay seven dollars a quarter
for tuition, eight dollars per annum for labratory work,
and a hundred dollars in examination fees.
The seemingly high examination fees are due to the
expenses of the examining board.
Three members are
appointed by the University, three by the French government, and three by the Turkish government.
The
examiners who come front France and from Constantinople receive 2,000 francs each. The degree, then, has
a triple value, coming from the threefold source; it gives
the right to practice medicine in the French Republic
anci.'colonies and in the Ottoman Empire.
Egypt also

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JN SYRIA
I . .·_,

recognises this degree, in fact the Khedivial army and
the army of the Soudan are yearly petitioners for the
service of graduates of the Jesuit medical school. Three
or four graduates yearly take commissions in these
armies.
The students of the medical school are Catholics, for
the most part; though they number many schismatics
and Moslems.
Conversions among both these groups
take place often. Most of these students live in towns;
a few are accommodated in a nearby house, cared for by
one of the Fathers, and called l' Inftruat St. Luc. The
medical course lasts four years; for the degree in pharmacy are required a course of three years and one year of
practical work in a recognised pharmacy.
I was present at the conferring of degrees last year.
The presiding- officer of the examining board, a Jew
from some French medical school, was very laudatory
in his address to the r-raduates; he said he had often
witnessed more brilliant individual examinations, but
had never examined medical students whose percentage
of passes was so high as that of the Beirut men.
Property has been acquired and work is commenced
on the new medical-school building, about a mile further
inland than the present site.
In the new building, the
medical faculty will form a community apart from the
University.
The students are too numerous for the
present accommodations, and the college has need of
further room for its normal expansion.
THE COLLEGE

The college is managed pretty mucl1 after the fashion
of our colleges in France. The boys are younger than
our boys, in the states, and seem for the most part to be
between eight and seventeen years of age.
They are
divided into three divisions according to age.
I scarcely came into contact with the boys.
Once or
twice I met them in my travels;. otherwise I did not
know them even by name. The separation between the
community and the boys is very strict. A teacher may
speak to the boys he teaches and to none otl1er; only the
Prefect of studies has permission to speak to all the
boys; those who do not teach have no permission to
speak to any of the lads. Such was the regulation.
The boys seemed to me to be remarkably good and
devoted.
They receive Holy Communion very often.

334

OUR lifiSSlON

Their bearing in the church is notably superior to that of
American boys. Every Saturday they gathered beneath
my window, at half-past four in the afternoon, to have
their Marianum-hynms and prayers in honor of Our
Lady. They have many simple customs and devotions
that show their piety-May and Corpus Christi processions, &c. On St. Aloysius day, a small boy gave the
panegyric; he was just as free from self-consciousness as
An interesting
a small boy of the States would be.
feature, at the end of the devotions of each day in May,
was the blessing. The priest, in surplice and stole, gave
the blessing with a large picture of Our Lady, while he
chanted in the tone of the Episcopal blessing: ''Per intercessionem Beatae Mariae Semper Virginis Immaculatae benedicat vos, &c". A blessing was given iri such
wise, with the substitution of Sancti Aloysii, on each of
the six-Sundays in the saint's honor.
The Maronite
priests, who take up almost all Latin customs of liturgy
and ceremony, give this blessing in Arabic chant on
like occasions.
As boys are taken into the college at eight years of
age, there is every year a first communion class. After
a triduum of strict silence and fervent prayer, comes the
ceremony of great importance. The little lads are all
clothed alike and wear a large bow of white satin ribbon on the left arm; they enter the sanctuary in solemn
procession, each accompanied by an altar-boy.
On
reaching the sanctuary, the first communicants receive
from their companions lighted torches, and take positions for the Mass. Just before Holy Communion is
During Mass
administered, a firveriuo is preached.
and thanksgiving the boy.s recite aloud arid in common
the acts of faith, love, &c.•- _The day after their first
communion, they once again hear Mass and receive Our
Lord in the Sanctuarv.
The question of rec.reation among the boys is quite a
prefect's problem in Syria! because of the enervating
climate, the age and lassitude of the boys.
Now and
then the boys have what we should call public sports.
There are drills by the first division, sham battles by
the second division, children's games by the third division.
The various sham battles were most interesting.
The boys were grouped into two sides and fought for
points. In the jeu des bouclitTS, each side had several
hundred little soft balls.
The sport was to kill the
en~my.
An enemy was killed, hors de combat, when

IN SYRIA

335

struck with a ball; to protect himself he had a shield.
The winners were they who, at the end of a fixed number of minutes, had less killed. The battle was followed by a triumph, a speech of the winning captains, and
a presentation of the colors of the division.
Another
contest is jeu d'echasses.
The lads are mounted on
low stilts. The sport is to unhorse the enemy. Tripping and shouldering and elbowing are allowed.
The
winners are they who have fewest unhorsed. As I watched the ingenuity with which the prefects encouraged
sport, it often occurred to me what a blessing is the
lusty Anterican lad's craze for base ball and foot ball,-a ·
blessing for the boy and for the prefect.
The expenses of the boys in the college are ver r slight.
Day scholars pay $24. per annum; half-boarders, $75·i
boarders, $r2o.
Besides French, Latin, Greek and a
second modern language, other modern languages are
charged for at the rate of $r2. per annum.
The boarders are uniformed; small boys wear a natty navy costume; the large boys wear a military frock coat of dark
blue cloth, with winter trousers and vest to match, or
with summer trousers and vest of white duck.
The discipline would be considered intolerable by
American boys; but Syrian boys would be intoferable
with American discipline.
I became rather friendly
with one of the instructors of the American College of
Beirut, the young man who had studied oriental languages in Heidelberg. He told me the American system
was a dismal failure to keep Syrian boys in order; he
had given up hope; it surprised him to observe the
silence of our boys in study hall.
Our boys may visit
their parents in town, unless low marks necessitate
punishment.
Parents must come to the college for the
boys and return with them and are urged not to allow
their sons to be alone in town.
Relatives may visit
boarders only on Sundays and during a fixed hour.
The studies are such as one finds elsewhere in the
Society, save that much stress is laid on the study of
Arabic.
There are eight different classes in this language.
German and English may be studied. A father of the German province teaches German; last year
a scholastic of the English province, and one of the Irish
province taught English. There is a commercial course
with book-keeping, commercial law, &c. The students
of the college generally number between four and five
hundred.

336

OUR JJIJSSION

THE CHURCH

Our church takes up the middle ann of the main building. The style of architecture is a Syrian modification of
Byzantine, and holds the attention by its great sweeping
lines, its many columns of ancient brecciated limestone,
and its harmonious use of the Arabic arches. The form
of the church is that of a Latin cross with very small
transepts. On either side of the nave are two rows of
ancient columns, that run into the chancel and there
meet to form a very novel apse of clustered and close set
columns; of the columns in the nave, the outer rows are
built half way into the walls of the church, and, together with the inner rows, support a gallery.
Upon this
gallery are seven or eight altars and the organ.
From
it rises a similar tier of columns, resting upon the inner
of the]ower tiers and supporting the roof-load. On the
the floor of the church are seven Italian marble altars,
all of beautiful workmanship.
Italian marbles enter
Syria duty-free, and are very cheap.
They are very
commonly used for public and private buildings.
Almost every one of means employs marble flooring and
pavements.
The services of the Jesuit church are very well attended and are most interesting. There are, every day, five
or six Maronite Masses said by instructors or students; a
Melchite Mass on a fixed day of the week; and very
often Coptic, Syriac, Chaldaic, and Armenian Masses.
On Sunday, the late Masses, those after 8 A. l\1. 1 are
Maronite; almost all the congregation of the church belong to that rite. On feasts of greater solemnity solemn
high Mass is sung by a Fathe:c,. . The Latin rite is carried out very exactly. The college boys sing and serve.
At solemn benediction, the sanctuary is filled with torch
bearers, and eleven fuming censors are used.
I had
thought Gonzaga had the lead for the number of censors
and torch bearers; Beirut outstrips Washington. There
are very many extra services conducted in the church,
such as sodality meetings, May, March and June devotions, &c.
In Lent, retreats are given for the different
classes of people. During the Arabic retreat for women,
one sees no European hats in the church. The hats and
feathers are the last fal-lal taken up by the Europeanised Syrian woman.
For those that wear this fal-lal, a
special retreat is given, in the students' chapel, in
French.
Indeed, every thing is done to catch everybody for the Lord. It is a sad sign of the times that by

JN SYl?IA

337

far the greater part of the confessions heard by the Fathers are in Arabic, whereas the people who speak
French prefer it to what they consider the vulgar Arabic language.
Another significant fact is that, excepting the pasha of the Lebanon and his wife, who have a
fixed place in the church, the European and the Europeanised, men and women, keep near the door of the
church.
The outward signs of devotion among the simple folk
are very marked. It is common enough to see men and
women making very difficult prostrations before the
Blessed Sacrament. They squat on their haunches, fall
forward on their knees, kiss the floor, return to the
squating posture, rise, make the sign of the cross and
continue the same motions. One old man used to make
ten or a dozen such prostrations before each altar. Kissing the altar cloths, the altars, the platforms before the
altars, the vestments of a priest on the way to Mass, and
even kissing the hand as a salute to the Blessed Sacrament; praying with hands outstretched; the way of the
cross in such posture; a joyful smile on receiving holy
communion,-all these are signs of devotion that one
sees commonly enough in any 'church of Syria. One is
at first surprised at all this; but like Arabic music, it becomes more and more natural to one as time passes by.
By Lenten time I was ready .to be pleased at the sight of
women conducting the way of the cross.
There were
no men in the church; women bore the cross and carried
the candles and read the prayers aloud; after the leaders
came all other women in pell-mell procession around
· the way of the stations.
An important work of Ours in Syria, as elsewhere, is
that of the sodality of Our Lady. Of course, seminary,
medical school and college have their own congregations. For old boys and others of their sort there is the
Young Men's Sodality.
It was very effective of good
under its late director, Fr. Ray. This zealous man died
only a few months ago of apoplexy.
His death was a
great loss to the Catholics of Syria.
The church was
crowded with his young men, while the last rites were
done over his remains.
The death of Fr. Ray was the
occasion of my learning a beautiful custom ofthe French
provinces of the Society. The Superior is allowed to
send to the deceased priest's friends and relatives
mourning cards, such as are sent out on the death of a
secular priest in the United States.
Fr. Ray went out to Syria when past forty years of

OUR

~fiSSION

age, and no longer a student; so Arabic was simply a
hapless task to him.
I knew the Father very well; he
helped me much in French. Now and then I found him
studying Arabic, and was always edified. "You know,
Father", he would say, "I must learn the language of
the land in which I live: that is the rule". Though he
learned little Arabic, he was thoroughly in touch with
Beirut by means of his young men.
They met every
Sunday for Mass and instruction.
It was magnificent
to mark the hearty earnestness and sincerity of the director. On one occasion he proposed an Our Father and
a Hail Mary for those who were absent that day without
good excuse.
The young men showed no surprise;
anything like that might be expeCled from Fr. Ray.
They loved him so much, that he could talk to them
as our missioners talk at a men's mission, in an honest
and free\vay.
The members of this congregation are
very fine and representative young men. They receive
Holy Communion every month. As they belong to different rites, a Greek Melchite priest gives Communion
at the same time with the Latin priest.
Usually the
two species are together in one and the same ciborium,
and the priest administers them with a spoon. There
is a strong repugnance of the classes to the use of this
spoon.
The Copts do not like it at all; the Coptic
priest dips the species of bread into the species of wine
and administers it; hence the Copts, in the absence of
their rite, prefer to receive the Blessed Eucharist of the
Latins. Armenians and Maronites have adopted the Latin mode of Communion under one species; the majority of the sodalists receiyed after this mode. After com- .
munion, they returned to their .i>laces with arms folded.
This posture was novel to me ana most pleasing; men
do not generally know what to do with their arms and
hands on the way from the communion-rail.
The
Greek Melchites were in evidence by the fact that they
never kneel. They stand, while receiving communion,
during the consecration, and at the other parts of their
liturgy; they are as tenacious of old customs, and as
fearful of being Latinised as in centuries gone by. They
lmve no Hail Mary, no Salve Regina, no Rosary. · I
came across only two priests of this rite who would say
the Hail Mary and other prayers after Mass ; otht:r oriental rites have these prayers.
Sodalities are likewise conducted for married men,
working men, women who speak Arabic, women who
speak French, boys and girls. The Fathers direct other

IN SYRIA

339

sodalities at the convents of Les Dames de Nazareth,
the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of the Holy Family,
and the Mariamettes.
One of the church-works is that of the free schools.
Some six or seven hundred lads are taught in four
schools of Beirut or its vicinity.
The means of supporting these schools are supplied by the sodality of
working men.
The indefatigable zeal of the sodality
director, Fr. Michel, a Levantine, is producing very farreaching results.
I have seen his boys in their entertainments and plays, and have been very much pleased
with the evidence of their piety and study.
THE PRINTING OFFICE

The routine work of the printing office is the publication of El-Bashir, a weekly Arabic newspaper; ElMashri'g, a fortnightly Arabic review for oriental studies; the Me!a11ges, a French annual of the oriental
faculty; and the Bulletill, a French annual of the Seminary. Moreover, there are numerous annuals, such as
catalogues of the different schools that make up the
university, year books of various congregations, etc.,
and besides there are thousands of elementary school
books, not only for the Jesuit, but for all the Catholic
schools in Syria. The fame of the printing office, however, depends not so much upon the enormous bulk of
this every day sort of work, as the high grade of its
Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic, Aethiopic and Turkish
publications.
To speak of these splendid works at
length, would take up too great a space in the present
letter.
THE

r

COMMUNITY

We were last year fifty-four priests, thirty-four scholastics, and twenty brothers in the community.
Of
these, eighteen were Syrians, formerly of various oriental rites ; and one was an Egyptian, a convert from Islam. We rose at 4.30 A. M.; dinner at noon, supper at
7.30 P. M. Immediately after evening recreation, i. e.
at 8.45 P. M., come litanies, points and exam en; there
is no last visit of custom.
Community Mass is said in the church at 6 A. M. by
Fr. Rector and is served all the year round by the same
lay brother. Indeed, a new and most agreeable exper. ience to me was to say Mass always at the same hour

340

OUR .ilUSSJOJ'.

and same altar and with the same scholastic as server;
we all seemed to get used to each other,-altar, hour,
server and priest. I never heard any one express a desire to be shifted, or to have his server shifted. There
are four different chapels and the church,-all for different portions of the student body or community,-in
which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.
Not many
other chapel-customs differ from ours.
Priests leave
their rooms for l\iass at the sound of a bell ; and, at a
like signal, all priests and servers file out of the sacristy
for their different Masses.
During the canon of the
Mass, an extra candle is lighted. Renovation of vows
takes place in two different chapels.
Benediction of
the Blessed Sacrament for the community lasts almost
half an hour; the entire hymn to Our Lady is sung,
where we sing only two or three verses; but there are
in Beirut fewer benedictions than in Woodstock, only
one novena of benedictions is had, i. e. that of Corpus
Christi, and its oCtave: When benediction has been
given, there is no community visit after supper.
On
feast days of our saints and Our Lady, the antiphon,
versicle, response and prayer of the day are chanted
just before the Tan tum Ergo. On our saints' days, after
benediction, the relic of the saint is kissed by each
member of the community.
In houses of stttdy, the
lamentations of Jeremias are read, not chanted.
On
the feasts of SS. Ignatius and Francis Xavier, the Masses in the church are Masses of exposition.
Recreation after dinner and after supper is taken with
the Brothers by the Father who is appointed weekly to
say litanies.
Fathers and Scholastics are theoretically
together in recreation, But practically keep apart. Most
spend the recreation time upon•the terraces, which are
in part covered. A few of the older Fathers remain in the
recreation-room to chat. Here at the beginning of recreation, three or four times a week, are read the despatches
that come through Lloyd's and Reuter's to El Baslzir.
During the reading of these despatches, there was almost always some notice of the States; but one must
needs have thought them a land of automobile crashes,
bank-failures, mine-explosions, train-wrecks, buncosteerers, J apenese wars and such like.
There was always fun at my disgust. Luckily the French magazines
give good economic studies of the States, so the Fathers
do not depend upon such stupid telegraphic views.
They were very much pleased with the Catholic mass
meetings in the States to protest against the aCtion of

.I"'

IN SYRIA

341

the French government. On Mondays the barbers come
to clip hair; on Saturdays, to shave the tonsure. There
is no smoking in recreation-time; at other times, and in
one's room, it is allowed on medical prescription.
On
first class feasts, a liqueur and coffee are served in the
recreation room; on second class feasts, only coffee is
served to the community, after dinner, when one of the
men has published a book or pamphlet and on other
like occasions ; if one has preached, given an exhortation, heard confessions, written a magazine article, returned from a voyage, or is about to set out, one takes
coffee in a side-room with superiors.
During the long and short vacations, Beirut is too
warm for healthful study. I spent July there and found
study easier than in Wqshington, more difficult than in
Georgetown during the same month. The temperature
of Beirut is very even.
From morning till it was too
dark to see the thermometer,-i. e. about half past
eight,-the mercury seemed fixed at J0° C. in the shade.
The direct rays of the oriental sun are terrific.
In a
well ventilated house, life in Beirut during the summer
is not over severe.
The constancy of the heat, rather
than its intensity, and the lack of a cooling breeze make
the city life enervating and drive the city-folk to the
Lebanon. Our scholastics spent the summer in Bikfaia,
the Fathers were free to go to Ghazir. In either place,
one had the cool mountain nights and an occasional
Lreeze by day. I spent only a day at each town, as I
had seen the Lebanon well enough and wished to do
some special work before leaving Beirut.
On Thursdays throughout the year, we dined at the
villa; we supped there on days of final written· examinations.
The villa is an enclosed garden near to the
sea-shore, about twenty minutes walk from the University buildings. There are all manner of tropical fruittrees, vines and plants in this garden,-oranges, mandarines, figs, dates, lemons, bananas, and grapes of many
kinds.
The hedges of giant geraniums surprise one
who has never seen the plant in perennial bloom. The
many varieties of palms and flowering trees keep one
ever interested. The cactus, called in our South Western States the prickly pear, has been introduced from
Mexico into Syria, and formed a formidable hedge to
protect fruit from purloiners.
The community library which has about 3o,ooo volumes
is large and well ventilated. The books are choice and,
for the most part, the standard late publications. Books

11-12

OUR MISSION

are shelved according to subject and author; so that a
new-comer readily learns the lie of the shelves.
A
large label marked Index is pasted on the back of every
book prohibited by general or by special law of the
Church ; these books scholastics have no permission to
read. Such a way of constituting the Inferno appealed
to me 'as instructive and practical. Hell must needs be
a library apart, if it contains all prohibited books.
It
is an advantage to one to see at a glance all the books
on a given subject, even those that are prohibited.
As for refectory-customs, the reading at dinner is
from the Latin Bible and some French work; at supper,
from the Arabic Bible and a French work.
Brothers
read the French, scholastics the Latin and Arabic. All
reading is rello touo. Deo Gratias is given Thursday at
the villa, and on a few feast days. The books read are
new and stimulating, such as Paul Allard's Dix Le!Wons sur· les Martyrs,
On Pentecost and during the
octave, the Scripture was replaced by some beautiful
portions of the Catechism of St. Cyril; and a sermon
of Bourdaloue was read. Renovation reading is only
during the triduum. The food is good and wholesome.
The cooks are Syrians. The cuisine is partly French
and partly Arabic.
Any new regime is at first hard to
the American stomach, used as it is to roast beef and
beef steak; still one quickly adapts one's stomach to its
necessities. For breakfast, we had bread, coffee and
either fruit (in season) or butter; on villa days a cold
meat was substituted for the fruit or butter, and wine
was served. Dinuer was made up of soup or salad, two
vegetables and byo meats, and desert.
For supper, we
had soup or salad, a vegetable l!'nd a meat, and desert.
At four in the afternoon, wine or··cold coffee and bread
could be taken.
Often the meat was served together
with one or two other vegetables as one dish; indeed,
one rarely received meat simple and alone, as we prefer
it in the States.
Now and again Arabic dishes were
served. Maltshe, gourds stuffed with rice; Kubbe, a :.ort
of John Brown made of chopped meat, crushed wheat
and pine-cone kernels; pilaf, boiled rice, fried over with
bits of boiled chicken or mutton. The bread was very
good. In fact, I got good bread only in Beirut; elsewhere in Svria and Palestine, the bread was what we
should set aside as a bad batch, soggy and ill-raised. In
summer, the table-decanters were filled with water that
had been cooled in a large tank, in which was immersed
a tin cylinder containing snow of Lebannon. This

IN SYRIA

343

snow is not very pure; whereas Beirut water, supplied
by an English company from the source of Maher elKalb (the Dog River), is much esteemed, and has only
some three hundred colonies of bacilli to the cubic centimetre. Ice was served very rarely and only on the
very hot days. Tea is a great luxury in Syria; we had
it twice in villa-time.
The people call it by the Russian name slzat~ and drink it very sweet but without
milk.
Renovation of vows takes place on the feasts of the
Holy N arne and of SS. Peter and Paul. They that are
shortly to take their last vows, make neither the triduum nor the renovation.
The points are not always
given by the spiritual father; now and then a superior
from a neighboring town is called upon. General permissions are renewed at renovation time; otherwise they
cease. The faults are read by Fr. Minister in the order
of the entrance of the renovants into the Society;
priests precede. The afternoon meditation is made before the Blessed Sacrament exposed not in a monstrance
but in the ciborium.
Before taking their last vows, the Fathers beg at some
religious houses in the city.
The visitation of the mission is generally made by
the Superior; last year the provincial visited Ours in
Beirut.
The visitation began with a reception of the
provincial by the whole community, in the recreationroom ; all gave him and his Socius the amplexus.
A
like function took place at the end of the visitation, after
litanies.
These little ceremonies after litanies take
place likewise on the feast-days of Fr. ReCl:or and Fr.
Superior, and on several other days of the year, such as
the feast of Epiphany.
A short address of affection is
given by the Superior next in order; then follows the
answer and the amplexus. The amplexus is given very
much as the pax at Mass, with dignity and reserve.
The ceremony takes place after litanies, so that all may
be present. During visitation, Fr. Provincial held conferences with the different grades, at which all were
called upon to mention defeCl:s noticed ; moreover, the
different departments of the college and the various organizations cared for by the Fathers all gave their formal welcome to Fr. Provincial. After the visitation, Fr.
Rector gave two exhortations in which he read the
Memoriale and enforced its orders by references to the
Institute and to Memori'ale orders of past provincials.

344

A RETREAT B :Y

Fr. Provincial, in one of his talks, remarked upon
the many nations and provinces that were represented
in the community.
The charity that linked together
these many and varied elements, the kindness and patience of the French Fathers ·under torture from my
bad French, will always be a most happy memory of
the J esnit University of Beirut.
WALTER 1\1. DRUM, S.

J.

•••
AN ACCOUNT OF A RETREAT

Conducted in the Baltimore Cathedral
by Rev. Fr. Ryder, S.

J.

During Passion Week, March 13-20, 1842

A spiritual retreat was opened in the Cathedral on
the 13th of 1\Iarch, Passion Sunday.
The Most Rev.
Dr. Eccleston officiated pontifically, and the Rev. Mr.
Ryder, president of Georgetown College, who had kindly consented to conduct the retreat, preached at the
High Mass and again in the evening.
In announcing this retreat, we cannot forbear congratulating such of our brethren, generally as feel
pleasurable interest in watching the growth of Catholic
piety, but more especially do we offer our sincerest congratulations to the Catholics of Baltimore, who had the
happiness of witnessing with their own eyes this splendid triumph of grace, and of participating in its invaluable fruits.
Mr. Ryder delivered three instruClions daily during
the week, and the Rev. Mr. Donelan, of Washington,
whose services had also been secured, preached once
nearly every day, and sometimes twice.
Considering the rare ability with which those gentlemen acquitted themselves of their respective duties,
there is still cause to be surprised at the otherwise wonderful effeCls produced in hearts evidently deeply
touched with light and grace from above. The preaching of the former of those gentlemen is characterised
by a most winning simplicity, equally pleasing to the
humblest and to the most exalted and highly cultivated
intellect;-a precision, perspicuity, and felicity of expres-

.I. .

I.

).

FATHER RYDER

345

sian, which render it impossible for his auditors not to
seize at once, without anything of painful effort, the
thought which he wishes to develope-a fervency and
unction which make it apparent, that, in his case at
least, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh,'' and that the only aspiration of his heart, of
which his tongue is the faithful interpreter, is for the
sanctification· of his hearers. Such is the impression
made upon his auditory by the whole manner of this
truly and eloquent and gifted divine, and indeed by his
very appearance in the pulpit, and with this impression
upon the mind, it is not difficult to conceive that his au-.
ditors should forthwith have given him their whole
confidence, listened to his voice with docility and gratitude, treasured up his words, and resolved upon reducing to practice the lessons of. wisdom and sublime morality, which the church inculcated through the agency
of her worthv ministers.
Another of the innumerable excl"llencies observable
in the manner of the Rev. gentleman attracted our particular attention. By' means of remarkably lucid explanation, followed by strains of the most cogent reasoning, he first convinces the understanding, and then appeals with unerring effect to the best feelings of the
heart. The moral edifice thus ereCled is not likely to
share the very common fate of being carried away by
the first gust of passion, a fate inevitable in all cases
where the superstructure is raised without a solid foundation. In reference to the exhortations of Mr. Dr.
Ryder, we may safely say, in the language of the Saviour to his disciples, "You shall go, and shall bring
forth fruit, and your fruit shall remain."
The appeals of his reverend assistant were also, in the
highest degree, effective. He elucidated at considerable
length the nature of the sacrament of penance, and expatiated in glowing tenns upon the effeCls produced by
the proper or improper reception of that sacrament. To
our own certain knowledge, his explanations had the
very desirable effect of removing mountains of prejudice from the minds of many of our dissenting brethren,
who had formerly looked with suspicious eye upon the
sacred tribunal, so much maligned, because so little is
understood of its real nature and tendency.
Like the
centurion, and many others who had been grossly duped
and imposed upon by the artful calumnies and misrep_resentations which the Jews had employed against our
Divine Saviour, bnt who were undeceived by the terrific

846

A RETREAT.BY

and convincing testimony which all nature bore to his
divinity at the moment of his crucifixion, many of our
separated brethren from the instruCtions of that indefatigable and zealous clergyman, striking their breasts,
and, in relation, to the sacrament of penance, saying
within themselves, ''Indeed, this is an institution of
God," or, in words similar to those used by Jacob when
awaking from a deep sleep, "Indeed the Lord is here
and we know it not.
This is no other but the work of
God and the gate of heaven."
But not only by our brethren of other communions
were his instructions appreciated. Upon many a bruised
and afflicted heart, that beat within the bosoms of the
Catholic portion of his audience, did he pour the grateful balm of consolation.
He showed and proved to
them that many of their fears were groundless scruples,
at the same time pointing out those hidden rocks upon
which many a spiritual bark has split.
Like St. Paul,
he thought nothing beneath him where the good of
those for whom he felt a tender solicitude in Christ
Jesus, was at stake. He therefore, occasionally descended to the minutest particulars; he took familiar examples from actual and every day life; and his remarks, in
these instances, were in the highest degree interesting
to his hearers. But want of space forbids further comment.
At many of the exercises, the pews, aisles, and galleries of the Cathedral were thronged to overflowing from
the beginning to the close of the week. A more edifying
speCl:acle than was presented by the whole scene, it
would have been difficult to imagine. So far as external deportment and propriety of· demeanor during the
exercises are concerned, it woutc1··have been difficult to
distinguish between the most fervent Catholic and his
Protestant neighbor. A feeling of reverence approaching to awe seemed to have taken possession of all, without distinction. The thought of the world with its ten
thousand cares was lost sight of, or driven far into the
background.
God alone and the affair of salvation,
''the one thing necessary," riveted universal attention.
Seven confessors were at first employed, but these
being very soon found insufficient, the n11mber was increased to twelve; and even then the concourse that
literally besieged each confessional appeared undiminished or rather increased. During these days of salvation the sacred tribunal was approached by six or seve~
hundred, who had been estranged for a number of years

PATHEI? l?YDEI?

S47

from the practice of their religious duties.
The number of communicants was about twenty-two hundred.
On Palm Sunday the last day of the retreat, the ceremony of the procession prescribed for that day, took
place for the first time at the Cathedral.
The Most
Rev. Archbishop again officiated at the High Mass, the
Rev. Mr. Ryder preached, and then the papal benediction was given.
He briefly reminded his auditors of
the momentous nature of the occupation in which they
had been engaged during the week; and earnestly exhorted them to perfect that which, by the divine blessing, had been so happily begun.
He made a pathetic
and beautiful appeal. To his Protestant brethren he
spoke of Catholicity under the allegory of an injured
misrepresented, and calumniated man : would they condemn him upon no other testimony than that of his
sworn enemies? He prayed a blessing on all his hearers-upon Catholics, that they might "walk worthy of
their vocation;" upon others who were not yet of the
true fold, that they might become of that fold, and hear
the voice of the true pastor. The Rev. Mr. Donelan
delivered an affeCtionate valedictory in the evening.
The Te Deum was chanted by the choir, and the whole
was closed by the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The good effected by the divine mercy in behalf of
both Protestants and Catholics, through the instrumentality of this retreat, is incalcuable.
Amongst the
former some remarkable conversions to our holy faith
took place before the expiration of the week ; many
others applied for information, and are now under
course of instruCtion. But this is only the commencement; the seed has been sown ; in many instances it
l1as fallen upon good soil, and we rely without fear of
disappointment upon an abundant spiritual harvest.
Catholic fervor and piety throughout the congregation seem to have received a new impulse-the whole
face of things seems changed : ''Thou shalt send forth
thy spirit, and they shall be created ; and thou shalt renew the face of the earth."
How gloriously does not
the present state of things contrast with that which existed some few weeks ago, when so many were estranged
from the house of God-some tepid, some fervent; some
observant of their religious obligations, and others almost forgetful of the very existence of such duties. It
was then as difficult to avoid as it is now difficult to find,
a merely nominal Catholic.
"Confirm, 0 God, what
thou hast wrought in us."

TWO LETTERS OF ST. IGNATIUS
ON FREQUENT COMMUNION

In connection with the decree issued by the S. Congregation of the Council, Dec. 20, 1905, two letters of
St. Ignatius on frequent communion may be interesting
to the readers of the LETTERS.
They are printed in
Cartas de San Ignacio de Loyola, vol. i, letters 21 and
48.
I.
About,the time when St. Ignatius was elected first
general..gf his order (1540), he sent a letter to his fellow-citizens of Azpeitia, together with a copy of the
bull by which Paul III had approved a confraternity in
honor of the Blessed Sacrament, founded by a friend of
the Saint, the pious and learned Fr. Thomas Stella,
o. P. After warmly recommending this confraternity,
he reminds his countrymen of the salutary reforms he
had wrought among them during a visit of their town
some five years previously, and then continues:
"For your greater advancement I pray, entreat, and
beseech you by the love and reverence of God our Lord,
apply yourselves with great zeal and ardor to honor,
please, and serve His only begotten Son, Christ Our
Lord, in this great mystery of the most Blessed Sacrament, in which His divine l\1aiesty, with divinity and
humanity, is as great, undimin.is!1ed, powerful, and infinite as He is in heaven. And, therefore, make some
rules in the confraternity to be established. to the effect
that each member shall confess and communicate once
every month, but voluntarily and without obliging himself so as to commit a sin, if he should not do it. For
I am firmly convinced and believe that by acting and
exerting yourselves in this manner your spiritual profit
will be incalcuable. [In the beginning] all who had the
required age received the most Holy Sacrament every
day; a little later, when devotion began to grow colder,
all communicated every eight days; at a much later
period, when true charity was decreasing much more,
thitjgs came to such a pass that all communicated on
three principal feasts of the year, leaving every one free
in his devotion if he wished to receive more frequently,
(348)

ST. IGNA. TIUS ON FREQUENT COMMUNION

I l-

S49

every third day or every eighth day or every month:
finally we have come so far as to receive only from year
to year, because our coldness and negligence is so great
that the greater part of the whole world, if considered
with a calm and religious mind, seems to have retained
nothing but the mere name of Christian.
"Let it, therefore, be our part, out of love and devotion to such a Lord and on account of the exceeding
great advantage to our souls, to renew and restore in
some manner the holy practices of our forefathers; and
if we cannot do so entirely, let us do so at least in part,·
confessing and communicating, as I said above, once a
month. But whosoever wishes to go further than this
will undoubtedly prove acceptable to Our Creator and
Lord according to the testimony of St. Augustine 1 and
all the Holy Doctors; for having said: 'Quotidie communicare nee lando nee vitupero' [daily communion I
neither praise nor blame], he added: 'Singulis tam en
diebtts dominicis ad commmdcandum exhortor' [still
receiving communion every Sunday I recommend].
''And because I trust that God Our Lord in His infinite goodness and accustomed mercy, will infuse His
·holy grace abundantly into the souls of all, that you may
render Him a service due to Him by such strong titles
and so clearly and manifestly to the advancement of
your own souls, I close by asking, praying, and beseeching you, by the love and reverence you bear to God Our
Lord, let me always partake in your devotions and
chiefly in those of the most Holy Sacrament, as you
yourselves will always have a full share in mine, however poor and unworthy they may be. 112

II.
In a letter dated November rs, I543. St. Ignatius
gives to a religions of Barcelona, Sister Teresa Rejadella, advice concerning daily communion. He writes:
"As to daily communion, it is noteworthy that in the
primitive Church all communicated every day, and of
1 The words here attributed to St. Augustine, are an utterance of Genuadins, De Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus, c. 53., a work which for a long time
was believed to have St. Augustine for its author.
2 A striking illustration of how much the reception of the Sacraments
was neglected at the time of St. Ignatius is a decree of the Council of
Trent, exhorting nuns to go to confession and communion at least once a
month. "Bishops and other Superiors of convents of nuns shall diligently watch that the sisters, as they are admonished in their constitutions,
confess their sins, and receive the most Holy Eucharist at least once a
month, in order that by this salutary safeguard they may be strengthened
to withstand valiantly all the assaults of Satan." (Sess. 25, de regularibus,

C. IO.)

:i50

ST. IGNATiUS ON FREQUENT COAf,liUNION

later times there exists no regulation or document of
our holy Mother the Church nor of the Holy Doctors of
scholastic or positive theology, which would prevent devout persons from communicating daily.
True, the
blessed St. Augustine says that daily communion he
neither praises nor blames, but elsewhere he exhorts all
to receive every Sunday, and furthermore, speaking of
the most Sacred Body of Christ Our Lord, he says:
'This bread is a daily food; therefore live so as to be
able to receive it every day.' 3•
"Now all this being the case, although you had not
so many signs of a good disposition nor such devout
emotions, the dictate of your own conscience is a good
and sufficient criterion, namely as to what is lawful to
you in Our Lord. If, being free from sins which are
clearly ,mortal, or which you might take for such, you
judge piat your soul is more helped and more inflamed
to love·your Creator and Lord, and if with such intention you receive communion, finding by experience that
this most holy spiritual food affords you suppcrt, quiet,
and repose, and preserves and advances you in His service, praise, and glory, there is no doubt that it is lawful and will be better for you to communicate every
day.
"But on this point as well as others, I have fully informed the licentiate [Fr.] Avaoz, who will hand you
this and in whom I entirely confide in Our Lord.
In
conclusion I pray God Our Lord by His infinite mercy
that in all things you may be guided and governed by
His infinite and sovereign goodness." 4
s As the first of the above mentioned texts is taken from a work of Gennadius, so the second is from a sermon .pf St. Ambrose.
Both were in
former times generally attributed to St. Au~ustine. Although the latter is
not the author of these sayings, so often quoted by spiritual writers, it has
been proved that he agrees with the principles or views underlying them.
' If we compare the above letter with the decree of December 20, 1905,
we not only find a perfect agreement of the mind of St. Ignatius with that
of the Church, but also cannot help admiring the clear and precise expres6ion which the Saint gave to it.

;

.
OUR FATHERS IN BENGAL
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,

P. C.
In a former letter I sent you an account of the labors
of our Belgian Fathers in the island of Cey Ion. What the
Fathers have done in Bengal may perhaps prove equally interesting. I therefore send you an abstract of the
third part of the book, to which I referred in my former
letter: "Missions of our Fathers in the Congo and in
India." Mor.:! than an abstract can hardly be given.
The author goes into a detailed account of the geographical features of India, the history of the country, the
religion of the people, the social distinction brought in
by the castes. As all these things would naturally be
very dry and hardly interesting to Ours, they have
all been omitted. Besides the greater portion of this
part of the book is taken up with the life of Father
Lievens, and through it an idea is given of the work of
the other Fathers.
Following the same plan I shall
give a short notice of the mission, and devote the rest of
the letter to a sketch of the life of him who has been
the principal actor on the scene ever since the mission
was founded.
The Mission in India, belonging to the Belgian Province, is situated in the North Eastern part ofHindostan.
It is sometimes called the Mission of Bengal, sometimes
the Calcutta Mission and was founded by Father Depelchin. In company with five Fathers he landed in Calcutta, Nov. 28th, 1859· Those men trusted in the
Providence of God, and strong in that trust they were
to lay the foundations of a superhuman work in the
midst of numerous dangers and obstacles. Father Depelchin remained in India for thirteen years. He was
then appointed to go to South Africa for the purpose of
establishing the Mission of Zambesi. In 1887, he begged
to be allowed to return to his first field of labor. He
died in Calcutta May 16th, 1900.
Very Rev. Father Goethals was made Archbishop of
Calcutta in 1886, and was the first one to occupy that
(351)

25

352

OUR FATHEJ;.S.

See. His great wisdom, his kind disposition, his generosity of soul enhanced tenfold his exalted dignity.
His intellect was of a high order, his qualities of soul
remarkable. During the fifteen years that he occupied
the Archiepiscopal See, this illustrious prelate was one
of the most distinguished and prominent men of the
Capital of the Empire of India.
Calcutta has a population of Soo,ooo souls. It was
then what it is to-day, the Emporium of the East, the
metropolis in which were gathered representatives of all
the races under the sun: Europeans, Hindus, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Parsis. The Fathers chose Calcutta
as the headquarters of the Mission. They turned their first
thought to the opening of a College, the College of St.
Francis Xavier, which was destined for so brilliant a
future, and which was to receive on so many occasions
marks of esteem and sympathy from the viceroy of India. From its very opening the number of students was
large, and has attained to-day the high figure of Sao.
In r892 the College was affiliated to the University of
Calcutta. The teachers follow the program of studies
drawn up by the government and send their students
for examination to a board appointed by the State.
The studies lead to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The
college and the parish work in the eight churches of the
city make up the labors of the Fathers.
In the northern part of Bengal we find the little town
of Kurseong. It is situated on one of the chains of the
Himalaya mountains; about one mile fnrther north is
St. Mary's Seminary. Until 1897 the scholastics studied Philosophy and Theology at St. Mary's. Since 1898
the Philosophers are sent to Sh_embaganore, in the Mission of Madura; St. Mary's has•become the house of
Studies for the Theologians from nearly all the Missions
in India .
. Twenty miles north of Kurseong lies the city of Darjeeling. Our Fathers have a residence there, but their
principal work is done in St. Joseph's College, opened
in the year r888. In the very year of its foundation St. '
Joseph's College was affiliated to the University of Calcutta.
Five Fathers, three Scholastics, and three
Brothers were stationed there; to-day the status has
twenty-six men on the list, and the number of boarders
has risen from forty to two-hundred. The plan of studies
is modelled on that of St. Francis Xavier's.
Calcutta and Darjeeling are the two outermost posts
of the Mission, one in the South the other in tbe North.

IN BENGAL

..

353

Missionary Work is done all· over the territory extending between them.
The Fathers have about a dozen
stations or parishes, each one administered by two or
three priests. It is impossible to enter upon a detailed
account of this missionary work. Besides we shall be
able to understand it when reviewing what is being done
in the province of Chota N agpur.
The work of conversion going on at the present day in
this immense province is truly stupendous.
It may be
said without exaggeration that not a Mission in the whole
world has made so many conversions within the same
short space of time. Within twenty years a christian community of one hundred thousand souls has sprung up
in the midst of pagan nations.
The name of Father
Lievens will be forever associated with this marvelous
and incredible movement. He it was who started that
work. What Father N obili is in Madura, Father Ricci
in China, Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains, that
Father Lievens is in Chota N agpur. To the natives he
was a father and a king.
Hundreds of them were
gathered at the stations which he visited on his missionary expeditions, and Fathers at the residence have
counted four thousand neophytes waiting for his return.
They all wanted to see the" great Saheb." In one of
his missionary towns he baptized thirteen-thousand natives in one month. He was oblivious of all his own
wants. He ate and drank with the natives th~ food that
they offered him ; slept on the hay or straw in stables
where dumb beasts were sheltered; went forth in search
of souls in spite of rain, fever and cold. This is the
man whose life deserves more than a passing notice.
We give a sketch of it in the lines which follow.
Father Constant Lievens was born in Moorslede, a
little village of Flanders. The home ~f his parents was
a white-washed farmhouse, so common in the western
provinces of Belgium. In those homes father, mother
and children live a life of deep and simple faith; the
, traditions of the past are sacredly treasured and kept,
the sons labor and toil after the manner of their fathers.
In surroundings such as these, young Constant spent
his early childhood. One of his traits was his deep and
tender affection for his family. In his little notebook
were found after his death the names of his father, ofhis
three uncles, of his three aunts, of his brothers and
their wives, of his six sisters and their husbands, finally
of his forty-one nephews and nieces.
Constant with
his brothers and sisters received the first elements 111

354

OUR FATHERS

spelling and writing at the village school. When he
reached the age of eleven his mother died. The work
that she performed was to be done by other hands.
Each one took his share of the burden. Little Constant
was sent out to herd the cows. The pastor of Moorslede had noticed the quick and sharp intelligence of the
lad. He heard him frequently express the desire of becoming a priest. Accordingly he had him sent to the
seminary at Roulers. The little boy so earnest at the
work on the farm was not less so at his studies. In the
course of his humanities he mastered German, English
and Italian sufficiently well to read in the original
Klopstock, Shakespeare and Dante. During his philosophy he took up the study of Sanscrit. After his philosophy he entered the Seminary of Bruges; but the
thought of spending his life on the missions pursued
him. '
On Oct. 23rd, 1878, he entered the Novitiate of the
Society of Jesus at Tronchiennes. In the first days of
October, r88o, he received orders from the Provincial to
set out for the Calcutta Mission, and on Dec. 2nd, the
eve of the feast of St. Francis Xavier, he reached his
destination. In r883, he W:J.S ordained by his Grace
Archbishop Goethals. Of all the tokens of love which he
received on that day none touched his heart so much as
did the missionary outfit of which his family made him
a present. To buy the chalice, the ciborium and the
Sacred vestments, penny by penny had been laid aside
for several years in the little home ofMoorslede, where
he had spent his boyhood days.
Father Lievens was then twenty-nine years old. His
iron constitution seemed to be"made for a life of labor
and suffering, for a life of expeditions on horseback
from village to village.
His was a strong character
endowed with extraordinary energy, resourceful,earnest,
such as St. Ignatius loved.· On July 31st he was authorrized by Superiors to set out for Torpa.
It was the
starting point of his life-work in the Chota-Nagpur.
Chota-N agpur is one of the devisions of Bengal. It
forms the western part of the Calcutta Mission and covers
an area of about twenty-seven thousand miles.
Father
Lievens began his apostolate at once. After a few weeks
residence at Torpa he writes to his parents: "So far,
I have already made fifty Christians. But I possess absolutely nothing, no home, no cross, no church, no ox,
no·wagon, and especially no money. Along the main
road which I have to travel and at convenient distances

IN BENGAL

r

355

I intend to build three churches and to put up little
chapels here-and-there- in the woods. I journey generally barefooted.
It is cheaper and easier, somewhat
troublesome when the road is rocky. I sleep wherever
I can. I have passed several nights under a tree or in
a stable: all this is very natural out here, where nothing
can be had.
A month ago I was overtaken in the
woods by a storm which lasted four hours. I was more
than a mile from my residence; the night was very dark,
I could not see a step ahead of me. I lost my road and
St. Joseph brought me hotrie at mid-night.
Without
his help I would surely have perished".
''Saturday, August 22nd. I have just returned from
I was on foot.
I had to wade
one of mv excursions.
It rained all the time.
I was
across se~en rivers.
drenched to the skin and dead tired after a forced march
of twenty miles.
But I was happy to offer these sufferings to Our Blessed Lord".
However, Father Lievens had a serious problem to
solve.
He found himself face to face with a sad condition of affairs.
The Koles, who constitute the lower
class of the people, are given to agricultural work and
depend for their existence on the products of their farms.
They are industrious and sober in their habits and very
much attached to their little plot of ground. Over them
is the Rajah or native prince. As the general landowner of all the estates in his dominion he is empowered to
collect taxes on them.
These taxes go to make up his
revenue, deduction being made of the sum payable to
the British Crown.
Unfortunately for the Koles the
villages of nearly the entire Chota-Nagpur were farmed
out to foreigners and Hindus, whom the natural resourThese
ces of the country had induced to settle there.
men, either individually or organized in societies, bought
the exclusive right of gathering the taxes, paying for
the same a sum much out of proportion with the actual
revenue.
To draw profit from this sort of business it
was necessary to oppress and grind the laborer.
By
fraud and violence three and four times the legal tax
was exacted, receipts were falsified to cover injustice,
the farmer was condemned to forced labor, and under
the least